Jay Sebring....Cutting to the Truth

Jay Sebring....Cutting to the Truth
Directed byAnthony DiMaria
Produced byNoor Ahmed
Johnny Bishop
Voss Boreta
Anthony DiMaria
Chad Layne
Maria Rogers
Jacob Strunk
Starring
CinematographyJohnny Bishop
Edited byJohnny Bishop
Music byJeff Beal
Production
companies
1010 Films
Halation
Distributed byShout Factory
Release dates
  • March 6, 2020 (2020-03-06) (Cinequest)
  • September 22, 2020 (2020-09-22)
Running time
91 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Jay Sebring....Cutting to the Truth is a 2020 American documentary film that studies Jay Sebring's life as the first international pioneer[1] in the industry of men's style and hair.[2] Cited as the inspiration for Warren Beatty's character in the 1975 film Shampoo,[3][4] Jay Sebring's life ended at age 35 when he and four others were killed by the Manson family[5] in what would become known as the Tate murders.[6]

Jay Sebring....Cutting to the Truth premiered at the 2020 Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival,[7] where it was signed to North American streaming distribution by Shout Studios on 26 February 2020.[8] Vice president of Shout acquisitions Jordan Fields remarked, "(Cutting to the Truth) is an intimate, fascinating portrait of a man whose legacy is so much more than how he died. It's how he lived that is the main subject here, and his profound contribution to an entire industry, as well as to the style of the 1960s, is expertly, and finally, celebrated."[9]

Description

Jay Sebring....Cutting to the Truth was directed and produced by Sebring's nephew, Anthony DiMaria.[10] [11] With a production timeline spanning 12 years,[12] DiMaria sought to correct nonfactual and sensational aspects of his uncle's story, in part through the documentary's extensive forensic and firsthand accounts, and also from numerous investigative interviews with Quincy Jones, David Milch, Nancy Sinatra, and others.[13] For example, director Quentin Tarantino, interviewed at length for Cutting to the Truth,[14][15] commented that, "Jay was different. He created a market where there really wasn't one. Not just a haircut, but men's hair fashion."

In a 2020 interview, Anthony DiMaria said that through his documentary he hoped to remove his uncle from the singular crime history narrative that for decades has celebrated the Manson family as "rock stars". DiMaria presents a wide spectrum of evidence that seeks to re-establish the authentic legacy of Jay Sebring's influence and accomplishments.[16] In 2019, DiMaria told the Chicago Tribune, "The point of the documentary is to restore the face to a culturally, historically relevant individual whose identity and legacy has been stolen from him in the sensationalism of his murder."[17] Later he would say, "It's always boggled my mind that Jay's story wasn’t told sooner".[18]

Soundtrack

The Jay Sebring....Cutting to the Truth musical score was created by Jeff Beal, who is noted for his Blackfish documentary soundtrack[19][20] along with multiple television Emmy wins and nominations.[21]

Reception

Cutting to the Truth has received largely positive reviews[22][23][24] and as of October 2021 holds a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 88%.[25]

Jordan Raup of The Film Stage noted the film's revelation of Jay Sebring as a "great influence on a generation of Hollywood stars, from Marlon Brando to Bruce Lee,"[26] while USA Today included the documentary in its exclusive "All the Fall Movies You'll Want To Stream".[27]

William Friedkin, director of The French Connection and the original Exorcist said, "Jay Sebring....Cutting to the Truth is an important, wonderful film and should be seen by as many people as possible."[28]

In 2020 Jay Sebring....Cutting to the Truth was nominated by the CIFF for the Nesnadny + Schwartz Documentary Competition Award.[29]

Michael Ordoña in his 2020 Los Angeles Times review says the film is "stylish," an "absorbing and passionate documentary." Ordoña singles-out DiMaria for "an impressive directorial debut."[30]

In 9 August 2025 the documentary was screened in its LA premiere at the Los Feliz 3 theatre[31] through the American Cinematheque organization, led by chairman Rick Nicita.[32]

