Mr. Turner (Directed by Mike Leigh)

[Holmes]

I cannot believe one does not exist, but I could not find a thread/poll for this film. So, here we are.

My review -

One British iconoclast reaches through time to find another, and it proves a match made in heaven. Director Mike Leigh is known best for chronicling the quotidian existence of contemporary England’s wage-earning suburbanites in such films as Secrets & Lies and Another Year. Through close observation and an emphasis on improvisation, he finds enormous drama and humor in their lives without sacrificing subtlety. His new and perhaps finest picture is this luminous and well-researched period piece. The film focuses on the second half of the life and career of envelope-pushing Romantic painter J. M. W. Turner, whose interest in the fluidity of light and movement presaged Impressionism and abstract art

Leigh specializes in utilizing character actors with interesting, if not gorgeous and perfectly sculpted matinee-idol faces, and he awards Timothy Spall the role of a lifetime here as Turner. The actor portrays the artist as a rasping, scowling enigma of a man. He often growls and grunts in agreement or disagreement and has the undeniable air of a boor, but is also capable of surprising sensitivity and, of course, bewitched by his art and committed to comprehending the scientific properties of the light he finds so enchanting. He lived by his dying words: "The sun is God." The lush and sumptuous cinematography teaches viewers’ eyes to examine the various natural environments and even indoor spaces as Turner himself may have, their overall beauty resulting from a complicated equation of lines, motions, and the sublimity of light as it dances and refracts.

At times elliptical in structure, the film is decidedly not a hagiography. It explores numerous facets of Turner’s life, often contrasting the sheer majesty of his art with the chaotic and flawed way he existed in the moment and treated others. There are exciting scenes of camaraderie and rivalry set at the Royal Academy of Arts; the painters inspect, tease, and upstage one another as they race to finish their pieces before the opening of the annual exhibition. There is a bruising moment in which a nervous Turner eavesdrops from behind a wall as Academy visitors Prince Albert and Queen Victoria criticize one of his latest paintings, surmising he must be losing his eyesight. We also see him travel; he ventures to Switzerland, Italy, Germany, and France, among other countries, in search of experiences and vistas to commit to canvas, and at one point even ties himself a ship’s mast during a snowstorm so as to see the frightening tumult firsthand.

And then there are the profound, but volatile relationships shared with the select few people with whom the famous and aloof Turner became more than an acquaintance. Two women in particular come into sharp focus over the course of the film. One registers as an uplifting presence, the other as tragic. Dorothy Atkinson is heartrending as Hannah, a household maid with an inexplicable, almost pitiful devotion to Turner even as he exploits her for casual and unromantic sex. Their abrupt, heaving encounters become rarer as her face is blemished by worsening psoriasis. Marion Bailey, on the other hand, exudes common sense and salt-of-the-earth delight as Sophia, a widow whose onward-and-upward demeanor tames Turner’s tempestuous nature.

A

[Mandalorian]

The trailer looked exceptional. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm in no rush. Timothy Spall is awesome, so I'm glad to see him in a starring role.

[f451]

Great review. I'm looking forward to seeing this one.

See also: https://www.blu-ray.com/Mr-Turner/325599/#Preview

[CHEЯNOБLY!]

Originally Posted by Holmes

I cannot believe one does not exist, but I could not find a thread/poll for this film. So, here we are.

My review -

[Show spoiler]
One British iconoclast reaches through time to find another, and it proves a match made in heaven. Director Mike Leigh is known best for chronicling the quotidian existence of contemporary England’s wage-earning suburbanites in such films as Secrets & Lies and Another Year. Through close observation and an emphasis on improvisation, he finds enormous drama and humor in their lives without sacrificing subtlety. His latest and perhaps finest picture is this luminous and well-researched period piece, the story of the second half of the life and career of envelope-pushing Romantic painter J. M. W. Turner, whose focus on the fluidity of light and movement divided critics during his lifetime, but presaged Impressionism and abstract art.

Utilizing character actors with interesting, if not gorgeous and perfectly sculpted matinee-idol faces is a specialty of Leigh, and he awards Timothy Spall the role of a lifetime here as Turner. He portrays the artist as a rasping, scowling enigma of a man. He often growls and grunts in agreement or disagreement and has the undeniable air of a boor, but is also capable of surprising sensitivity and is, of course, bewitched by his art and committed to comprehending the scientific properties of the light he finds so enchanting. He lived by his dying words: "The sun is God." The lush and sumptuous cinematography teaches viewers’ eyes to examine the various natural environments and even indoor spaces as Turner himself may have, their overall beauty resulting from a complicated equation of lines, motions, and the sublimity of light as it dances and refracts.

