Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus

"A love story."

2006 2h 2m EN

😐

6.1

MID

★6.1TMDB · 310

DramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 1958 New York Diane Arbus is a housewife and mother who works as an assistant to her husband, a photographer employed by her wealthy parents. Respectable though her life is, she cannot help but feel uncomfortable in her privileged world. One night, a new neighbor catches Diane's eye, and the enigmatic man inspires her to set forth on the path to discovering her own artistry.

“A love story.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Nicole Kidman
Diane Arbus
Robert Downey Jr.
Lionel Sweeney
Ty Burrell
Allan Arbus
Harris Yulin
David Nemerov
Jane Alexander
Gertrude Nemerov
Emmy Clarke
Grace Arbus
Genevieve McCarthy
Sophie Arbus
Boris McGiver
Jack Henry

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Steven Shainberg
Writers: Erin Cressida Wilson
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 14% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 20 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Steven Shainberg, shot by Bill Pope. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Carter Burwell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Keiko Deguchi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Nicole Kidman and Robert Downey Jr. and Ty Burrell carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A love story.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0422295 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Steven Shainberg directs. Bill Pope behind the camera. Carter Burwell scores. Keiko Deguchi cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 14% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 20 years ago.
3Directed by Steven Shainberg, shot by Bill Pope. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Carter Burwell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Keiko Deguchi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Nicole Kidman and Robert Downey Jr. and Ty Burrell carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "A love story.".
8IMDB entry: tt0422295 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Released under 10 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Bill Pope
Original score: Carter Burwell
Editing: Keiko Deguchi
Production design: Amy Danger
Costume design: Mark Bridges
Makeup / hair: Wayne Herndon
Runtime: 122 min · 2h 2m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $16,800,000
Box office: $2,312,717
Return: 14% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (2006)

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Steven Shainberg

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What people are saying

Crazypiglady2023-04-08
I watched this as I'm a keen photographer and hoped to learn more about Arbus despite the film being honestly marketed as mostly fiction (the other main character 'Lionel' and anything about the family other than their existence) based loosely on an unauthorised biography. I learned how to pronounce Diane but not a lot else. That doesn't make it a bad film just not very educational. It's a good idea for a film but doesn't quite hit the mark. Given the artistic license it affords itself it could have gone anywhere but it doesn't really. There are some interesting, quirky and funny bits in it but somehow it doesn't quite hold them together coherently. 6/10 (and one of those is simply for having a TLR Rolleiflex in it)

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