November 19, 2024
FILM: A MAN WITH SOLE: THE IMPACT OF KENNETH COLE
DIRECTED BY: DORI BERINSTEIN
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
There have been documentaries about many fashion icons, but the story of Kenneth Cole is pretty unique among them. Here’s a man who took his private company public then private again so he wouldn’t have to answer questions about his involvement with social causes. The new documentary A Man with Sole: The Impact of Kenneth Cole, spends most of its running time focusing on all that the one-time shoe designer has done socially to make the world a better place.
There’s an unusual structure to director Dori Berinstein’s film in that it’s story begins with the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. In what initially feels like another documentary addressing the horrifying impact of AIDS, with many images and footage from the era, it actually leads us into Kenneth Cole’s own interest in this and many other social causes. Berinstein includes interviews with not only Cole but also numerous colleagues and fellow activists. There is also an ample amount of visual material here from the many ads Cole created during the height of the AIDS crisis to make people more aware of the epidemic. Berinstein, for instance, takes us into Cole’s “We all have AIDS” campaign that featured major stars such as Richard Gere, Whoopi Goldberg, Will Smith, Tom Hanks, and Elton John demonstrating support for the cause.
This is all an interesting start to the generally fast paced and dynamically edited film. There are a few moments though when some of the images don’t quite match up with the voice over narration thus intertwining many different years in Cole’s career and activism and creating some confusion as to the timeline being presented. Berinstein then goes back to Cole’s earliest years starting his business. It’s a curious choice to not follow a strict narrative chronology, perhaps to separate out the many different social causes Cole would advocate for. These include homelessness, gun safety, suicide prevention, and mental health.
As such, we don’t necessarily learn a lot about Cole’s business but more about what concerns him as a successful entrepreneur. Some of his interests and subsequent ads created a lot of controversy taking the once public company back to its private roots. Cole wanted to support the issues that were meaningful to him without involvement by a board of directors and/or stockholders. It all comes across as very noble and inspiring. Watching the documentary, some may think Cole is longing for some kind of political office (he’s married to Mario Cuomo’s daughter.) The film definitely puts an extremely positive light on the man which might also come across as a bit too self-serving. However, he seems to have found the right balance in his life without the headache of politics.
Yet, what stands out about the film is that Cole is not only a very personable and warm corporate leader but, as the title suggests, “a man with a soul.” He is at once a very successful shoe designer but his legacy may be that of an activist helping millions of people with his very powerful commitment to making society healthier. As part of this, Berinstein poses the question as to whether other corporations, specifically social media companies, should spend more time and effort making more ethical decisions while striving for bigger growth. We all know the effects sites like Facebook have had on younger generations but is it Mark Zuckerberg’s responsibility to do more than just build his own capital? It’s an interesting question and Berinstein’s film allows us to see that, at least from the perspective of Kenneth Cole, it is possible for there to be some corporate responsibility to help make our world a better place to live.
A Man with Sole: The Impact of Kenneth Cole premiered yesterday as part of DOCNYC. It will be available for viewers to stream online via the festival’s site from November 19th until December 1st. Click here for more information on purchasing tickets.
FILM: A MAN WITH SOLE: THE IMPACT OF KENNETH COLE
DIRECTED BY: DORI BERINSTEIN
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
There have been documentaries about many fashion icons, but the story of Kenneth Cole is pretty unique among them. Here’s a man who took his private company public then private again so he wouldn’t have to answer questions about his involvement with social causes. The new documentary A Man with Sole: The Impact of Kenneth Cole, spends most of its running time focusing on all that the one-time shoe designer has done socially to make the world a better place.
There’s an unusual structure to director Dori Berinstein’s film in that it’s story begins with the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. In what initially feels like another documentary addressing the horrifying impact of AIDS, with many images and footage from the era, it actually leads us into Kenneth Cole’s own interest in this and many other social causes. Berinstein includes interviews with not only Cole but also numerous colleagues and fellow activists. There is also an ample amount of visual material here from the many ads Cole created during the height of the AIDS crisis to make people more aware of the epidemic. Berinstein, for instance, takes us into Cole’s “We all have AIDS” campaign that featured major stars such as Richard Gere, Whoopi Goldberg, Will Smith, Tom Hanks, and Elton John demonstrating support for the cause.
This is all an interesting start to the generally fast paced and dynamically edited film. There are a few moments though when some of the images don’t quite match up with the voice over narration thus intertwining many different years in Cole’s career and activism and creating some confusion as to the timeline being presented. Berinstein then goes back to Cole’s earliest years starting his business. It’s a curious choice to not follow a strict narrative chronology, perhaps to separate out the many different social causes Cole would advocate for. These include homelessness, gun safety, suicide prevention, and mental health.
As such, we don’t necessarily learn a lot about Cole’s business but more about what concerns him as a successful entrepreneur. Some of his interests and subsequent ads created a lot of controversy taking the once public company back to its private roots. Cole wanted to support the issues that were meaningful to him without involvement by a board of directors and/or stockholders. It all comes across as very noble and inspiring. Watching the documentary, some may think Cole is longing for some kind of political office (he’s married to Mario Cuomo’s daughter.) The film definitely puts an extremely positive light on the man which might also come across as a bit too self-serving. However, he seems to have found the right balance in his life without the headache of politics.
Yet, what stands out about the film is that Cole is not only a very personable and warm corporate leader but, as the title suggests, “a man with a soul.” He is at once a very successful shoe designer but his legacy may be that of an activist helping millions of people with his very powerful commitment to making society healthier. As part of this, Berinstein poses the question as to whether other corporations, specifically social media companies, should spend more time and effort making more ethical decisions while striving for bigger growth. We all know the effects sites like Facebook have had on younger generations but is it Mark Zuckerberg’s responsibility to do more than just build his own capital? It’s an interesting question and Berinstein’s film allows us to see that, at least from the perspective of Kenneth Cole, it is possible for there to be some corporate responsibility to help make our world a better place to live.
A Man with Sole: The Impact of Kenneth Cole premiered yesterday as part of DOCNYC. It will be available for viewers to stream online via the festival’s site from November 19th until December 1st. Click here for more information on purchasing tickets.