POLLOCK Reviewed by Jerry Saravia May 25th, 2001
The most innovative of the Abstract Expressionists was Jackson Pollock whose surrealist paintings gave way to "action paintings," the idea that paint could be dripped onto the canvas and create vivid splashes of color. Pollock created the drip technique and thus, a sense of freedom within the canvas was born where space became largely ambiguous. Pollock is world reknown, so much that American film directors like Martin Scorsese or Oliver Stone are often referred to as the "Jackson Pollocks of cinema" for their often seemingly free form styles. Such an innovator is given a fairly conventional though often harrowing treatment by Ed Harris in his directorial debut.
Naturally, Ed Harris plays the tortured, neurotic, manic-depressive Jackson Pollock. The film begins in New York City in the postwar era of the 1940's where Pollock is still an unknown. He meets with another painter, Lee Krasner (Marcia Gay Harden), who hears of Pollock through word-of-mouth and becomes interested in his work. After all, if you are a painter in New York who is talked about in circles, you must make your appearance through the proper channels. Lee Krasner knows the proper channels. She is acquainted with Peggy Guggenheim (Judith Ivey), the owner of the Art of This Century Gallery, who is ticked off when climbing five flight of stairs to find Pollock is not home. Nevertheless, she sees his work and commissions it to be show in her gallery.
Pollock also finds a willing romantic partner in Lee Krasner who knows of the man's faults and still decides to be with him. Pollock is an alcoholic and usually finds himself sleeping outside tenements. His solution is to get away from the city, and so Krasner offers him an option - get married and move or she walks. They move to the Hamptons near the beach for tranquility. This is also beneficial for Pollock who can find himself locked in his work rather than in alcohol. As time goes on, Pollock eventually discovers his drip technique and becomes a sensation in New York and around the world. And when does Pollock know that his work is finished? "How do you know you are finished when you are making love," asks Pollock when interviewed by Life magazine.
"Pollock" occasionally finds the painter at work in his studio but the film's screenplay devotes more time to his turbulent relationship with Lee Krasner. Lee puts up with Pollock through his affairs and endless drinking bouts because she wants him to be the great painter that he is. It is clear that Lee is devoted to him and tries to help him, thus putting her own career on hold for his sake. They frequently have their arguments, some more harsh than others, but they still manage to stay together for several years.
By the 1950's, Pollock grows into a bearded, fat, obnoxious, unlikable man. He retreats from his "drip" style to his original abstract paintings. He also has an affair with a luscious art groupie (Jennifer Connelly) and largely detaches himself from Lee. The brief romance is mostly dull as compared to his emotional bond with Lee, and the film meanders a bit whenever Connelly shows up, whom I do admire as an actress overall.
My complaints of the film are largely relegated to the depiction of Pollock's own status in the art world. The recent "Before Night Falls" did not dwell on why the famous writer, Reinaldo Arenas, became a writer, it only showed his surroundings and how they affected him. But Pollock is a more complex, larger-than-life character. He seems to lack communication with his mother (Sada Thompson - the matriarch from the 70's TV show "Family") or his brother and his family - they attend his gallery shows but they never speak to each other, particularly at the dining table. Pollock's family life is given so little shred of introspection that we never understand why they ever visit him in the first place - consider that almost every scene with his family ends in a violent disruption. Does Pollock's temperamental personality and his seclusion in his work cause his family to be silent or are they unhappy with his artistic life? Whatever lack of communication exists may hint at Pollock's own troubled nature but the film never makes that connection.
The two fantastic lead performances rescue whatever character limitations exist. Ed Harris is powerful and harrowing as the troubled Pollock - he even looks like the painter judging by recent photographs I have looked at. Marcia Gay Harden is the strong, sympathetic, tough and direct Lee Krasner (she deservedly won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her work here). They have several great scenes together but my favorite is when he asks her if "they can make a baby." She says no, claiming that fulfilling his needs is enough and all she ever wanted. It is indeed.
If "Pollock" had dwelled on the artist's personal, familial side and if the fleeting world of Abstract Expressionists had been developed, the film might have been a stunning masterpiece. As it is, it is a hellish, demanding work with two ball-of-fire performances that will rattle your nerves, shake up your senses, and largely disorient you. Just like Jackson Pollock did.
For more reviews, check out JERRY AT THE MOVIES at http://moviething.com/members/movies/faust/JATMindex.shtml
E-mail me with any questions, comments or general complaints at Faust668@aol.com or at faustus_08520@yahoo.com
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews