Anna Wintour may come across, most times, as frosty, but she's no fool.

She knows how some others, including members of her own family, view her 20-year reign as editor in chief of Vogue magazine. Her older brother oversees finding low-income housing in London, her sister supports farmers' rights in Latin America, and her younger brother followed in their journalist-father's footsteps and is political editor of London's Guardian newspaper.

"My two brothers and my sister, I think they're very amused by what I do. They're amused," she tells documentary maker R.J. Cutler in "The September Issue," opening today at the Squirrel Hill Theater and new Cinemark in Robinson.

He peels the pages and curtain back on production of the September 2007 issue of Vogue, all historic 840 pages of it. The resulting 90-minute movie is a trip to a real-life "The Devil Wears Prada" or "Ugly Betty" world with Vogue creative director Grace Coddington and Wintour as fire and ice.

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'The September Issue'

3 stars = Good
Ratings explained

• Rating: PG-13 for brief strong language.
• Web site: 'The September Issue'

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Both one-time models, their looks and approaches to fashion shoots and philosophies are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Wintour's chin-length bob invariably looks as if it had been professionally snipped and highlighted seconds ago, while Coddington's wild red hair could belong to an aging hippie or Botticelli painting.

Their dynamic drives "The September Issue," with everyone else reduced to a supporting or cameo role. That includes publisher Tom Florio, flamboyant editor at large Andre Leon Talley, cover girl Sienna Miller, rising designer Thakoon Panichgul and even Bee Shaffer, the daughter Wintour dotes on.

The documentary underscores how intimidating and influential Wintour is. As one underling says, "It is always going to be Anna's point of view. Vogue is Anna's magazine," and she signs off on everything.

When Wintour is underwhelmed by some photos, she tells an editor, "Where's the glamour? It's Vogue, OK? Please, let's lift it."

It is obvious she is not happy with the selection of photos of Miller shot in Europe for the September cover. The problem of the fashionista's hair (being grown out, not a good look for any woman) is nothing compared to Wintour's response to the available picture selection: "It's a bit short on clothes," and one signature location was scrapped during an indecisive shoot.

But the September issue is like a runaway train, and nothing is going to stop it from rumbling into the hands and homes of 13 million women and men.

"The September Issue" obviously was shot before the economy took a dive, so it feels a bit like a period piece. It never descends too deeply into the ranks; there are no interviews, for instance, with the woman who answers Wintour's phone or the ad sales reps who allow the magazine to set a page record and weigh a whopping four-plus pounds.

However, it is stylishly and intimately shot and does what an excellent documentary should do -- it takes you there.

It puts you in the car next to Wintour as she clutches her Starbucks takeout cup ("Devil Wears Prada" got that right), allows Coddington to show why Wintour calls her "the greatest living stylist," and speaks volumes by capturing the flicker of anxiety radiating from an unknown staffer's face in a meeting.

If you were in her high heels, you would probably feel the same way.

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