Hollywood can lead to one's greatest success and ultimate demise. That's the tragic story of Hedy Lamarr, a beloved film actress and unaccredited inventor, who was the subject of Alexandra Dean's new biographical documentary, Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story. Throughout the film, we learn of Hedy's extraordinary life: from starting out as an infamous adolescent to transforming into the Hollywood It Girl, to breaking free from the confines of Hollywood's controversial studio system in order to become an innovative feminist visionary.
The genius behind the raven-haired femme fatale was revealed by the actress herself, as a long-forgotten telephone interview served as the dominant narrator of the film. Within the muffled recording of Hedy's soft voice and depictions of archival footage, we meet Hedy Kiesler, a Jewish refugee from Hitler's Austria who loved chemistry and engineering.
Her beauty acts as a curse rather than a gift. Knowing that her scientific talents won't be able to flourish within a society contaminated by misogyny, Hedy heads towards a different direction. Posing for nude photographs and performing sex scenes in the 1933 German film, Ecstasy, she is catapulted into international notoriety. She eventually attracted the attention of Louis B. Mayer and signed a contract to become an official player of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, changing her last name from "Kiesler" to "Lamarr".
Like her fellow MGM co-stars, the actress was given regular doses of uppers and downers in order to endure the strenuous hours on set. In the disguise of vitamin shots, these injections were laced with a highly addictive drug: methamphetamines. Hedy struggled to find a balance between maintaining a happy personal life while seeking respectable movie roles. In the midst of all the chaos and misfortune, Hedy kept going back to her one true love: inventing.
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The center-point of the documentary was Hedy's invention of frequency hopping, a communicational technology that is still used in modern-day Bluetooth, Wifi and cell phone. With the help of composer, George Antheil, the two worked endlessly to develop a system that could recognize German U-boats before they made an attack. Although the US Navy shrugged off Hedy's patent, they eventually accepted it and helped the Allies win World War II, all without paying any money to Hedy. Her invention is currently worth billions.
Not only does the film warn us about judging someone based on their physical appearance, but how the pressure of being labeled insidiously plays a role in our personal relationships. Throughout her life, Hedy married and divorced several partners, claiming that the men she loved were only interested in the glamorous and sultry characters she portrayed on screen. She was unable to find someone who loved each and every part of her, which depressed her deeply.
As she grew older, Hedy gradually transformed into a recluse. Journalists and gossip columnists were relentless with criticism and mockery, saying that the actress was no longer beautiful. With several cosmetic surgeries under her belt, Hedy was still innovating. Before each procedure, she instructed her plastic surgeon how to make an incision that wouldn't be too visible when the appointment was over. Her advice is still shared among plastic surgeons all over the nation.
Bombshell not only shares the extraordinary life of a beloved film actress but the ingenious mind behind one of the greatest inventors of the 20th century. The documentary is now streaming on Netflix.
