Twiggy (12A) |Close-Up Film Review

From a young school girl with a working class background who was discovered and became “ the face of the year” in 1966 to a career as an internationally known model to an award winning film star, actress and singer and then back again to modelling , the film gives a good picture not only of Twiggy‘s career but also delves into her personality and events, both good and bad, that have shaped her life. 

She was nothing special when she attended the same school as me with her sister. And she remained unassuming and very charming when she spoke to my very thin daughter at the stage door of a London theatre. 

‘Justin de Villeneuve,’ who got to know Twiggy when she was 15 and he was 25, and became her manager, was always in attendance. She was given a new haircut and developed a make-up that turned her from Lesley Hornby and, after being given the nickname, into Twiggy. 

The film has interviews with models, actors, friends and others who know Twiggy personally or have written about her work. 

She always worked hard but remained personable and friendly to all. Having refused to marry Justin, she left him. Falling for the American actor, Michael Witney she married, and they had a daughter, Carly, who she adores. Unfortunately, he was an alcoholic and died at an early age after Twiggy had divorced him. 

She is actually very happily married to the actor, Leigh Lawson and became Dame Lesley Lawson, when she got a DBE in 2019. But she doesn’t exploit her title. 

Director Sadie Frost has captured Twiggy’s sense of humour, her down-to-earth quality and unassuming attitude. This is enhanced through the interviews with her famous admirers including Joanna Lumley, Ken Russell, Michael Caine, Dustin Hoffman, Paul McCartney, David Puttnam, and, of course, the delightful Twiggy herself.