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Pollock (film)
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Wikipedia article
'Pollock ' is a 2000 American independent biographical romantic drama film that tells the life story of American painter Jackson Pollock. It stars Ed Harris, Marcia Gay Harden, Jennifer Connelly, Robert Knott, Bud Cort, Molly Regan, and Sada Thompson, and was directed by Harris.
Marcia Gay Harden won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for portraying Lee Krasner, Pollock's wife. Ed Harris received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his portrayal of Pollock. The film was a long-term personal project for Harris based on his previous reading of Pollock's 1989 biography 'Jackson Pollock: An American Saga'.
Plot
The film opens 'in medias res' to abstract expressionist painter Jackson Pollock, autographing a copy of 'Life' magazine for a woman at his 1950 art exhibit.
Nine years earlier, Pollock exhibits paintings in occasional group art shows. He lives with his brother, Sande, and sister-in-law, Arloie, in a tiny New York apartment. Arloie says she and Sande are expecting a baby, hinting that Pollock should move out. Soon afterward, Pollock meets and takes an interest in artist Lee Krasner. He learns later that his brother has taken a job in Connecticut building military gliders to avoid the draft. Pollock goes on a drinking binge and is found in a disheveled state by Sande and Lee. Sande tells Lee that Pollock has been diagnosed as "clinically neurotic". Lee takes him home and becomes his manager.
One day, Pollock's old friend, Reuben Kadish, visits, bringing along Howard Putzel, who works for wealthy art collector, Peggy Guggenheim. After Guggenheim views his work, he is given a contract to exhibit his paintings, plus a commission to paint a 8 ft by 20 ft mural in her New York townhouse entry way. Pollock's first exhibit fails to attract any buyers. After a New Year's Eve party, Pollock almost sleeps with Peggy, but is too drunk. He falls into another drunken stupor upon hearing that Putzel has died.
Pollock and Lee are wed after Lee says they either marry or "split up". After they move to Long Island, Pollock is dismayed that Lee does not want children. At a get-together at Peggy's, Pollock dismisses art critic Clement Greenberg's comments, and refuses to change his painting style to be more marketable. Pollock's paintings are not selling, but Clement assures him it will change after a 'Life' article about him is published and his upcoming exhibit. Lee and Pollock's marriage is strained after he openly flirts with another woman. Meanwhile, to earn income, Pollock tries various occupations but fails due to his alcoholism. He lies to Sande about his financial status, though this improves after the 'Life' story about him is published. Later, Hans Namuth films Pollock as he paints, though Namuth's presence interrupts the spontaneous nature of Pollock's work. Pollock, who tried abstaining from alcohol, begins drinking again and ruins Thanksgiving dinner.
Five years after the 1950 exhibit, Clement tells Pollock that the 'Partisan Review' is favoring artist Clyfford Still, and says his original technique could be the next direction of modern art. A drunk Pollock reacts badly, and becomes even angrier when Lee berates him for his drinking and womanizing. Pollock blames Lee because she will not have a child. Lee knows about his affair with Ruth Kligman, but refuses to divorce Jackson. In 1956, Lee calls Pollock while she is in Venice. After, he tells Ruth, "I owe the woman something". On a subsequent visit, Ruth brings along her friend, Edith. The three go for a drive, but Pollock is drunk and crashes the car, killing himself and Edith, and throwing Ruth from the car, seriously injuring her.
Cast
* Ed Harris as Jackson Pollock
* Marcia Gay Harden as Lee Krasner
* Tom Bower as Dan Miller
* Jennifer Connelly as Ruth Kligman
* Bud Cort as Howard Putzel
* John Heard as Tony Smith
* Val Kilmer as Willem de Kooning
* Amy Madigan as Peggy Guggenheim
* Sally Murphy as Edith Metzger
* Stephanie Seymour as Helen Frankenthaler
* Matthew Sussman as Reuben Kadish
* Jeffrey Tambor as Clement Greenberg
* Norbert Weisser as Hans Namuth
* Everett Quinton as James Johnson Sweeney
* Annabelle Gurwitch as May Rosenberg
* John Rothman as Harold Rosenberg
* Kenny Scharf as William Baziotes
* Sada Thompson as Stella Pollock
* Robert O'Neill as Herbert Matter
Production
The film was adapted by Barbara Turner and Susan Emshwiller from the book 'Jackson Pollock: An American Saga' by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith. It was directed by Harris.
This film was a long term dream of Ed Harris.Sony Pictures production notes. After his father gave him a copy of Pollock's biography, he started thinking about the project, which took almost 10 years to bring to fruition.
Filming took a mere 50 days with a six-week layoff after forty days so Harris could take time to gain thirty pounds and grow a beard.[https://www.dvdtalk.com/interviews/actor_ed_harris.html Interview with Ed Harris] at DVDtalk
Harris himself did all the painting seen in the film.
Reception
Critical response
'Pollock' received positive reviews from critics and has a "certified fresh" score of 81% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 108 reviews with an average rating of 7/10. The critical consensus states, "Though 'Pollock' does not really allow audiences a glimpse of the painter as a person, it does powerfully depict the creative process. Harris throws himself into the role and turns in a compelling performance." The film also has a score of 77 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 31 critics indicating "generally favorable reviews".Box office
'Pollock' opened on December 15, 2000 in North America in a limited release in 2 theaters and grossed $44,244 with an average of $22,122 per theater and ranking #37 at the box office. The film's widest release was 280 theaters and it ended up earning $8,598,593 domestically and $1,960,377 internationally for a total of $10,558,970.Accolades
Soundtrack
The soundtrack to 'Pollock' was released on February 13, 2001.
References
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