Pollock (Special Edition)

 

 

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Even positive reviews of this film hint at dissatisfactions without necessarily articulating them. For me, there were several problems.
*
The first was the failure of the film to go beyond the commonly publicised persona of Jackson Pollock; the excessive alcohol use, mental instability, and of course the feting by the art establishment and the popular media are all well documented here, but then such is the case elsewhere too; the depiction of the artist's painting technique is also available in the original documentaries made about him - for the film to achieve real greatness, I think it needed to provide insights beyond a surface accuracy of events. Ed Harris obviously has been fascinated by Jackson Pollock, has researched him thoroughly, and feels some special connection, but it's not so clear whether he has understood him, whether he has fathomed him deeply enough to illuminate the man from within.
*
The second main problem has some bearing on the first. The visual art world itself is not presented with much depth. Clement Greenberg and Peggy Guggenheim are amusing caricatures, but beyond the amusing cliches there is little or no exploration of their deeper motivations - watching this film I don't see how a viewer could begin to understand the place of the visual arts within the broader culture. Why did modern art matter as much as it did in this period of history? Not an easy question, and not one likely to yield an easy answer, certainly not an answer readily translated to the medium of film, admittedly. Still, it would make me feel more involved with the film if I felt that someone, somewhere had been wrestling with both the question and potential answers. Instead there is the horrible suspicion that the artist is broadly equated with a sports star, or perhaps a movie star, and that the motivation primarily implied in his life is a thirst for fame, fortune, and beating the next guy, winning the race - that such a motivation existed is not in doubt (source material, such as letters to his brother verifies this), but it is shallow to single it out as the prime motivation. What motivated Pollock to choose the visual arts above all else? Where did his inspiration originate? Again, difficult questions, but less well publicised facts might have shone light here - for instance, watching the film you would be hard pressed to know that Pollock's brother was also initially an aspiring artist, and that he had supported Jackson both financially and emotionally in an amazing way; furthermore, it's hard to appreciate the crucial agonistic relationship Pollock had to Picasso's work.
*
The scene in which Pollock 'discovers' his drip technique, or action painting, showcases the limitations of the film as a whole. The 'climactic' nature of the scene is foreshadowed by a slow build-up, and chased along by manipulative, and frankly rather irritating, music. The volume levels increase, the 'action' in terms of Pollock 'dancing' around his canvas, the rapidity of cuts and the multiplicity of camera angles, all conspire to leave you in no doubt that you have witnessed a pivotal moment in the film. All this would be fine if you were watching a baseball player hitting a winning home run in the deciding game of the series, but it seems to be far too easy a take on the less spectator orientated process of creating art of lasting value. The standard Hollywood techniques for manipulating audience reaction feel laughable in this setting.
*
The blame for all this must be shouldered by Ed Harris, but it might be construed as spiteful to enlarge upon this fact. Suffice to mention that a entirely different, and for me far more sensitive and successful, approach to exploring the artistic process can be found in Jacques Rivette's film, 'La Belle Noiseuse'. I would gently suggest seeing the latter film before lauding 'Pollock' beyond its worth.

I was not a great fan of Jackson Pollock's work up until I saw this marvelous movie. Ed Harris does a brilliant job of bringing Pollock's life and personality to the screen. Also worthy of praise is Marcia Gay Harden, for her strong performance that is completely on par with Harris. This film is intense, funny, heart-breaking, and eye-opening all in the same breath and the way that Harris can show the immense urgency of the creative process is astounding. Most artists will tell you that there comes a moment when working, that nothing else in the world matters, you focus on nothing but the work, and you feel completely free from any earthly restraints. Even if you're not an artist, you will understand that feeling from watching this film. It's too bad that amazing films, such as this one, don't come along very often.

A gripping biopic that explores events in a real-life artist's life, played intensely to perfection by Harris, who from the director's chair also managed to secure a similarly assured, pointed turn from the other lead: Marcia Harden as a woman who sacrifices herself completely in the service of what she perceives as genius.

Pollock's meteoric rise to glory meant that he succumbed soon to common celebrity ills -- booze, promiscuity, temper -- and this is the area that the film seems to cast a dramatic wide-angle lens on.

Personally, I felt that the film did not really wow me with its somewhat conventional and occasionally even shallow drama potraying a painter's angst, skimping in turn on the insights into what really made him tick. Achieving a delicate balance between these two facets of the artist's life was what made Kirk Douglas' "Lust for Life" or the more recent "Frida" such true classics.

A decent rental for the superlative performances of both the lead characters and its evenhandedness in dealing with a sensitive subject (Harris takes no sides, we never really stop despising Pollock because of his abrasive nature) but don't expect anything you'd call a marvel of film making.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Jackson Pollock Remembered
Ed Harris stars, directs, and produces the great 2000 film "Pollock". It wonderfully portrays the life and turbulances of famed painter Jackson Pollock. Read more

Published on July 16 2004 by David Anderson

5.0 out of 5 stars A great biopic prespective of pollock with great charecters
Ed Harris does it again and with a great story behind the movie, this is one of the best bio based fact movie i've ever seen, some parts are a bit hard to understand but... Read more

Published on April 8 2004 by Hadi

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but frustrating
POLLOCK focusses on the artist Jackson Pollock and his life which eventually spirals into tragic circumstances. Read more

Published on Feb 22 2004 by William

3.0 out of 5 stars Jackson Pollock
Narrative Summary
The movie outlines the life of an artist (Pollock) who struggles to succeed in modern art. Read more

Published on Feb 18 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Biography of Pollock and modern art
I agree with most of the previous complaints in that the movie just kind of appears out of no where, not giving the viewer a background or motive, especially if one has never even... Read more

Published on Dec 30 2003 by volodya88

4.0 out of 5 stars A great tribute
What an inspiring look into the sad little world of Jackson Pollock. It was, at times, a bit slow going but worth every minute.

Published on Dec 28 2003

4.0 out of 5 stars Compelling
The tangled web of rhythmic paint splatters that characterize Pollack's later work shed no light on his personality; likewise, this film does little to explain the tortured-soul... Read more

Published on Dec 22 2003 by Joanna Daneman

4.0 out of 5 stars Life with a Legendary Painter: Marcia Gay Harden Is Teriffic
Ed Harris gives very compelling acting as Jackson Pollock, legendary American painter, whose life story has been recently followed by the aptly titled book "Jackson Pollock: an... Read more

Published on Dec 19 2003 by Tsuyoshi

4.0 out of 5 stars Balanced, well constructed, effective
Such words may seem ironic when referring to the drip king of painting who bridled at any suggestion of "accident" in his work, but in Mr Harris' portrait of the artist... Read more

Published on Nov 29 2003 by Ian Muldoon

5.0 out of 5 stars more true than most realize
A wonderful film/documentary and I also strongly recommend the book "To A Violent Grave". It was written here and shows you just how true to life the movie is. Read more

Published on Nov 19 2003 by i9999999

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