Harvard alumnus R.J. Cutler's new movie explores Anna Wintour's Vogue

A new documentary by R. J. Cutler '83 takes viewers behind the glamour of a fashion powerhouse.

The new documentary film The September Issue, directed by R. J. Cutler '83, takes viewers into the hallways, offices, and meetings behind Vogue magazine.  Cutler, who produced the documentary The War Room on Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign (it was nominated for a 1994 Academy Award), shot 300 hours of footage to record his portrait of Vogue and its famously icy editor, Anna Wintour, the model for Meryl Streep's imperious character in The Devil Wears Prada.  The nexus of The September Issue is the relationship between Wintour and Vogue's creative director, Grace Coddington, the Welsh fashion model of the 1960s who has spent more than 40 years working for the British and American Vogues. Coddington, far the more engaging character, becomes the real protagonist of a finely crafted documentary on a subject that everyone talks about, but next to no one understands.

The Boston Globe reviewed the film on September 11.

You might also like

The Harvard Arts Medalist wants his smash-hit Cats revival to reach “as many young queer people” as possible.

Graduates John Lithgow, Bill Rauch, and Bess Wohl took home prizes on Sunday night.

A New Black Swan Musical Cranks Up the Tension

The creative team of the A.R.T.’s new show dish on adapting Darren Aronofsky’s thriller classic from screen to stage.

Most popular

Meet Harvard’s 2026 Student Commencement Speakers

Two undergraduates and a Ph.D. candidate will address the graduating class on May 28.

Building and buying a campus

The recent boom—and the future in Allston

Tk tk Iran

Artist Azadeh Akhlaghi reconstructs moments of Iranian political upheaval in a series of meticulously staged images.

Explore More From Current Issue

A woman with long hair leans on a table, looking out a large window with rain-streaked glass.

A Harvard Economist Probes the Affordable Housing Crisis

From understanding gender pay gaps to the housing crisis, Rebecca Diamond’s research aims to improve lives.

Historical battle scene with soldiers in red and blue uniforms, flags waving, chaotic action.

The Harvard-Trained Doctor Who Urged a Revolution

Before his heroic death, General Joseph Warren was dubbed “the greatest incendiary in all of America.”

Bronze statues of three historical figures under a stylized tree in a softly lit space.

The Costly Choice Native Americans Faced

How the Revolution reshaped indigenous New England