Pollock (Special Edition)
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Movie Reviews of Pollock (Special Edition)
Movie Review: Not enough recognition in real life or otherwise..
Summary: 5 Stars
Having been a fan of Jackson Pollock for many years, I was looking forward to seeing this film but prepared for a slightly over-blown biography. Much to my suprise, this film was intense, thought provoking and visually amazing from start to finish.This movie grabs a hold of you at the very beginning and although you expect the "tortured-artist angle" for some reason, it doesn't become cliche in this film. You are taken on a journey of Jackson Pollock's rise to fame and ultimate self destruction. It is truly fascinating to watch his paintings, character and relationships evolve throughout the years. It is interesting that his technique changes and art content almost mirror his personal life. I have always wondered how his "splatter technique" came to be and with this film you get an absolute sense of how it was possible for him to get to this level.
I was also pleasantly suprised to see how much time and energy was focused on his relationship with his wife, Lee Krasner who in her own right is a great American artist.
Ed Harris does a superb job in both the title role and as director. The entire cast does an exceptional job and in my opinion, should have received more attention than it did from both the critics and the academy.
There is the typical artist+alcohol+women=tragedy storyline but it is kept within reason as far as I am concerned giving you enough information to understand the artist for who he was, addictions and all without becoming melodramatic.
I am not well versed on Jackson Pollocks life and am not sure how much artistic license was taken in creating the story, however, it seems that everyone involved with this film took great care to get the story right..again, not flashy and melodramtic just real life. It is very apparent that Ed Harris reserched this and took his time in order to get it "just right". Which is exactly what he did.
Overall this is an excellent representation of an American Icon who does not get the credit he deserves in the Art World. It is a great tribute to both his creative mind and his downfalls.
Movie Review: Phenomenal (in spite of stupid ending)
Summary: 5 Stars
"Pollock" is a masterpiece that explores the interplay between mental imbalance, the artistic impulse in a post-war context as embodied in the person of Jackson Pollock. Ed Harris is phenomenal as Pollock. He looks like him, and paints like him, with masterful brushwork that communicates Pollock's visionary talent, his eccentric style and his inner longing for recognition. The film is often hard to watch. Pollock was a hard drinker and not completely stable mentally. His brother and mother are supportive, but it is really fellow artist Lee Krasner (Marcia Gay Harden) who helps Pollock to focus, and keeps him away from those who would unbalance him. Harris and Harden are phenomenal leads, and make the story completely believable.
This film depicts a fairly broad slice of Pollock's life, from about 1942, when he was painting wild, impressionistic canvases, through to his breakthrough in the early 1950s with the splatter technique, to his death in 1956. Anyone who has seen any of Pollock's paintings knows that they are much more than a childish mess. Each painting has a symmetry, mood and pulsing energy that is exciting to witness. The movie gives us a sense of how Pollock painted, and the passion that went in to each.
The film could have ended at the peak of Pollock's career, and it seemed that it almost did. A "four years later" episode, in which a 30-pounds-heavier Ed Harris plays Pollock in his pitiful final days, seems tacked on and unnecessary. I saw no point in depicting the car crash that ended his life. While I am kvetching, the DVD extras weren't anything special. Charlie Rose interviews a surprisingly hostile or inarticulate Ed Harris, and adds nothing to the film.
But "Pollock" is an incredible film, with a vibrant soundtrack, exceptional acting, terrific period decor and believable characters. It serves as an apt paean to the genius of a great, if troubled, American artist.
Movie Review: Simply an excellent film
Summary: 5 Stars
Before watching this film, I urge everyone to read Naifeh and Smith's superlative and exhaustive biography. Once one is finished with the book, Harris' job as director, producer and actor becomes even more impressive as he and his production team manage to brilliantly capture the book's insights and nuances as they bring Pollock to life on film.Pollock itself is a work of art in the sense that all its respective elements labor effortlessly in a unified manner that truly reveals universe. The set design and cinematography is perfectly flawless. The use of color and texture makes the film breathe and move in a manner not usually seen. It is so refreshing to see a film that treats its artistic environment and photography like a three dimensional character. Make special notice of The Pollock's house as it evovles from delapidated rustic to pre-Yuppie (for the 1950's!) along with his rise in fame.
