“Any girl can be glamourous. All you have to do is stand still and look stupid,” says glamour icon, Hedy Lamarr. Having been known as Hollywood’s most sought-after actress in the early and mid 90’s, Lamarr struggled for people to see her other than a statue of beauty. Although her strong, poised look landed her in some of the biggest films, Lamarr found deeper interest in mechanics and science. Bombshell: A Hedy Lamarr Story offers a glimpse into the secretive life of one of the most beautiful actresses in the world, exposing what lies behind all the glamour and sex appeal.
Lamarr’s natural talent in mechanics is explored throughout the documentary, highlighting her most notable moments. Whilst most children would play with their toys, Lamarr took them apart and reassembled them. In her later years, she revised plane plans to ensure the plane would successfully do what it was supposed to. She was constantly looking for a way to improve how parts functioned and how they could be further developed. But perhaps Lamarr’s most memorable and prized invention was the introduction to Wi-Fi, with the use of frequency hopping. Though the Navy did not accept her solution for solving network communication issues, she was granted a patent for it. When the Cuban Missile Crisis came into action, a design similar to Lamarr’s was used which is how Wi-Fi and Bluetooth came to be today. However, what struck a nerve was that Lamarr was not granted any credit for her design due to an expired patent. Her son fought recognition, but because she was Hedy Lamarr, no one took her claims seriously.
Despite the challenges she faced, Bombshell does an incredible job of honouring the life of Hedy Lamarr and sheds light on something the world knew nothing of. Her story shows that we can all embody a strong, female figure despite the number of people that may get in your way. Lamarr didn’t let anyone dismay her ideas of who she was. Director, Alexandra Dean successfully captures Lamarr’s character through all of her up’s and down’s, piecing together raw, old material of her life and legacy.
“Analysis gave me great freedom of emotions and fantastic confidence. I felt I had served my time as a puppet.” – Hedy Lamarr