At times elliptical in structure, the film is decidedly not a hagiography. It explores numerous facets of Turner’s life, often contrasting the sheer majesty of his art with the chaotic and flawed way in which he existed in the moment. There are exciting scenes of camaraderie and rivalry set at the Royal Academy of Arts; the painters inspect, tease, and upstage one another as they race to finish their pieces before the opening of the annual exhibition. (There is a bruising moment in which a nervous Turner eavesdrops from behind a wall as Academy visitors Prince Albert and Queen Victoria criticize one of his latest paintings, surmising he must be losing his eyesight.) We also see him travel; he ventured to Switzerland, Italy, Germany, and France, among other countries, in search of experiences and vistas to commit to canvas, and at one point even ties himself a ship’s mast during a snowstorm so as to see the frightening tumult firsthand.

And then there are the profound, but volatile relationships shared with the select few people with whom the famous and aloof Turner became more than an acquaintance. Two women in particular come into sharp focus over the course of the film. One registers as an uplifting presence, the other as tragic. Dorothy Atkinson is heartrending as Hannah, a household maid with an inexplicable, almost pitiful devotion to Turner even as he exploits her for casual and unromantic sex. Their abrupt, heaving encounters become rarer as her face is blemished by worsening psoriasis. Marion Bailey, on the other hand, exudes common sense and salt-of-the-earth delight as Sophia, a widow whose onward-and-upward demeanor tames Turner’s tempestuous nature.

A

This was a wonderful film...one of my favorites of 2014. Of course, I might have a bias towards the film as I had an art history minor in college...there are few decent films about artists. I think your review sums up the highlights quite well.

Unfortunately, I'm don't think this will get much attention from general audiences.

[Foggy]

Such a superb and surprisingly witty film. Tackles many different ideas in regards to art and the nature of art, class divide and structure and the changes that came with the Industrial Age. Along with just the loving compassion (yet completely unsentimental) towards the performance of Turner and the awe-inspiring cinematography from Dick Pope, the film is just a joy to watch, although I think a few will be turned away from the lack of storyline, as the film is more a compilation of side stories with recurring characters, which is to be expected when tacking an entire life story, and the ending simply fizzles out without a huge emotional moment.

[SilentDawn]

I'm excited to see this.

[AnamorphicWidescreen]

Just saw Leigh's Mr. Turner. At times funny, but overall very sad film. I liked the story/cinematography; but, was not impressed by Mr. Turner's art. I'm no art critic, but I felt his paintings were somewhat bland.

That being said, the film was superb. It did an incredible job of depicting the time period (late 1800's), and the landscape scenery (when Mr. Turner was walking around looking for things to paint) was amazing.

The film also emphasized the sub-par medical treatment available at the time;

[Show spoiler]many people died young (including Mr. Turner's young daughter) as a result.

[Show spoiler]The saddest scene in the film was the last one, when Mr. Turner's maid (who was ill herself & suffering from some kind of serious skin condition) heard that he had died and was softly crying while walking through the house...very poignant.

[Foggy]

Originally Posted by UnknownBesideArch

The one Mike Leigh film I'm yet to see (aside from some of the made-for-TV stuff, and I'm working my way through all of them currently), and it's very high on my priority list. I only discovered Leigh's movies about this time last year, but since then he's become my undisputed #1 favourite filmmaker. So yes, I'm really looking forward to seeing Mr Turner, and anything else he makes in the future!

This pretty much switched me on to Leigh, went into it pretty blind other than the trailer and it really took me by surprise how fantastic it was considering period dramas don't particularly cut it for me, saw it in a packed cinema as well in the afternoon but completely forgot about the rest of the audience and got rather swept up in it.

Caught Secrets & Lies shortly after and Happy-Go-Lucky pretty recently and loved them both equally as much as well. I think Leigh's very slight character work really speaks volumes to me and I really get engrossed in his films, although Happy-Go-Lucky is pretty widely hated by a lot of general audiences, I really enjoyed it, didn't find it annoying like many others did in the slightest.

[Gerby]

There is a great Mike Leigh At The BBC DVD boxset featuring all his TV work.
Abigail's Party & Nuts In May are masterpieces!
Out of his features, I like Naked & Life Is Sweet the most.