 | Pollock Starring: Ed Harris, Marcia Gay Harden, Amy Madigan, Bud Cort, Jennifer Connelly |
Ed Harris makes his film-directing debut with a disturbing, dark journey into the life of painter Jackson Pollock. This was a labour of passion for Harris. Years ago, his father gave him the book, Jackson Pollock, An American Saga, by Steven Naifen. From that moment, the seeds of this film were taking root. The physical resemblance between Harris and Pollock is uncanny yet Harris takes this much further. Through documentary film, photos, and recorded interviews, Harris learned the physical moves, the voice, and the artist's famous splatter technique. When Pollock paints in this film, it is Harris doing the painting. The actor/director completely disappears into this character. In so doing, he gives us a lasting, indelible performance while capturing the essence of the creative process perhaps better than any film of this genre. Pollock's life was a train wreck. Child-like, uncommunicative, and shunned by his judgmental, icy family, Pollock lived between deep depression and an alcoholic stupor through most of his life. He was able to bond with close friends and his protective wife/artist, Lee Krasner (Harden), only in brief moments. It was during bright flashes of creative explosion that this tortured man truly lived. During these moments he became a master of expression. We get a hint of his artistic power in his own words, "I am nature!" His art literally rocked the snobbish New York art scene. His paintings changed forever the way we view art. Yet success and fame, so often fatal to artists beset by alcoholism, proved to be Pollock's undoing. He never recovered from his meteoric rise to fame in 1949 when he made the cover of Life Magazine. We sense his seething revulsion as success destroys his creativity. Artistically, he dies. He can only reside in the comfort zone of alcoholism to quietly await his imminent doom. In 1956, Jackson Pollock died in a car crash with his young mistress. The film suggests that this was no accident. ** In lesser hands, "Pollock" might have been a distasteful portrait of an unsympathetic, self-destructive artist. But Harris makes no apologies, nor does he indulge in psychological babble to explain this man; he allows the audience to draw their own conclusions. Wisely, Harris uses music only when Pollock explodes into painting with joyous fury. These moments become high points in the film. The use of silence makes a poignant impression on the remaining scenes. Marcia Gay Harden, in a breakthrough performance, plays artist Lee Krasner. After meeting Pollock and viewing his work, she decides to end her career and devote her life to his hidden genius. After their marriage, she gets him out of New York City, off alcohol, and for a time they lead a quiet life in rural Long Island. It is this brief time period that Pollock soars as an artist. But their's is an angst-ridden relationship, and the powerful chemistry between Harris and Harden give the film added strength. Cameos by Val Kilmer (Willem de Kooning), Amy Madigan (Peggy Guggenheim), and Bud Cort (Howard Putzel) add to the rich texture of the movie. Cinematography by Lisa Rizer captures the era with authenticity. At the end Pollock remains a mystery. We are left, however, with a profound insight into creative thought and genius. "Pollock" is a remarkable achievement and a sensitive portrait of a truly great artist. ** A reader writes: "It wasn't his mistresswho died in the accident, it was the lady's friend. His mistress, RuthKligman, survived and even wrote a book about their affair. It was EdithMetzger who died." |