Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Ashland Calendar, Friday, July 10 ... More thunderstorms expected ... Stay out of the creek, officials warn ... Ashland Calendar, Friday, July 10 ... More thunderstorms expected ... Stay out of the creek, officials warn ... MOVIE REVIEW 'Mr. Turner' paints an intense portrait Comment By Chris Honoré for Revels DailyTidings.com By Chris Honoré for Revels Posted Feb. 26, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Chris Honoré for Revels Posted Feb. 26, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News Mr. Turner; 150 min; Rated R  “Mr. Turner”is a surprisingly long movie given that it is in great part a pastiche of vignettes that capture the last 25 years of Joseph Mallord William Turner, Victorian Romantic artist (1775-1851). For some viewers, it will be a sublime viewing experience, a veritable visual feast, as well as an opportunity to marvel at the depth and breath of Timothy Spall’s talent, an English character actor who completely inhabits the persona of Turner. For others, not so much. Turner was a genius whose paintings of golden, diffuse sunlight at dawn and sunset, as well as rising, turbulent clouds, or shipwrecks caught in a violent sea were stunning and resonated with a wide audience. All were immensely lovely to look at, startling and evocative, asking the viewers to lose themselves in a particular moment, captured so eloquently on the canvas. In the last decade of his life, as he aged, his work became even more impressionistic, the emotions made manifest through gorgeous color, often viewed through a haze of clouds or ocean mist. And what director Mike Leigh and cinematographer Bill Pope construct are striking images, shot with a digital camera, that all but mirror the work of Turner. Many are gorgeous and artistic in their beauty and breathtaking to behold. What moviegoers have to decide with “Mr. Turner” is can they also spend 150 minutes with a man who is essentially a narrowly focused, self-centered misanthrope. True, he wanders long stretches of beaches, walks across open fields during dusk and dawn, watches the sun descend toward the horizon, or stands for hours, head bent back, admiring the rising clouds as they fill a cerulean sky. What Turner did not enjoy was the company of his fellow man. He was a curmudgeon who rarely smiled (his teeth were stained and uneven), often grunted like a boar or growled like a bear in response to a question, and suffered even his supporters with ill humor and impatience. He had two illegitimate children with a mistress (Ruth Sheen), daughters that he refused to claim, and demonstrated a lack of sensitivity toward those he encountered with a dourness that becomes, in the film, somewhat tedious. He was looked after by his father, with whom he lived, and a housekeeper (Dorothy Atkinson) he rarely acknowledged, yet used for sexual release when the mood moved him.  Only when he stood before a canvas, brush in hand, did he become transformed, and it was there that he allowed his deepest emotions to be expressed: his love of light, in all its variations, was a subject that dominated his work and was the source of his driving passion. In truth, as shown on the screen, he was not a man with whom one easily identifies or welcomes. In many ways, he was a recluse who, when he ventured forth, seemed to ricochet off of people, his focus rarely on those he encountered. What gave him pause was a landscape. Or even a drowned body washed up in the harbor. Then, with sketchbook in hand, he would stand for hours drawing what only his eye could see. It’s a strange juxtaposition, the artist and the man, one that Leigh seems to delight in creating. However, “Mr. Turner” is in great part a character study, and as a character, Turner was a scowling sort who took profound delight not in the people but in a world apart. Is this a film that is a must-see? That will, of course, depend.     By Chris Honoré for Revels DailyTidings.com By Chris Honoré for Revels Posted Feb. 26, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501