Check marks the spot: 'Bombshell' doc on Hedy Lamarr earns NY Times' 'critic's pick' designation

Alexandra Dean film stars legendary actress endowed with extraordinary brilliance and beauty

If the title A Beautiful Mind weren't already taken, it would have served nicely for Alexandra Dean's new documentary on Hedy Lamarr, the screen icon whose beauty was exceeded only by her brilliance.

As it it, the title Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story does the job admirably, playing off her looks and the invention Lamarr is best known for, which aided the U.S. military in foiling anti-torpedo systems. The radio guidance formulas she developed in the 1940s laid the groundwork for encryption technology still in use today.
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This documentary traces the arcs of Lamarr’s personal and professional lives, which by turns harmoniously converged and wildly veered in opposite directions. Whatever happened, it was rarely dull.

--New York Times critic Manohla Dargis on Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story

The film opens today in New York (December 8 in LA) with a boost from New York Times critic Manohla Dargis, who calls it "very enjoyable." 

Dargis added in her review, "Ms. Dean relates Lamarr’s ventures, those onscreen and off, with savvy and narrative snap, fluidly marshaling a mix of original interviews and archival material that includes film clips, home movies and other footage."

Read the full review here, which earned a "critic's pick" designation.

​Watch the trailer below: