Nostalgia Kinky

Cleopatra Records is set to release Sadie Frost’s acclaimed British documentary Twiggy (2024) as a special-edition slipcovered DVD. Along with the disc, Cleopatra has introduced a mini-Twiggy collection, featuring a T-shirt and tote bag. Order the DVD directly from Cleopatra or on sale from MVD.

Supermodel, actress, dancer, singer and icon Twiggy has been primed for a feature-film about her life since her metoric rise in the sixties. Actress, fashion designer and now filmmaker Sadie Frost is a good fit to tell Twiggy’s lifestory and she does a good job throughout her 96 minute Twiggy. This is in fact, Frost’s second film about a fashion icon as her debut feature Quant did much the same for designer Mary Quant.

Frost’s Twiggy is a pretty by-the-numbers talking-heads style documentary and I don’t mean that as a swipe at all. It doesn’t try and do anything more than celebrate Twiggy and tell her story with a marvelous collection of vintage clips and new interviews and it does this very well. Twiggy is polished, slick and immensly watchable.

An ideal entryway for anyone not familiar with the legendary fashion figure, Twiggy is a flattering and very authorized look at a person who doesn’t appear to have many skeleton in her closst to uncover. Twiggy has always seemed both geniune and kind and Frost’s charming look at her life and work shows that.

Twiggy is, not suprisingly, at its most interesting during its first half, which essentially covers the sixties and seventies. Frost utilizes much remarkable footage from these periods, helping to create a vibrant portrait of a real star and uniquely influential figure. The film’s overly congratulatory final half-hour is less interesting but doesn’t take away from a very fine portrait.

Considering both Twiggy and Frost’s fame, it is no suprise that Twiggy features some very big names from the world of fashion and film, including people as far ranging as Dustin Hoffman to Stella Mccartney. It is especially nice to see the wonderful Sienna Miller included in a Sadie Frost film!

While I certainly appreciate and understand both Twiggy and Frost’s wish to go all the way up to the present day in what appears to be thankfully a very happy life, there isn’t much question that Twiggy would have been better served with more focus on perhaps some of the darker spots of the sixties and more of the celebratory look at her work with Ken Russell on The Boyfriend. Regardless, Twiggy is much like the woman herself, super charming and a lot of fun.

From what I gather, this Cleopatra DVD marks the worldwide home video debut for Twiggy. I’m suprised a Blu-ray version hasn’t appeared of this rather star-studded film. Regardless of the format, Cleopatra’s release is a perfectly fine way to view Frost’s film and the colorful slip is a nice touch. Extras are slim, in the form of a handful of promotional interviews, a gallery and trailer but considering you can pick this up for under 20 bucks, Twiggy is no-brainer for any lover fashion, film, stage and, well, all things Twiggy.

-Jeremy Richey, September 2026-