I must make a special note about the film's excellent score. It sounds almost as if Harris ressurected Aaron Copeland to score his film. It is a lush, romantic mixture of western themes with a musical manifestation of Pollock's drip painting. I now own the CD and it has become one of my favorite film soundtracks. Why it wasn't nominated for the Oscar is well beyond me.
I cannot possibly say enough about the performances. Harden and Harris are absolutely brilliant. That is all I can say. They both manage to bring to life all the complexities of the characters, warts and all. They truly inspire pity and fear.
At least Harden was rightfully honored with an Oscar. Harris losing to Crowe this year is yet another example of Oscar's relative innanity.
Pollock as a film does not mindlessly canonize Pollock the man. It does not cast him has some helpless little victim. It does not play to the cult of the iconlast. It plays truthfully as it celebrates the creative muse. This is a must see!
Movie Review: This is just not funny.
Summary: 5 Stars
The story of Jackson Pollock is not a happy one, unless you happen to have bought a few of his pictures cheap, in the 1950's. Then the story of Jackson Pollock would be a lifetime of christmases every single day.In life, Pollock lumbered from one god awful mess to the other. In between messes, he created some more. He drank too much, felt too much, and made everyone near him as unhappy as he was. Then, he died. This is not a happy film and it is not an easy one to watch. It is depressing, and rather like watching the aftermath of a road accident. If you are depressed when you start watching it, you will get worse. If you are happy, and pay attention, you will most probably stop being happy at some point while watching it. You have been warned.
That said, POLLOCK is a brilliant film. Ed Harris directs with true talent, and puts in easily the best perfomance of his career. When one is speaking of Ed Harris, that is high praise indeed. Harris acts the part of Jackson Pollock with so much intensity that I was sometimes half convinced that he could jump through the screen and start physically attacking me. This is an odd experience. Imagine Frank Booth in David Lynch's BLUE VELVET. Jack the voulme control up from 11 to somewhere in the low 90's. Add brilliant dialogue. Now imagine that the character is someone you want desperately to LIKE. Now imagine that the character is in just about every single scene.
POLLOCK is not an easy film to watch. It is however, an extremely rewarding one. Ed Harris should have won both best actor and best director for this. He should also have won some sort of medal for having made it in the first place.
Top marks. This one is heavy duty.
Movie Review: fine evocation of artistic journey
Summary: 5 Stars
as a painter i thoroughly enjoyed this film, not least for the acting chops of ed harris, who wonderfully captures pollock's range of vulnerability and anger, inspiration and hopelessness, clarity and insanity -- and incidentally shows amazing physical assurance reenacting pollock's painting and drawing techniques. the unexpected beauty is in the evocation of painting itself, which is often as mysterious to the artist as to everyone else and as compelling as a sexual passion. the scene where pollock "discovers" the drip method will be instantly recognizable to real painters, who often speak of "following the painting" or "taking the painting where it wants to go." the script also delves the tragedy of trying to control this mysterious process (which is in its evolution like a love affair), and the inexplicable ways the process affects and attracts art critics, finances, marital happiness, and the touch of fame. the new york art scene is evoked lightly, only to show pollock's lack of control over it: the scene where he reads aloud an italian art review while his visiting family sits by neglected and offended shows both his own puzzlement at fame and his utter lack of the skills necessary to manage fame intelligently.
the tragic climax, where pollock's repetitively staged paintings for a filmmaker reduce him to drink, artistic decline and suicide, are a metaphor for the heartache that happens when the paintings are no longer about the art, and everything about how the art looks to other people. a remarkably insightful film with splendid acting and photography throughout.