The British Guide to Showing Off
Robyn Beeche
Synopsis
British artist and living legend Andrew Logan, loved the world over by celebrities and misfits alike, takes us under his glittering wing and inside his outrageous, anarchic and spectacular costume pageant: the Alternative Miss World Show.
As the Show’s master of ceremonies and ringmaster, Logan is the high priest of an esteemed congregation. Artist David Hockney judged the first one, musician David Bowie couldn’t get into the second, film director Derek Jarman won the third and fashionista Zandra Rhodes designs Andrew's hostess costume. Other patrons include Mary Quant, Biba, Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, Brian Eno, Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, Divine and John Waters, Elton John, Larry Hagman, the Queen Mum and Tony Blair. He describes the Show as his most important artwork - a fabulous living sculpture that spans 40 years of arts and culture.
Over its 35 year history Alternative Miss World has both reflected and informed British arts and culture. The first was a backlash against the austerity of the early 70s. Since then, the Show has inspired glam, punk and new romantic. It dazzled in Thatcher’s recession, flaunted itself in the AIDS crisis, became darker in the corporate 90s and decidedly un-Cool Britannia in 2004.
Using live observational camera, archive and exuberant animation, this documentary charts the mounting of the 2009 Show, interwoven with its history - the rise, fall and rediscovery - of both the event and the artist at its centre.
Details
- Year
- 2009
- Type of film
- Features
- Running Time
- 80 mins
- Format
- HD
- Director
- Jes Benstock 1st Feature
- Producer
- Sue Jeffries
- Co-Producer
- Sue Jeffries
- Editor
- Stephen Boucher
- Director of Photography
- Andy Clark
- Design and animation
- Andrew Savage
Genre
Production status
Complete
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Last updated 11th December 2008
