|
Actors: Ed Harris, Marcia Gay Harden
|
|
| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Pollock |
|---|
Ed Harris directed as well as starred in this biography of the American painter Jackson Pollock. The screenplay, written by Barbara Turner and Susan Emshwiller and based on the book _Jackson Pollock: An American Saga_, centers primarily on the period between 1941 when Pollock was living on the edge with his brother's family in New York City, and 1949 when he made it big and was featured in Life magazine. Pollock is depicted as an alcoholic child who could be violent and vicious when drunk. He meets another painter, Lee Krasner (Harden) who basically gives up her career to marry Pollock and nurture him and his career. The artist dies in an auto accident in 1956, at the age of 44. Although Harris and Harden do a titanic job of acting (and John Heard, Val Kilmer, and Amy Madigan -- Mrs. Ed Harris -- may be enjoyed in supporting roles), the story never really gets inside Harris or his art. The perky soundtrack includes everyone from Louis Armstrong, Billie Holliday, and Louis Prima to Nappy Brown, Buddy Tate, and Tom Waits.
--David Loftus, Resident Scholar
|
This is a very detailed story about the life of the mentally ill artist Jackson Pollock(Harris). His lover/wife is played by Gay Harden. The movie could have been a lot more well done if it had been slightly more condensed. Certain parts of his life were entirely too drawn out for anyone to sit there and watch it. The basic jest of things with him is that Jackson's wife Lee (Gay Harden)helps him through the strange and demented life of a starving artist. The movie follows him all the way from his mid to late twenties up until his death(car crash) when he was around 50. Harris does an excellent job as an alcoholic schitzophrinic loner but his role reminded me all to well of the movie Jackknife where he plays an alcoholic veteran. His methods seem to be the same in this as they were in the earlier film. The movie was very well done except for the fact that it was to lengthy and could have been 45 minutes shorter.
--dino, Resident Scholar
|
| Analysis of Pollock |
|---|
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about
books by breaking them down into many different literary
elements, all of which are searchable (click here). |
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Time/era of movie:
- 1930's-1950's
Inner struggle or disability
Yes
Struggle with
- (General) search for meaning/identity
Job/Profession/Poverty Story?
Yes
Job:
- artist
Ethnic/Regional/Gender story?
Yes
Culture of surrounding area:
- American suburban
- American urban
Druggie/Wino problems?
- alcohol
Brain/Body not working?
- mental illness
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- artist
Age:
- 20's-30's
Hair color?
- brunette (Brown)
Hair type
- (man) short/standard straight
Body type
- (man) average
Unclothed?
- Chest
Events of movie makes character more...
- aggressive
- irritated
- sad
- tougher
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
- hard edged
Sense of humor?
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Hair color
- brunette (Black)
Hair style
- (woman) medium/shoulderlgn straight
Body type
- (woman) ample bosom & buttocks
Unclothed?
- chest
How much in movie?
- 80%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Main Adversary
Identity:
- general circumstances
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
City?
Yes
City:
- New York
Farm/Ranch?
Yes
Farm/Ranch:
- ranch
Small town?
Yes
Misc setting
- resort/hotel
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Movie makes you feel...
- depressed/sad
- thoughtful
Sex/nudity in movie?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- kissing
- impregnation/reproduction
- seeing breasts
Any profanity?
- A lot of foul language
Is this movie based on a
- book
|
| Most similar reviews by Gordonator ranking |
|---|
| Sweet and Lowdown
starring Sean Penn, Samantha Morton, Gretchen Mol, Uma Thurman, John Waters, Woody Allen,
|
| A Star Is Born (1954)
starring Judy Garland, James Mason
|
| Great Balls of Fire!
starring Dennis Quaid, Winona Ryder, Alec Baldwin, Trey Wilson,
|
| Frances
starring Jessica Lange, Sam Shepard, Kim Stanley, Jonathan Banks
|
| Frida
starring Alfred Molina and Selma Hayek
|
|
Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
|
