Unfolding Florence

2006

82 mins

Directed by Gillian Armstrong
71%
Documentary
Drama

Gillian Armstrong documentary about flamboyant design pioneer, Florence Broadhurst, who was born in outback Australia, 1899. The story of a... More

Gillian Armstrong documentary about flamboyant design pioneer, Florence Broadhurst, who was born in outback Australia, 1899. The story of a wallpaper designer might not sound interesting, but the critics say it is due to the strength of the characters. A singer and dancer in Shanghai in the 20s, Broadhurst ran her own fashion design company in London in the 30s, and made an entrance into the Sydney social scene as a painter and charity fund raiser later on in her life.

At the age of 60, she began her most successful incarnation as designer of bold, exotic wallpapers. She was murdered in mysterious circumstances at the age of 78 in Sydney, a crime which has never been solved.

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Unfolding Florence | Ratings & Reviews

71_%534 reviews
Audience score rating

"Archive footage and inventive dramatizations give the film an energy the numerous static interviews can't, though the over-used, Terry Gilliam-like animation with old family photos does jangle the nerves. Intention may have been to replicate Broadhurst's zeal, but the effect is trivializing and detracts from Armstrong's other, smarter directorial choices..."

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Variety

"It is ironic that Florence Broadhurst is mostly remembered for the wallpaper design career she began at the age of 60. Ironic, because like wallpaper, Florence was a master at concealing things and reinventing herself in a new guise..."

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Urban Cinefile

"Florence Broadhurst was ebullient, entertaining and game for anything - attributes that often served to paper over her shortcomings, which were numerous..."

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Sydney Morning Herald

"This documentary from Gillian Armstrong (My Brilliant Career) is proof that the unlikeliest subject - even wallpaper design - can be riveting if the characters are interesting enough, their story is a good one and it is well told..."

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Sunday Star-Times

"In trying to overturn stereotypes of what constitutes success for women and identify new exemplars, feminism has often tied itself in extravagant knots. Gillian Armstrong’s documentary on Australian designer Florence Broadhurst is a case in point because although Broadhurst had a small talent as a singer and designer, she had a far greater talent for fakery and self-promotion..."

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