Mr. Turner (2014)

Fantastic!

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

This film goes distance in revealing the master painter Turner, England's best. Nice to discover how the fellow was. Scruff but witty and not francophobe like the common english. Refreshing film!

Mr. Turner, the biopic of the last 25 years in the life of British Painter William Turner is an absolute triumph. Not many movies manage to not have any weak points at all. But Mike Leigh manages to craft this picture with the precision of the most skilled painter. A work of direction so elegant, so polished, so precise, that locates Leigh among the most talented directors working today. The script serves as the foundation stone to what I can only describe as a very immmersive experience. The long conversations between the characters are truly fascinating, but the best aspect of the script is the moments when Leigh tells the story with silence. These quiet moments when we can only hear the background noice and perhaps a little bit of music at times, is what make the viewer so invested in the story. The cinematography, work of Dick Pope, is absolutely breath-taking. Every single frame looks like a painting worth hanging in an art gallery. It manages to capture the colours and feel of expressionism, which fits perfectly with Mr. Turner's story. The score, work of composer Gary Yershon, while simple, fits the movie beautifully. Costumes, courtesy of Jacqueline Durran, are beautifuly tailored and work very well with the cour palette of the sets and locations. Suzie Davies and Charlotte Dirickx constructed sets so meticulously crafted that feels like every old paintbrush Turner owns has a purpose. But by far the best aspect of the movie is Mr. Turner himself. Timothy Spall gives the performance of a lifetime. He is not playing Turner, he is Turner! There are so many aspects and details in his performance that truly made him one of the best characters of the year 2014. Is not only the way he deliver his dialogues, which is what you may expect from what's defined as a "good performance", but the way he grunts, the way he walks, the expression in his eyes when he is bothered by something, as opposed to when he feels facination, sadness or confusion, the way he moves his lips when he isn't talking, everything is delivered amazingly, and I can't remember the last time an actor got so robbed of an Oscar nomination. What may put a lot of people off is the length of it. And yes, it is 150 minutes long, but I believe that all scenes are there for a reason, even the ones that are inconsequential are never boring and serve a purpose in the development of the character. Overall, this movie is an example of what a biopic should be. And the way it made me feel while watching it, the way it made me feel afterwards, makes be give this movie the perfect score. When I say this movie is perfect, I don't mean that there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. In my opinion there are no movies 100% free of flaws, but this is as perfect as a movie gets.

As Mr Leigh has attempted to promote a cultural and economic boycott, I believe that behavior is appropriate for would-be viewers of his work. Mr Leigh's blatant anti-semitic rants and behavior obviouslyundercut his work. I must pass on patronizing the work of a Nazi bastard. From the look of things, most of the UK is rapidly becoming more accommodating to this nastiness. It won't help their cultural exports nor much else from the UK. If Mr Leigh loves the bloody Muslims so much, why doesn't he move to a Muslim 3rd-world country, and then try there to express his thoughts, and try to get his movies produced there?

Another reviewer of this title claims that the problem with this film is that there is no plot. I don't agree. Do our lives have plots? Do the lives of famous people and artists have plots? Did Glen Miller really spend the majority of his life seeking a sound? I may be wrong but it seems to me that what Mike Leigh has done here is exactly what the complainer says he has, namely assembled a series of realistic scenes from Turner's life and let the audience decide what is the plot, if there is indeed one. My thoughts were immediately what is this film saying about the motivation of an uncouth man to create paintings constantly? Did he sense in the late 18th century and early 19th century that art wasn't just a case of seeking the approbation of his contemporaries? He clearly had an eye on his contemporaries, with the story of the red spot on his painting that referred to Constable's work hung next to his. His charity towards Hayden. He clearly enjoyed the camaraderie of his fellow academicians but what did he really think about their work? Then there was his attitude to women. His ex partner, who bore him two sons, his housekeeper who he used without any care, the attitude to the young prostitute and finally his obvious affection for Mrs Booth. All told as a film it was never going to be a modern thriller, but was it as cerebral as it would like to be? Yes I think it was. I'd be interested to see if others saw different narratives in this wonderfully shot and marvellously researched film?