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Bombshell:
The Hedy Lamarr Story (2017) – A. Dean
There is a lot that is surprising about
Hedy Lamarr’s life – principally that she invented something called “frequency
hopping” that was originally meant for torpedoes in WW2 butis somehow related
to the genesis of wi-fi and Bluetooth technology. She had a patent that the US military may
have stolen (since she wasn’t a US citizen).
Of course, the public didn’t know about Hedy’s intelligence and penchant
for inventing – they just knew her as the Hollywood star of Algiers (1938; with
Charles Boyer) and for her scandalous nude scene in the German film, Ecstasy
(1933). The documentary charts her film
career and her later hit, Samson and Delilah (1949) for Cecil B. DeMille, which
gave her the opportunity to produce her own films – which bankrupted her. The filmmakers seek to promote Hedy as a
proto-feminist, but it is clear that, although she sought to take the reins of
her life, things did not really work out.
She had 5 husbands, became addicted to speed, and spiralled downward,
becoming a recluse – a late telephone interview reveals her pride…and
fatalism. Her children describe her as
erratic. So, is this a cautionary tale? Or a rescue of her image? Was she really a
thwarted genius? The many talking heads offer conclusions but not so much data.
No doubt things are/were tough for brilliant women.
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