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Wonderful character development!

Strong and Moving!

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

This is a very touching portrait of a most talented individual. It is shot well and considering the tiny budget presents as outstanding viewing.The structure and presentation flows very well and Bill is frankly captivating. The guy and the relationships he has with those around him of all ages is captured in a very candid manner.I don't know that I have ever seen a documentary where the needs and sensitivities of the subject get conveyed so well. From the on stage awards to the truly intimate trip around the most captivating of (his) apartment.In the end you feel like you a know a guy so well, if you bumped into him in downtown NY, you'd be able to walk up and strike a conversation.Sensitive, touching, intimate and what a great American.

www.eattheblinds.comI just got off an overseas flight from London and was lucky enough to start the long journey with a great documentary: Bill Cunningham New York, by Richard Press.Even if fashion isn't your thing, Bill is such a rare and inspiring person, it's impossible to not be moved by his story. At 80 years old, Bill continues to bike all over Manhattan, snapping photos for his NYT feature "On the Street." He's one of the original street style photographers and his legacy is not only respected by those in the know, his influence ripples through the entire fashion industry.

I rated this movie highly because i enjoyed its portrayal of a man passionate about his work, principled in his approach to it, plainspoken, etc. But i think the director missed should've delved more deeply into what was fueling his workaholism and critics miss the boat when they explain away his lack of personal life as a result of an all-consuming passion for fashion or Calvinist work ethic. I'm sure those are both true, but they're hardly the whole truth. As a result, even though I initially felt about the movie much the same as the other commenters here, the more i think about it, the more I see a regrettable failure to explore how rejection by family and church due to homosexuality can warp an individual, create such self-hatred that he keeps the world at a distance by filling all his waking hours with work, and spending his working hours hiding behind a lens. One character trait that is evident is need for absolute control over selection of pics, layout, etc., even to the point of working for no money. This could either be because he completely lacked the social skills to compromise or because he just needed to assert control over the little slice of life's possibilities that he had allowed himself. Fortunately for Bill, the work he threw himself into to the exclusion of everything else life has to offer happened to be something he was both passionate about and had an aptitude for, so we can all enjoy the fruits of his pathology. And I'm sure that's the kind of film the NY Times wanted and probably the only way Bill would agree to be filmed for this project (it was years getting him to sign on). Anyway, movie is completely enjoyable, but, like I said, treating as lovable quirks the fact that this man has lived a life sleeping on a twin platform bed surrounded by file cabinets, his wardrobe pretty much the clothes on his back, no real friends to speak of, etc., seems to be a major flaw of this otherwise interesting film.

I love Bill Cunningham. He's the original street fashion photographer - the one who mastered today's trend - and a New York institution. For years, he's been documenting fashion trends on the streets of New York, which he traverses on his trusty Schwinn, reporting for The New York Times.Cunningham does a regular feature for the Times called "On the Street" in which you hear him talk about the photos he's taken. He's always so unabashedly enthusiastic.Who knew you could be so happy about trench coats, leggings, and leopard print? OK, so I've been happy about those things (maybe not the leopard print). But Cunningham's appreciation for statement and expression makes fashion seem like a place for everyday adventure instead of a consumer trap.A new documentary called "Bill Cunningham: New York" opens in San Diego this weekend. In it, we learn that Cunningham's life is his work. He's in his 80s and has lived something of monastic existence in the name of fashion - or as he might put it - the pursuit of beauty.He's never had a romantic relationship. He attends church every Sunday. For years he lived in a tiny apartment above Carnegie Hall packed with file cabinets where he stores copies of every photograph he's ever taken (he's still shooting film). The apartment had no kitchen and a public bathroom down the hall. He stored his bike in a hall closet, retrieving it daily to hit the streets with his camera and rolls of film.Cunningham and the last remaining tenants (paying rent-control prices) at Carnegie Hall moved last year, forced out by the owners who wanted to expand and renovate the apartments into offices and classrooms.The film also introduces us to Cunningham's former and eccentric neighbors at Carnegie Hall. The most fascinating is Editta Sherman, a 99-year-old photographer who was once a muse for Andy Warhol. Sherman has been called the "Duchess of Carnegie Hall" where she lived for over 60 years.For all the artifice and pretense of the worlds he covers (fashion and New York society), Cunningham is humble and completely without airs. He's a chronic smiler and his sense of humor is refreshing in an industry known for pouty lips and raised eyebrows.For more of this review, go to the Culture Lust blog on www.kpbs.org