She developed "frequency hopping" technology still in use today, but got far more credit for looks than intelligence There has never been much dispute about Hedy Lamarr's pulchritude -- in the 1930s and 40s she was often referred to as "the most beautiful woman in the world." While she never lacked attention for her physical appearance, she struggled to gain recognition for the beautiful mind behind the beautiful face. The new documentary Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story explores the contributions she made to science in the midst of her movie career. She belongs "in the pantheon of great inventors," according to director Alexandra Dean, especially for her work on spread spectrum frequency hopping, a secure communications system with military and civilian applications. In fact it is central to Bluetooth technology, as well as early iterations of WiFi and GPS. New York Times critic Manohla Dargis named Bombshell one of the best films of the year. It's now playing in New York and opens at the Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles on Friday (December 8). Nonfictionfilm.com attended the LA premiere on Sunday, followed by a party at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood, which Lamarr frequented in her early Hollywood days. Below are some of our photos from Sunday. |
AuthorMatthew Carey is a documentary filmmaker and journalist. His work has appeared on Deadline.com, CNN, CNN.com, TheWrap.com, NBCNews.com and in Documentary magazine. |