Mr. Turner – Film Review
Director: Mike Leigh
Starring: Timothy Spall, Paul Jesson and Dorothy Atkinson
Release Date: Out Now
Judging from trailers and film posters, you would be forgiven for thinking that Mike Leigh’s latest film looks quite dull. It features a painter’s difficult and isolated life over a quarter century, and you are already falling asleep as you read this. What you’ll be surprised to know is that, thanks to some rock-solid performances, it’s actually an alright little film.
Unfolding in a series of self-contained scenes in single settings, the film presents a portrait of the painter through snapshots of his life, rather than a cohesive narrative. Devoted to his art, Turner lives with his beloved, ageing father (Jesson) and his house-keeper-with-benefits Hannah Danby (Atkinson), while disavowing all paternal responsibilities to his adult daughters by exasperated former mistress Sarah Danby (Sheen). After the death of his father, Turner begins a secret affair in Margate with widowed landlady Mrs Booth (Bailey, wonderful), using a false name.
Leigh intersperses these scenes with insights into Turner’s working life, whether it’s painting with substances such as spit and egg, arguing with other artists at the Royal Academy of Arts (including a nice little moment of seemingly impromptu genius designed to wind up Constable), taking inspiration from his surroundings (landscapes, Stevenson’s Rocket, steamships), or, more unusually, getting strapped to a ship’s mast during a storm in order to achieve an unconventional artistic perspective.
Spall is simply magnificent as Turner, coughing, spluttering and grunting throughout in a way that’s somehow simultaneously both repulsive and yet strangely endearing. His perpetual gruffness says a lot about how he feels about acceptable social norms and yet his relationship with Mrs Booth is unexpectedly touching, while his true character is further explored through gestures such as refusing a small fortune for his paintings because he wishes them to be displayed to the public in the National Gallery, for free.
Whether this sort of story is your cup of tea or not, it has to be said it looks absolutely incredible, with excellent cinematography. Mr Turner shows a genuine fascination with all stages of the artistic process. He is a man obsessed with creating art, an obsession that crystallizes in the moment when he hauls himself off his deathbed in order to sketch the body of a dead woman found in the harbour.
The unusual narrative structure results in an excellently put together character study that, though not for everyone’s tastes, is ultimately quite moving, if it draws you in. And it is likely to do so. There are a lot of wonderful stand-alone moments (one particular highlight involves Turner getting his photo taken), while the stupendously unsexy sex scenes reach new heights of awkward, hilarious and profundity.
Overall, this is likely to receive quite a few votes for film of the year because it takes a niche genre and manages to make it appealing to the masses (just about). Timothy Spall is a revelation, bringing savage gravitas to the character, and Leigh explores a character and era simultaneously and with equal levels of enthusiasm. A niche film, sure, but a brilliantly executed niche film regardless.
Score: 4/5
Written by Stephen Hill
