The Powder and the Glory

Take two, headstrong, take-no-captives women, toss them into the pressure cooker of New York fashion and glamour and you have the makings for a superb documentary. "The Powder and the Glory" follows the unabashed lives of Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubenstein in their quests to best each other in the cosmetics field... All the while trying to fend off the upstarts like Revlon, Avon and others. Skillfully narrated by Jane Alexander, this story unfolds as a series of chapters in the decades these two powerhouses were in business against each other. Yet they never met, never spoke *to* each other and their companies were sold off after their deaths.I'm waiting for the film to the stage musical "War Paint" to come out. THAT should also be an eye-opener!

Too bad this real life story is only in documentary form . This material should inspire a few docudrama writers to write a movie script. The drama, celebrity and success from rags to riches leaves any fictional story like "The Devil Wears Prada" in the dust. Especially, the bio on Helena Rubinstein whose a self made business woman who ventured alone from the safety of her family's humble small business in downtown Warsaw Poland to the sheep herding ranges of Australia to concoct her lanolin face creams and topping it with as a reigning legend of Cosmetic empires in New York City and Paris.

I absolutely had to purchase this film since my recorded copy (done in 2007) did not measure up with my new flat screen TV. If you are interested in cosmetology history,immigration of the early 20th century, nostalgic film footage of New York City, fascinating biographical tales that could never be made up, this film is for you. It covers the lives of these two pioneering icons of cosmetology and the businesses they created and ran from youth to old age. The film relates a fascinating account of the development of the cosmetics industry from the late 1800's to the sixties. You will see Kitty Carlisle Hart, Twiggy, and Lucille Ball, among the many celebrities and historical cosmetologists (like Harriet Hubbard Ayer, Madame C.J.Walker)) mentioned and/or shown in the film It's a shame E.A. and H.R. had a perpetual 'cold war going on between them. Their lives had an uncanny parallel; they had so much in common, yet they refused to ever meet! After she had heard that Arden's racehorse bit her finger, Rubinstein quipped, "Oh how horrible,I do hope the horse is Ok!".They referred to each other as "the lady down the street" or "that woman". I do believe what Helena Rubinstein said to be true that if they could had collaborated, "With her packaging and my products, we could have ruled the world!".

Of course, I seen ads for cosmetics all my life. TV, magazines. I never gave a thought to the origins. I know the painted lady trope still continues. For instance I had no idea that their was a man named Max Factor. It has such a scifi techno sound to it. Or that equally techno sounding Revlon (obviously from the word "reveal" or "revolution") was from the name of Mr. Revson. All of this history of the society around me and I never knew it.Besides that, this entire show is dedicated to beauty and that is nice to look at.I saw the end of it once on PBS and wanted to see the whole thing. So I got the DVD.

I first saw part of this documentary on PBS and enjoyed it. It stayed in the back of mind for a few years when I decided to hunt it down at the library or Amazon. No luck at the library but I found it on Amazon. Glad I did - It covers about 70 years in the history of the companies of these two pioneers but it also shows how America changed during that time frame as well, and how attitudes changed around cosmetics and women that use them. I recommend this. I also was interested in this documentary because it was produced by one of my favorite panelist on the NPR show Says You

Miraculously, filmmakers Arnie Reisman and Ann Carol Grossman have dodged all the pitfalls of what passes for most documentaries today and have made "The Powder and the Glory" a witty, informative, and highly credible look at two remarkable, eccentric, and insanely influential women. Not only do they tell a complex story about the birth of an industry and the driven divas who were its midwives, but they do so through clever animation, passionate witnesses, and well-chosen clips, stills, and music that provide subtlety as well as narrative. Plus -- unlike the real cosmetics industry -- not a single rabbit or other animal was killed, injured, or even involved in the making of this highly entertaining film.

Interesting DVD with history of two of the most famous pioneers of the multi billion dollar beauty industry. This is great to have available, as these two ladies with modest beginnings became household names and cultural icons. Where there is a will, there is a way.

I found this Documentary to be well researched. I learned a lot from it and enjoyed it a lot. I must admit I prefer the documentary Beauty in a Jar, so if you enjoyed this one you should watch that one as well!

Informative documentary that gives insight into the foundation of the business of beauty that we know today. Brilliant for those wanting to know the facts and history! Based on the book War Paint by Lindy Woodhead it chronicles Helena Rubenstein and Elizabeth Arden; the first women to make credible cosmetics and skincare available to the masses thanks in the main to the emergence of the cinema close-up! The dvd is a must see and the book a must read!