References

  1. ^ "Remembering Jay Sebring, Hollywood's First Celebrity Hairstylist". Vogue. September 22, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  2. ^ "Jay Sebring Is the Godfather of Men's Hairstyling. So Why Haven't You Heard of Him?". Esquire. February 26, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  3. ^ "Hal Ashby's "Shampoo": The Brazen Comedy That Depicted the End of the Sixties' Innocence". Cinephilia & Beyond. November 30, 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  4. ^ "Message In a Shampoo Bottle". New York Times. August 18, 2002. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  5. ^ "Who Was Jay Sebring? A-List Hair Dresser With Michigan Ties Was More Than a Manson Victim". Detroit Free Press. November 20, 2017. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  6. ^ "From the Archives: Manson Indicted With 5 Others in Tate Murders". Los Angeles Times. December 9, 1969. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  7. ^ "Shout! Studios Acquires North American Rights To Anthony Dimaria's Highly Anticipated Documentary JAY SEBRING....CUTTING TO THE TRUTH". Shout Factory. February 27, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  8. ^ "Jay Sebring Documentary Lands at Shout! Studios (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. February 26, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  9. ^ "A New Documentary On Hollywood Hairdresser and Manson Murder Victim Jay Sebring Is Coming Soon". Los Angeles Magazine. February 26, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  10. ^ "Once Upon a Time..." Las Vegas Review Journal. August 6, 2019. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  11. ^ "Review: "Jay Sebring...Cutting To The Truth" Sets Record Straight On Hollywood Actor Beyond the Manson Family Murders". Punch Drunk Critics. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  12. ^ "New Documentary Highlights (That) Manson Family Murders of 1969 Have Little-known Las Vegas Connection". KTNV Las Vegas. September 18, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  13. ^ "Filmmaker Anthony DiMaria. Director of Film "Jay Sebring....Cutting to the Truth"". iHeart Radio. September 20, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  14. ^ "Quentin Tarantino Talks Jay Sebring In New Doc On Celebrity Hairstylist Killed By Manson Family". Entertainment Weekly. July 28, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  15. ^ ""Jay Sebring" Trailer: Tarantino, Others, Set the Record Straight About Manson Victim". The Playlist. August 1, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  16. ^ "Jay Sebring...Cutting to the Truth: A Tribute to a Forgotten "Name" Manson Victim, and an Indictment of Media Frenzy". Original-Cin. September 21, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  17. ^ "Families of Charles Manson Victims Still Fighting To Tell Their Loved Ones' Stories, 50 Years Later". Chicago Tribune. August 9, 2019. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  18. ^ "Henderson Native's "Jay Sebring" Film Seeks To Redeem Manson Family Victim". Las Vegas Review Journal. July 28, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  19. ^ "'Blackfish' to Be Celebrated at Live Concert Event in Hollywood". June 30, 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  20. ^ "From 'Monk' to 'An Inconvenient Sequel,' Composer Jeff Beal Discusses His Career in TV and Film". January 23, 2017. Archived from the original on June 11, 2021. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  21. ^ Television Academy: Jeff Beal, The Television Academy and Foundation, retrieved November 2, 2024
  22. ^ "The New Movie Every Hairdresser Needs to Watch This Month". Behind the Chair. September 18, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  23. ^ "'Jay Sebring...Cutting to the Truth': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. September 22, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  24. ^ "EMAV Film Review: 'Jay Sebring...Cutting to the Truth'". Eat More Art! Vegas. September 21, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  25. ^ "Jay Sebring....Cutting to the Truth". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  26. ^ "First Trailer For Jay Sebring Documentary Explores a Life Cut Short". Entertainment Weekly. August 4, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  27. ^ "Exclusive: Sneak Peeks At All the Fall Movies You'll Want To Stream". USA Today. August 28, 2020. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
  28. ^ "Twitter: Jay Sebring...Cutting to the Truth (William Friedkin Quote)". Twitter. June 12, 2021. Retrieved June 16, 2021.
  29. ^ Beanpole, Roy, Con Doc, Lil' Buck Among 30 Films in Competition at Cleveland Film Festival 2020. VIMooZ. February 27, 2020. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  30. ^ "Sebring and Stuntwomen Documentaries Peel Back Layers of Hollywood History". Los Angeles Times. September 21, 2020. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  31. ^ Welcome To Vintage Cinemas: Los Feliz 3, Vintage Cinemas, retrieved August 13, 2025
  32. ^ Los Feliz 3 Q&A With Filmmaker and Author Anthony DiMaria and Author Marshall Terrill, American Cinematheques, August 9, 2025, retrieved August 13, 2025
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