You don’t need to be an art connoisseur to enjoy Mike Leigh’s latest film Mr Turner, a biopic about J.M.W Turner, known as ‘the painter of light’ and arguably one of Britain’s best artists. Why? The film is less about the art and more about the man himself.
The film is set in the later years of the artist’s life, when he was already a famous painter with eccentric habits and an over-complicated private life.
It is quickly made clear that just because he was arguably a genius, it does not necessarily mean he had the morals you would expect of a good man. Turner is represented as a man that embodies contradictions. Whilst he was a loving son, which is clear to see through the interactions with his father (played by Paul Jesson) he was also a poor father, who coldly turned his back on his ex-lover (played by Ruth Sheen) and daughters when they came to him for financial help.
Later in the film the character showed a little tenderness towards his Margate Landlady, Mrs Booth (played by Marion Bailey) but even then it is clear that he draws a firm line between his professional and private lives and that his one true love is his work.
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Turner’s greatest passion of course is for his art. Throughout the film we see him painting numerous scenes including the fishing boats in Margate’s harbour and the Temeraire warship as it is being towed down the Thames on its final voyage – paintings you will recognise from the National Gallery. We even see Turner going as far as tying himself to a ship during a storm so he could get a better idea of the conditions he needed to depict in his painting – a sign of a truly dedicated artist.
Even though he is presented as somewhat cold and most definitely an outsider, Spall and Leigh have still managed to make him a likeable character; certainly one you admire for his dedication and unique outlook on the world.
Whilst some biopics have scenes that follow on from one another, with Mr Turner, it is more like you are being presented with snapshots of significant moments during the artist’s life, such as when he causes much excitement during an exhibition when he decides to fix one of his paintings by adding a buoy in the sea. But it is this sketchy and un-Hollywood like storyboard that gives the film a more engaging and authentic feel that is true of the Romantic period (when the film was set) where artists were fascinated by fragments and sketches.
The biopic premiered in competition for the Palme d’Or at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, where Timothy Spall walked away with the award for Best Actor and cinematographer Dick Pope received a special jury prize for the film’s cinematography.
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Many people are predicting that the award from the film festival won’t be the only one on Spall’s mantelpiece after award season. There’s been much talk of a Bafta and even Oscar for his brilliant performance as the 19th century painter in the biopic. Some are even calling this the best performance of the actor’s rich career; applauding him for capturing the intelligence and energy of the character, whilst also mastering his coarse manners, which often consisted of grunts and growls rather than coherent dialogue. It must also be noted than Spall spent two years learning to paint so he could master the role – a huge achievement in itself.
Mr Turner was released by Entertainment One on 31st October 2014 and is a must-see for art lovers and those interested in learning more about J.M.W Turner, the genius that revolutionised the way we see the world.
