The 83-year-old businesswoman Martha Stewart recently told Jimmy Fallon during a guest appearance on ‘The Tonight Show’ that RJ Cutler’s documentary ‘Martha’ “left a lot out.”
In an October interview with The New York Times in October, Stewart added, “I’m going to go talk to them about maybe doing version two. There’s a lot more to my life. I mean, I’ve lived a long time and I just thought maybe we’ve left out some stuff … good stuff.”
Stewart expressed surprise at how little footage from her archive Cutler chose to use in the Netflix documentary about her. She also criticized the filmmaker for his production choices, noting that he used three cameras while shooting but opted for what she felt was the least flattering angle.
“He chooses to use the ugliest angle,” Stewart told the New York Times. “And I told him, ‘Don’t use that angle! That’s not the nicest angle. You had three cameras. Use the other angle.’ He would not change that.”
Stewart also disapproved of other aspects of the documentary, including the classical score Cutler chose and the emphasis on her 2004 trial and incarceration.
“It was not that important,” Stewart said. “The trial and the actual incarceration was less than two years out of an 83-year life.”
Cutler responded to Stewart’s criticisms of the Netflix doc, telling Variety, “I teased her that she’s the only one who’s really given us a bad review.” The ‘Martha’ filmmaker added, “And so I think it takes a tremendous amount of courage to trust someone to tell your story. Martha – she fully committed, not only to an interview, but also her vast archives. She might have ended the film differently, or made the film differently. So, bless her, she’s entitled to her critique.”
‘Martha’ is available to stream on Netflix.
