Mr. Turner
Mr. Turner explores the last quarter century of the great if eccentric British painter J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851). Profoundly affected by the death of his father, loved by a housekeeper he takes for granted and occasionally exploits sexually, he forms a close relationship with a seaside landlady with whom he eventually lives incognito in Chelsea, where he dies. Throughout this, he travels, paints, stays with the country aristocracy, visits brothels, is a popular if anarchic member of the Royal Academy of Arts, has himself strapped to the mast of a ship so that he can paint a snowstorm, and is both celebrated and reviled by the public and by royalty
Director:
Mike Leigh
Cast:
Timothy Spall, Paul Jesson, Dorothy Atkinson, Marion Baily,and Karl Johnson.
Screenplay:
Mike Leigh
Screening Date:
Dec 13, 2014
Studio:
Sony Pictures Classics
Running Time:
150 min.
| Excellent | Very Good | Good | Fair | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28.9% | 17.8% | 24.4% | 22.2% | 6.7% |
“What an extraordinary film! I could have spent all day in this movie. The cinematography was gorgeous and the script was perfect. I felt like a fly on the wall observing Turner in his life. Outstanding soundtrack.”
“This was like watching paint dry.”
“A must see for any Mike Leigh and Timothy Spall fan. The Cornucopian royal Academy spectacular! Mere words spoken are no match for a Spallian grunt. Sumptuous cinematography! The belching smoke of the steam engine forerunner of Global Warming. Did he truly lash himself to the ship’s mast in a Blizzard? This film made me want to know more about Turner!”
“What’s with all that grunting?”
“A tad too long but fascinating
“Why”
“I will never look at a Turner painting the same way again. The acting was superb and every scene was like a fine painting. The film could have used some subtitles.”
“Superb and gorgeous! I’m so glad you got to show this to us.”
“I wish there was a purpose to the film. I learned very little about the artist.”
“Despicable person. Waste of my time. What a pig. Very appropriate that they ate pig.”
“Too slow and drawn out!”
“Mike Leigh rivals Turner by taking us inside Turner’s paintings. The light, the vistas are truly like visiting Turner from the inside out. What an exquisite tribute to the most extraordinary father of Impressionism, a visionary. I never knew he was so tortured. What a complex and interesting man. Timothy Spall was amazing. John Ruskin who is such an important writer and critic seems so pompous and a source of ridicule but he does give us insight into later thoughts about Turner’s impact. You get such an amazing view of the time period and the circle Turner belonged to, his artist, his personal life and struggles and longings.”
“The best 2 1/2 hours about an artist I will ever see.”
“Long and tedious. I got no insight into him, his art or his inspiration. The narrative was disjointed and confusing.”
“Brilliant film.”
"It’s clear Leigh has great respect for and love for the subject Mr. Turner. The acting was marvelous! Great character actors. Even though it was a bit too long I liked it a lot. See Turner’s paintings before you see the film.”
“Way too long!”
“Enjoyed the cinematography. Didn’t learn a lot about Turner.”
“Would recommend this film to an artist friend.”
“Too much grunting. Needed translation. Beautiful scenery.”
“Cinematography was gorgeous! The camera shots were sublime. This movie was a wonderful dedication to all the artists.”
“I never saw the love of painting portrayed by Spall/Turner, and he must have loved painting as he made so many of them. In fact the whole film lacks passion, and for a story about an artist that is the worst possible crime.”
"Fabulous 'moments' - Turner giving a boring lecture, Turner 'touching up' a canvas, Turner lashing himself to a mast in a snowstorm. But a movie is more than a sum of moments. As a cinematic portrait of the man he is still distant and unfocused, made more so by his essential un-likeability."
If you'd like to know more about the film...
Whatever your thoughts on MR. TURNER the star of the film, Timothy Spall, has been praised for his performance winning the New York Critic's Cricle Award and Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor. Here's the Terry Gross interview of Timothy Spall on NPR. It offers great insight into Spall and his preparation for and appreciation of MR.TURNER. Included is even the name of the teacher who first encouraged his acting!
http://www.wnyc.org/story/timothy-spall-takes-on-painter-jmw-turner-a-ma...
