THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN – Review

By Cate Marquis | October 22, 2021

Benedict Cumberbatch stars in a charming, bittersweet true story of an eccentric late-Victorian British artist whose whimsical drawings of cats was instrumental in popularizing them as pets. Based on the true story of British artist and would-be polymath Louis Wain, THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN sports a wonderful cast that includes Claire Foy, Toby Jones, Andrea Riseborough and narration by Olivia Colman (and therefore two of the Queens from TV’s “The Crown” although Colman is unseen). It delivers a sympathetic biopic about a unique, now nearly-forgotten artist who once charmed Victorian audiences with his playful, slightly tongue-in-cheek drawings of cats, and changed how people saw them.

Although there are plentiful cats and drawings of cats, director Will Sharpe’s biopic about a once-famous eccentric artist, the ups and downs of his life, and why cats meant so much to him, rather than about cats. Wain’s cat drawings were inspired by his love for his wife, who transformed his life, and the black-and-white kitten they found in their garden and named Peter. It is more about his love for his wife than cats, but he certainly changed how people saw cats, using his funny, playful cartoon drawings, and popularized them as house pets, not just useful animals in the yard or barn to control pests.

Anthropomorphic drawings like Wain’s cats were very popular in Victorian England and like Tenniel, the illustrator of “Alice in Wonderland” and others, Wain’s playful cat images often satirized or poked fun at human fashions or foibles. In Louis Wain’s early drawings, landscapes and animals are portrayed realistically but he becomes famous for his cartoon anthropomorphic cat drawings, which begin with a Christmas illustration assignment for the magazine. Wain’s cat drawings bring him fame but, with no head for business, not fortune, and he struggled throughout life despite his tireless work.

Since cats and the cat drawings for which Wain was famous are everywhere, cat haters are unlikely to find this film appealing. Which is rather sad because this bittersweet tale of talent, madness and transformative love has much to offer. For those who like cats, and have an affection for quirky artists, this film is the cat’s meow.

After opening with a brief framing device scene of Wain’s late life, the story really gets underway with Olivia Colman calmly narrating over frenetic, somewhat comic scenes of Louis Wain (Cumberbatch) rushing about London streets shortly after he became the primary financial support of his widowed mother and five younger sisters.

Louie (as he is called) rushes between his many interests – composing an opera, learning boxing, and experimenting with electricity (which becomes an enduring fascination) – with plenty of energy but without much practical focus. He also works as a free-lance illustrator for several magazines, providing realistic drawings of rural landscape and of animals, and also paints portraits of pet dogs as a side job. The understanding, patient editor (Toby Jones) of one of the magazines for which Wain works, the Illustrated London News, offers Louis a regular position at his magazine but Louis hesitates, worried he won’t have time for his many other interests.

Louis’s more practical (and resentful) oldest sister Caroline (a perfect Andrea Riseborough) would be a more suitable head of the family but Victorian era restrictions on women mean that role falls to the less-practical sole male family member Louis. When a new governess for the younger girls, Emily (Claire Foy), joins the household, Louis is quickly smitten. Louis takes the job at the magazine to help pay for the governess, which pleases Caroline, but she objects to Louis’ romantic interest in Emily. To head off scandal due to the difference in social status between the more aristocratic family and the lower-class governess (plus the fact that she was a decade older than Louis), Caroline fires her. Louis, in turn, marries her.

Sharpe’s film follows Louis Wain through the ups-and-downs of his life and career. It quickly becomes clear that director Sharpe is using the frenetic tone and then a romantic comic tone to reflect Louis’ inner life. Cumberbatch is irresistible, even electrifying, in this role, hitting the right notes of crackling eccentric energy and charm as he falls unexpectedly for the governess. Claire Foy is perfect as the slightly quirky Emily, who draws Louis out and profoundly changes his life.

Emily transforms Louis’ world, changing his life forever. The couple move to a country house, and the romantic idyll they create often is shown through carefully framed scenes that subtly morph into painterly shots that resemble some of Louis’ work, in a charming effect. One day, they discover a black and white kitten in their yard, which they take in and name Peter. When Emily falls gravely ill, Louis uses drawings of their beloved cat to cheer her.

Director Will Sharpe, a British-Japanese filmmaker educated in classics at Cambridge, frames this story with a bouncy, precious Victorian tone that suggests Dickens, particularly in Colman’s narration, as well as suggesting a comedy, at least at the start. The story starts in full with a comic and romantic bent, although much of what happens in Wain’s life is far from happy. Sharpe displays an sympathetic view towards his talented but flawed subject, as well as stronger hand as a director than it seems at first from the film’s beginning. We first meet the young Louis Wain in a burst of frenetic activity, shortly after the death of his father, when Louis suddenly finds himself the sole support of his mother and five younger sisters, as the only male in the family. It is a role he is not well suited for but not for lack of effort or energy, due to lack of focus and practical judgment.

At the story’s start, narrator Olivia Colman notes that despite simple straight-laced image of the Victorian Age, it was also a time of great invention and technical advances. What is not mentioned is that it was also an era of great eccentrics. Which is one reason why Benedict Cumberbatch is so perfect for this role, having played Sherlock Holmes, another Victorian eccentric, albeit a fictional one. Another, larger reason Cumberbatch is perfect in the role is the actor’s amazing skills and range. The film takes full advantage of Cumberbatch’s talent since it spans Louis Wain’s adult life, which allows the remarkably talented Cumberbatch to play the character from youth to old age. Cumberbatch does it does brilliantly, imbuing his portrait of the artist with moving nuance, deeper meaning and touching insights.

The film’s Dickens-esque tone and early slightly comic, frantic start makes it seem more naive than it eventually reveals itself to be. That is a credit to filmmaker Sharpe who paints an appealing portrait of man who struggled with mental illness and an eccentric, creative nature but never seemed to stop trying. A great strength is the cast, but particularly the amazing Benedict Cumberbatch, who takes Louis from a naive bundle of hopeful energy, to a man whose world is transformed by love, and who works through grief by his art and by transforming how people see cats, to an elderly man with a tenuous grip on reality. The film traces the growth of Louis Wain’s strange ideas about and fascination with electrical energy and his growing obsession with it, part of a deteriorating mental state. It is a unique story, a moving one filled with bittersweet moments and uplifting spirit.

Besides the surprisingly good direction and the fine performances that ground the film, it is also filled with wonderfully beautiful, touching visual touches, with several scenes that slowly transform into what feel like paintings.

THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN opens Friday, Oct. 22, at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinema and other theaters.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars