Upon sitting down to see Mike Leigh's latest feature-length effort, I must confess my complete lack of prior knowledge on the troubled character that this story follows. I was unfamiliar with the works of William Turner, unless you count the dashing romantic lead of the same name in Pirates of the Caribbean. However this picture does not focus on the swashbuckling of pirates or the spectacle of sword fights; this feature follows a much simpler narrative, but one that is clothed in as much detail as any viewer could possibly expect.
Mr Turner follows the final 25 years in the life of one of one of Britain's most famed 19th-Century painters. We accompany land and sea-scape artist W. Turner on a wondrous journey through his inspirations, concerns, desires, faults and pains.
From the opening shot of a windmill, slowly turning to behold Mr Turner himself capturing a sunset in a small sketchbook, the cinematography blooms through the screen. With lush landscapes, stunning scenery and incomparable detail, the film is an absolute treat for the eyes. These beautiful shots gives the proverbial tip of the cap to Turner's stunning eye for the environments he converted to brush and canvas. These shots are a testament to Leigh's direction and, at 71 years of age, he exemplifies period filmmaking in way that few young directors can hope to match. These shots are complimented with what can only be described as the best set and costume design I have seen in quite some time.
The cast brings an additionally wonderful depth to the film, highlighted by the exceptional lead performance of Timothy Spall. Known to most as Peter Pettigrew from the Harry Potter series, Spall steals the screen in every shot he is in (which is virtually all of them) and he even took over a year to master the brush strokes that we see him effortlessly carry out on screen. He carries the physical and mental weight of a grumbly, decrepit old man but with a charm and honesty that resonates through the frequent grunting. While the unappreciative groans truly are what you would expect to find in a man so physically and emotionally rigid, they can at times come across as excessive and needless in scenes that are more upbeat; a sequence where he reacquaints himself with colleagues in a gallery comes to mind. However one of Spall's more spellbinding moments is found in a scene where, after recently suffering a great loss, Turner finds his way into a brothel. The scene that follows is one of the most real and human examples of grief I ever recall seeing in cinema. Turner's loud cries are so unconventionally 'abnormal' when placed in hollywood films that you almost want to be brought to laughter, but the sheer humanity in Spall's performance holds you right through the scene and consequently, the entire film.
The other star of the show is Marion Bailey who plays Sophia Booth, a widowed Margate landlady with which Turner finds love. Her performance is a delight and acts as a perfect offset to Spall's grumbly undertones. Booth provides the audience with a great companion to accompany Turner through the darker years of his life and Bailey conveys it with great charm and affection.
The remaining supporting cast are all exceptionally chosen also; from an estranged mistress to an overly loyal housemaid, the cast is large and fantastically utilised. However, in my opinion some of the more challenging characters to Turner such as desperate fellow artist Benjamin Haydon (played by Martin Savage) and wannabe art-critic John Ruskin (played by Joshua McGuire) could have easily been given more screen time.
A brief mention should also be made for the soundtrack, composed by Gary Yershon. The music is a fantastic addition to the film and the cinematography gives Yershon a lot of room to let the music breathe. His approach contradicts the beautiful scenery with dissonance and unusual progressions in his score. It wonderfully represents the damaged, ageing part of Turner's character and while it can at times seem a little off-putting when placed against such exquisite backgrounds, it sets the scene for how Turner's final years fell into dissonance as well.
The primary drawback for this film is its length. At 150 minutes, it is a lot to take in for a film with a relatively singular tone. The scenes rarely change pace and while this is perfect for realism, it does seem a tad excessive. A couple of lengthy scenes also appear to have little purpose in assisting the overall progression of the story. There is a lot of backtracking to similar areas and locations, and while Leigh provides alternate camera positions to give every environment a stylistically different feel each time we visit, the singular pacing gives the film quite a notable 'see-saw' feel when several scenes could have easily been cut or combined to allow for a smoother plot narrative. The unfortunate reality is that the lengthy running time becomes noticeable far too early in the film; over the course of every scene change for the final 20 minutes, the length gradually seems to amplify itself to the audience and by the time the credits role up at the end, the film has lost a fair amount of momentum.
However in spite of this, it does not change the overall fact that this film is a beautiful artistic vision much like the paintings we bear witness to throughout. Spall and Bailey are a delight to watch with an excellent supporting cast and a wonderful soundtrack. This is a great example of period filmmaking and, while the length is a noticeable misstep, the sheer strength of the imagery and depth of the characters should give Mr Turner a confident nod come award season.
Mr Turner follows the final 25 years in the life of one of one of Britain's most famed 19th-Century painters. We accompany land and sea-scape artist W. Turner on a wondrous journey through his inspirations, concerns, desires, faults and pains.
From the opening shot of a windmill, slowly turning to behold Mr Turner himself capturing a sunset in a small sketchbook, the cinematography blooms through the screen. With lush landscapes, stunning scenery and incomparable detail, the film is an absolute treat for the eyes. These beautiful shots gives the proverbial tip of the cap to Turner's stunning eye for the environments he converted to brush and canvas. These shots are a testament to Leigh's direction and, at 71 years of age, he exemplifies period filmmaking in way that few young directors can hope to match. These shots are complimented with what can only be described as the best set and costume design I have seen in quite some time.
The cast brings an additionally wonderful depth to the film, highlighted by the exceptional lead performance of Timothy Spall. Known to most as Peter Pettigrew from the Harry Potter series, Spall steals the screen in every shot he is in (which is virtually all of them) and he even took over a year to master the brush strokes that we see him effortlessly carry out on screen. He carries the physical and mental weight of a grumbly, decrepit old man but with a charm and honesty that resonates through the frequent grunting. While the unappreciative groans truly are what you would expect to find in a man so physically and emotionally rigid, they can at times come across as excessive and needless in scenes that are more upbeat; a sequence where he reacquaints himself with colleagues in a gallery comes to mind. However one of Spall's more spellbinding moments is found in a scene where, after recently suffering a great loss, Turner finds his way into a brothel. The scene that follows is one of the most real and human examples of grief I ever recall seeing in cinema. Turner's loud cries are so unconventionally 'abnormal' when placed in hollywood films that you almost want to be brought to laughter, but the sheer humanity in Spall's performance holds you right through the scene and consequently, the entire film.
The other star of the show is Marion Bailey who plays Sophia Booth, a widowed Margate landlady with which Turner finds love. Her performance is a delight and acts as a perfect offset to Spall's grumbly undertones. Booth provides the audience with a great companion to accompany Turner through the darker years of his life and Bailey conveys it with great charm and affection.
The remaining supporting cast are all exceptionally chosen also; from an estranged mistress to an overly loyal housemaid, the cast is large and fantastically utilised. However, in my opinion some of the more challenging characters to Turner such as desperate fellow artist Benjamin Haydon (played by Martin Savage) and wannabe art-critic John Ruskin (played by Joshua McGuire) could have easily been given more screen time.
A brief mention should also be made for the soundtrack, composed by Gary Yershon. The music is a fantastic addition to the film and the cinematography gives Yershon a lot of room to let the music breathe. His approach contradicts the beautiful scenery with dissonance and unusual progressions in his score. It wonderfully represents the damaged, ageing part of Turner's character and while it can at times seem a little off-putting when placed against such exquisite backgrounds, it sets the scene for how Turner's final years fell into dissonance as well.
The primary drawback for this film is its length. At 150 minutes, it is a lot to take in for a film with a relatively singular tone. The scenes rarely change pace and while this is perfect for realism, it does seem a tad excessive. A couple of lengthy scenes also appear to have little purpose in assisting the overall progression of the story. There is a lot of backtracking to similar areas and locations, and while Leigh provides alternate camera positions to give every environment a stylistically different feel each time we visit, the singular pacing gives the film quite a notable 'see-saw' feel when several scenes could have easily been cut or combined to allow for a smoother plot narrative. The unfortunate reality is that the lengthy running time becomes noticeable far too early in the film; over the course of every scene change for the final 20 minutes, the length gradually seems to amplify itself to the audience and by the time the credits role up at the end, the film has lost a fair amount of momentum.
However in spite of this, it does not change the overall fact that this film is a beautiful artistic vision much like the paintings we bear witness to throughout. Spall and Bailey are a delight to watch with an excellent supporting cast and a wonderful soundtrack. This is a great example of period filmmaking and, while the length is a noticeable misstep, the sheer strength of the imagery and depth of the characters should give Mr Turner a confident nod come award season.