Review of Mr. Turner (2014) by Amilcar A — 25 Jan 2015
A must-see for anyone who has ever wondered why artists bother. The film drops us right into the last third of Turner's life, with no introductions or backstories. You have to work out who is who.
Turner has wealth, fame, children and social status, but wants none of them. He only wants to look at things and paint them. He could have described himself in the same way as his contemporary Hokusai did, as "an old man mad about art".
The film wisely avoids showing us the paintings, so moviegoers should refresh their memories first. The story is faithful to the many legends about Turner, and it has lovingly recreated London between 1825 and 1851. Only two important aspects of Turner are missing: his frequent travels in Europe (hence his Venetian paintings) and his will, which left money to support poor artists but was overturned by his distant cousins.
This review of Mr. Turner (2014) was written by Amilcar A on 25 Jan 2015.
Mr. Turner has generally received positive reviews.
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