Mr. Turner (B+ or 3/4 stars)
The 1st shot of 'Mr. Turner' (a historical biopic written/directed by the great Mike Leigh) shows a pair of women walking past a windmill against the backdrop of blue sky before it pauses to find British Romantic painter J.M.W. Turner (a superb Timothy Spall) standing in silhouette on top of an nearby hill; sketching the scene in detail. What follows is a 150 minute portrait that sees the world through this artist's long, focused gaze. J.M.W. Turner was a man marked by many dichotomies. He never looked the same in any given painting. There are accounts of him being funny, warm, & passionate. But most accounts refer to him as crusty, cranky, & dispassionate about his life work. In this movie, we witness his persistently melancholy moments & physical discomforts more so than the warmth ... but it's still in there. His more humane character traits provide a source of catharsis; resulting in a bittersweet film that shows Turner's unusual state of existence.
Aided by the gorgeous lensing & vivid palettes of cinematographer Dick Pope, and also by some superb period detail, Mike Leigh crafts a milieu that conveys the ebb-&-flow of Turner's life; chronicling his successes in the 1830s, his rough (career) spots in the 1840s, & culminating in the moments leading to his death in 1851 at age 76. We see that Turner is at his most content when splashing paint across a canvas. Yet, away from his masterful work, he's a grumbling, lumbering, cantankerous man. Despite the extremely buttoned-up nature of 1800s Victorian society, Turner brings a rebellious attitude to the world of art; a world that respects him, but may not like him very much. And Timothy Spall perfectly imbues this enigmatic man with uncouth quirks that indicates that off-beat, rebellious nature.
Throughout the film, Turner travels all over, usually under assumed identities, seeking out new subjects and/or landscapes to paint; burying himself deep into his work. And just like the people in his paintings, Turner is, well ... abstract, opaque. Inside his studio, outside his studio, spending time with his beloved father, taking on lovers, in the presence of colleagues ... he is constantly lost in thought. Director Mike Leigh illustrates for us the extent to which J.M.W. Turner really only feels most comfortable when alone -- alone with his thoughts, alone with his canvases. Sure, we see gentle, playful conversations btwn. him & his working-class father (Paul Jesson); we are privy to the intermittently, somewhat bizarre sexual relationship he maintains with his painfully shy, but adoring housekeeper (Dorothy Atkinson); and we bear witness to the romance he forms with a seaside widow named Sophia Booth (Marion Bailey).
Though we've seen Timothy Spall do his pompous, irritable schtick ("I look in the mirror and see a gargoyle") in many prior roles, never before have his keen talents been put to better use as J.M.W. Turner. He squints, he grunts, he gets exasperated. He dreads the modernization of the western world. His decision to pose for this newfangled thing called a 'photograph' is one of curious reluctance ("I think my time is up"). But Spall is also able to imbue this portrayal of Turner with grace, humanity, and even empathy. And this is the perfect role & performance for Spall to finally garner some major awards recognition. Spall, the ensemble cast, the production designers, the costumers, the musicians ... all provide exquisite work to make 'Mr. Turner' as successful as it is.
Over this film's 20 yr. span, director Mike Leigh shows us Turner's life as more of a collage of moments rather than as a deep, cohesive narrative. Having said that, there IS a cumulative power to it by the end. i.e., Turner's tender death bead scene is an echo of a much earlier scene when his own father is failing in his deathbed. The 2 deathbed scenes are very far apart with a million little isolated moments between them, and yet, each individual scene builds to that final moment with restraint, elegance, & subtle emotion. So again, though there may appear to be a lack of depth in the proceedings, each small scene really does matter. Now, some of the scenes meander too long. Not everything I was watching was riveting/interesting to me. And to say that this movie is "stately" is an understatement. But overall, I highly respect Mike Leigh's vision of Mr. Turner and how he conveyed the artist's contradictions (in life and in his paintings) so very well.
Aided by the gorgeous lensing & vivid palettes of cinematographer Dick Pope, and also by some superb period detail, Mike Leigh crafts a milieu that conveys the ebb-&-flow of Turner's life; chronicling his successes in the 1830s, his rough (career) spots in the 1840s, & culminating in the moments leading to his death in 1851 at age 76. We see that Turner is at his most content when splashing paint across a canvas. Yet, away from his masterful work, he's a grumbling, lumbering, cantankerous man. Despite the extremely buttoned-up nature of 1800s Victorian society, Turner brings a rebellious attitude to the world of art; a world that respects him, but may not like him very much. And Timothy Spall perfectly imbues this enigmatic man with uncouth quirks that indicates that off-beat, rebellious nature.
Throughout the film, Turner travels all over, usually under assumed identities, seeking out new subjects and/or landscapes to paint; burying himself deep into his work. And just like the people in his paintings, Turner is, well ... abstract, opaque. Inside his studio, outside his studio, spending time with his beloved father, taking on lovers, in the presence of colleagues ... he is constantly lost in thought. Director Mike Leigh illustrates for us the extent to which J.M.W. Turner really only feels most comfortable when alone -- alone with his thoughts, alone with his canvases. Sure, we see gentle, playful conversations btwn. him & his working-class father (Paul Jesson); we are privy to the intermittently, somewhat bizarre sexual relationship he maintains with his painfully shy, but adoring housekeeper (Dorothy Atkinson); and we bear witness to the romance he forms with a seaside widow named Sophia Booth (Marion Bailey).
Though we've seen Timothy Spall do his pompous, irritable schtick ("I look in the mirror and see a gargoyle") in many prior roles, never before have his keen talents been put to better use as J.M.W. Turner. He squints, he grunts, he gets exasperated. He dreads the modernization of the western world. His decision to pose for this newfangled thing called a 'photograph' is one of curious reluctance ("I think my time is up"). But Spall is also able to imbue this portrayal of Turner with grace, humanity, and even empathy. And this is the perfect role & performance for Spall to finally garner some major awards recognition. Spall, the ensemble cast, the production designers, the costumers, the musicians ... all provide exquisite work to make 'Mr. Turner' as successful as it is.
Over this film's 20 yr. span, director Mike Leigh shows us Turner's life as more of a collage of moments rather than as a deep, cohesive narrative. Having said that, there IS a cumulative power to it by the end. i.e., Turner's tender death bead scene is an echo of a much earlier scene when his own father is failing in his deathbed. The 2 deathbed scenes are very far apart with a million little isolated moments between them, and yet, each individual scene builds to that final moment with restraint, elegance, & subtle emotion. So again, though there may appear to be a lack of depth in the proceedings, each small scene really does matter. Now, some of the scenes meander too long. Not everything I was watching was riveting/interesting to me. And to say that this movie is "stately" is an understatement. But overall, I highly respect Mike Leigh's vision of Mr. Turner and how he conveyed the artist's contradictions (in life and in his paintings) so very well.