Themes: Life in the Arts, Crumbling Marriages, Alcoholism
Main Cast: Ed Harris, Marcia Gay Harden, Amy Madigan, Jennifer Connelly, Jeffrey Tambor
Release Year: 2000
Country: US
Run Time: 122 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Artist Jackson Pollock revolutionized American painting in the 1940's with his exciting abstract canvases that used dripped and splattered paint in a manner at once excitingly physical and structurally intelligent. While Pollock became a heroic figure in the art world, his private life was nothing to envy, and this biography looks at both his professional triumphs and personal tragedies. In 1941, Pollock (Ed Harris) was a bitter and struggling painter when he met Lee Krasner (Marcia Gay Harden), a fellow artist with whom he was appearing in a joint gallery show. Krasner was intrigued by Pollock, and immediately sensed the importance of his work; they quickly became lovers, and as Krasner realized his superior talent, she began devoting herself to promoting Pollock's work. When Peggy Guggenheim (Amy Madigan) agreed to present a show of Pollock's paintings at her Art of This Century gallery, his name was made, and a profile in Life magazine solidified his reputation as one of the art world's most important figures. But success did not bring Pollock peace of mind; while he long had a taste for alcohol, his new fame sent his drinking out of control, and his infidelity with numerous women (including Guggenheim) eventually destroyed his relationship with Krasner. Pollock was the first feature directed by actor Ed Harris, who also plays the title role; the cast also includes Val Kilmer as artist Willem de Kooning and Jennifer Connelly as Ruth Kligman, one of Pollock's lovers. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Review
An auspicious directorial debut from prolific actor Ed Harris, Pollock overcomes its occasional obscurity (a factor that has marred lesser films about painters) to become an effectively detailed look at the unruly soul of an artist. As director, Harris beautifully captures the slowly evolving art world of New York in its time frame with refreshing exactitude, and the screenplay (while sometimes episodic) never resorts to pandering in order to better understand this difficult, often unbearably cantankerous man. Harris excels as Pollock, but Marcia Gay Harden walks off with the picture as his longtime love. Her sublime generosity as a performer, mixed with a passionately rendered portrayal of a woman with no sure next move, combine to forge a unique and truly affecting creation (not to mention an uncanny likeness to the real-life Lee Krasner). The film was the surprise centerpiece picture of the 2000 New York Film Festival, where it played to enthusiastic response, including Harris' much-discussed weight gain (à la Robert De Niro in Raging Bull) for the latter part of the movie. Academy voters acknowledged Harris and Harden with nominations for Best Actor and Supporting Actress; only Harden walked off with a surprise win on Oscar night. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide
Bud Cort - Howard Putzel; John Heard - Tony Smith; Val Kilmer - William DeKooning; Barbara Garrick - Betty Parsons
Credit
Teresa Mastropiero - Art Director, Todd Thaler - Casting, Cecilia Kate Roque - Co-producer, David C. Robinson - Costume Designer, Jude Gorjanc - First Assistant Director, Ed Harris - Director, Kathryn Himoff - Editor, Peter Brant - Executive Producer, Joseph Allen - Executive Producer, Jeff Beal - Composer (Music Score), Mark Friedberg - Production Designer, Lisa Rinzler - Cinematographer, Ed Harris - Producer, Fred Berner - Producer, Jon Kilik - Producer, Scott Breindel - Sound/Sound Designer, Barbara Turner - Screenwriter, Susan J. Emshwiller - Screenwriter, Susan Ernshwiller - Screenwriter, Steven Naifeh - Book Author, Gregory White Smith - Book Author
This film was a long term dream of Ed Harris.[1] 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.[2]
Harris himself did all the painting seen in the film. [2]
Pollock holds a 83% and it is also a "Certified Fresh" at Rotten Tomatoes.
