|
|
EDITOR'S PICK
'Mr.
Turner' - brilliant performances in picturesque frames (IANS Movie Review)
Rating:
***1/2
Written and directed by Mike Leigh, 'Mr. Turner' is a slow languid film
depicting series of moments in the life of the eminent British romantic artist
J.M.W. Turner, who was considered as the only artist who could amost stirringly
and truthfully measure the moods of Nature.
The narration meanders aimlessly giving an insight to; Mr. Turner's personality,
the scenic English countryside and the art era especially its transition from
Romanticism to Impressionism.
'Mr. Turner' is not a full-fledged biopic as it focuses only on the last quarter
of the artist's life. When we first meet him on the river bank in Holland, he is
a 50-something, grumpy man engrossed in capturing nature in his sketches.
And with minimal dialogue expositions, while he travels, paints and stays in the
countryside, the film exposes the idiosyncrasies, moods and eccentricities of
the artist. It reveals his relationship with his father; estranged mother of his
two daughters; his faithful maid Hannah Danby whom he occasionally exploits
sexually; Mrs. Booth, his second lover a twice widowed landlady; and his peers
at the Royal Academy of Arts.
'Mr. Turner' is solely Timothy Spall's canvas. With his disheveled and clumsy
figure, he creates a strong physical presence. And, with his vast vocabulary of
grunts he makes up his own distinctive language. He is a bundle of
contradictions and appetites. He is also worldly and calculating, tender and
cold. His performance is truly a class apart.
Paul Jesson as his loving and supportive father matches him in style. Ruth
Sheen, as Turner's ex-wife breathes fire into the handful of explosive scenes as
a woman, who cannot stand the man any longer, and Marion Bailey, as the genial
and caring Mrs. Booth is charming.
But it is Dorothy Atkinson among the supporting cast who is most impressive as
Hanna Danby, Turner's timid and long-suffering housemaid. She steals the show
with her passive and physically eroding appearance. Her presence gets etched
into your memory and she remains with you much after you have left the theatre.
The rest of the artists are theatrical in their dialogue delivery and blocking,
making the scenes appear pretentious and staged.
The plot does not progress through any causality and effect momentum as there is
hardly anything dramatic by way of narrative eventfulness in the film, but the
director basks in the moments, and provides glimpses of what it takes to be an
artist, literally and figuratively.
Visually, the film is atmospheric with golden hues. Each frame is picture
perfect with pastel shades, capturing the impressions of the period, the moods
of the artist and the era. Due credit goes to the cinematographer Dick Pope and
production designer Suzie Davies for assisting the Director in achieving what he
visualised.
The film is neither tedious nor inert. It just painfully crawls, depicting the
animal instinct in the genius.
Despite its flaws, this film is worth a watch for the brilliant performances and
picturesque frames.