MR. TURNER – The Review

Mike Leigh’s meticulous look into the life of late 18^th and 19^th century painter J.M.W. Turner seems like an artifact from the very period that the film takes place. Between Dick Pope’s sumptuous and yet classical approach to photography and Leigh’s painstaking storytelling, MR. TURNER feels like a film that’s meant to be seen with a trained eye and with much patience. You aren’t going to find an engaging biographical look at an artist – those who are familiar with Mike Leigh’s filmography know that that just isn’t his style. With MR. TURNER Leigh presents the occasional highs and lowest lows of what life is like in Britain as a struggling artist. Even though details from Turner’s life are present, it is the examination of the more mundane and routine life of the painter that audiences will either be intrigued by – thanks to a rich performance by Timothy Spall – or feel fatigue from. Coming from someone who received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Studio Art, even I found myself feeling as if I was watching paint dry.

At 150 minutes, Mike Leigh clearly isn’t interested in an abbreviated look at Turner’s life. In fact, I’d argue the film sticks to the slow-moving Victorian time period and deliberate style at the cost of the audience’s enjoyment. Aside from Dick Pope’s award winning cinematography (special Jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival) which showcases warm, rolling hills and crashing waves frequently in golden brush strokes, the other noteworthy element from this tedious affair is a dedicated performance from Timothy Spall. With every heavy foot and deep breath, Spall breathes solemn life into this character. His performance seems more akin to an easily dirupted beast than that of a man. Some dark humor is injected from Dorothy Atkinson in a thankless role as Turner’s mistreated housemaid. But much like Turner’s relationship with this sad woman, Leigh often relegates her to the shadows.

It’s only when Turner visits a seaside town and meets a jovial and widowed landlady (Marion Bailey) that we see a faint glimmer of happiness in his life. Leigh doesn’t try to equate Turner’s change in mood or his personal ups and downs to his work. The closest we get to this is seeing Turner strapped to the mast of a ship during a violent sea storm after witnessing the turmoil he faces dealing with friends and colleagues. Any form of subtext is left for the viewer to interpret. However, one could argue that Leigh makes a strong case for how the isolation that a painter experiences standing in front of a large canvas can absorb all elements of their life.

This rich observation of what it means to suffer for your art isn’t for the casual filmgoer. Leigh has a history of crafting characters that are a glutton for punishment and MR. TURNER is no different. Between the title character’s persistent grunting, ragged personal life, persistence to paint torrid shipwrecks, and constant bickering with fellow artists, an unsavory taste is left lingering in your mouth – so much so that you can practically taste the grime and paint covered hands of the tragic artist. Much like the subject of his film, Leigh shows no signs or concern for public acceptance. He continues to make his pictures in the way he sees fit, painting characters in the light he so chooses.

Overall rating: 3 out of 5

MR. TURNER opens in St. Louis on January 16