MOVIE MONDAYS: MR. TURNER
My first real appreciation for art was the first day my mother sat me in front of the telly to watch Art Attack - hands up if you remember how awesome that show was. I loved attempting to create whatever Neil had in store for us that day and presenting it to my parents. It was so much fun. Now, the closest I've come to appreciating pieces of art is when I take the occasional trip to my local Art Gallery and ogle over the beautiful creations that people have made over the years. My knowledge of the art industry is second to none not that great but I do enjoy learning more about it. So, when the opportunity to see a preview screening of Mike Leigh's new film about the renowned British landscape painter J. M. W. Turner came along, I welcomed it gladly.
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I have to say although the film was extremely visually pleasing, I found it to be...okay. That is not to say if you see it that you won't enjoy it. The locations were beautiful, the acting was really good and the storyline was interesting. It is just not a film that I plan on buying the DVD any time soon. I think it may just be because I did not particularly like a certain aspect of Turner's character as he was portrayed in this movie.
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Mr Turner is a biopic about the extremely talented and dedicated painter, Joseph Mallord William Turner - a man portrayed to be quite a complex, proud and quirky character - who was played remarkably well by Timothy Spall (The Love Punch; The King's Speech; Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban). Directed and written by Mike Leigh (Happy-Go-Lucky; Vera Drake; Secrets & Lies), this rather picturesque movie invites you into the competitive and well-praised world of artists back in the 19th Century and shares the rather interesting life of J.M.W Turner over a 26 year period. Being a period drama, the language used is somewhat different to modern day English but still easily decipherable which could be due to Turner's apparently preferred mode of communication- grunting. I would not mind having the chance to read the script itself to see just how many grunts were actually put in it haha.
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Although I do admire Turner's dedication to his craft and his work, I am not a fan of how he treated certain people in his life. But due to his line of work and zeal, he came across many a different characters some of whom were a delight to be introduced to. Take Mary Somerville for instance - a well-known writer whose subject of choice was science- who was played by Lesley Manville (Maleficent; Another Year; Vera Drake). The experiment she performed had my inner engineer itching to get to work and design something exciting. Turners' kind-hearted, funny and loving father was played by Paul Jesson (Vera Drake; All or Nothing; The Glass). The caring, personable and pragmatic landlady, Mrs Booth was brought to life by Marion Bailey (Him & Her; Vera Drake; All or Nothing). She was definitely one of my favourite characters in this film. Joshua McGuire (You, Me & Them; About Time; The Hour) stars as the direct, pompous and quite comical John Ruskin whose lines in this film had me giggling and stole a gasp or three. Turner's housekeeper whose facial expressions could brighten anyone's day and had little to no problem dealing with Turner's requests, no matter the hour, was played by Dorothy Atkinson (Call the Midwife; Coronation Street; All or Nothing). Each character gave us the opportunity to see the many layers of Turner and made for an interesting story.
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So, if you would like to watch a period drama and learn about the colourful life a certain skilled British painter led whilst appreciating the well-captured beauty nature has to offer, then I suggest you give this film a go if you get the chance to. And if you are in the London area between now and the 25th of January 2015, Tate Britain has an exhibition entirely dedicated to J. M. W. Turner's work which you can check out if you so wish. Also, from now until the 4th of January 2015 theTurner Prize 2014 exhibition held at Tate Britain which might be worth checking out.
What are your thoughts on Mr Turner if you've seen it?
Mo x