Mr Turner

As a big fan of the work of JMW Turner, I had awaited the release of Mike Leigh's latest  film, Mr. Turner, with great anticipation. It wasn't a disappointment; Timothy Spall's portrayal of Turner was inspired, but somehow I left the cinema feeling a little deflated. If this film was true to life, Turner seemed to be an unusual and uncompromising character, but also, sadly, a rather unpleasant one. The frequent growling, bear -like sounds that Spall produced were strangely endearing; What was not so endearing was Turner's apparent cavalier treatment of women. It left me wondering why his house-keeper Hannah, although in all probability in love with Mr. Billy, allowed him to abuse her in a fashion that was tantamount to rape. And why did Turner compassionately write off the dept to his fellow artist, but did nothing to help Hannah with her increasingly disfiguring skin condition. He did thankfully seem to truly love his Margate landlady, Mrs Booth and we see a more sensitive side of Turner. Yet in spite of Turner's terse and insular manner which was occasionally sprinkled with flashes of his extrovert and gregarious side, we get glimpses of the intelligent and single minded attitude that contributed to his developing into one of Britain's greatest artists. 

I  had to wonder however, why the film, which was set around 1928 onwards, was began in Turner's middle age, leaving much of his earlier life unexplained. It has to be wondered why he deserted his two daughters and their mother? What had happened with his own mother to make him and his father turn against her? Perhaps this could have gone some way to explain his frequent misogynistic behaviour towards woman. 

On a more positive note, the film itself is a work of art; beautifully filmed, it is a pleasure to see some of Turner's greatest works viewed by the artist as he formulates the idea of a potential painting in his mind. The greatest scene though, has to be the Varnishing Scene at the Royal Academy. The paintings packed tight from walls  to ceiling, we see the artists add their finishing touches to paintings as Turner strides cheerfully through the gallery loudly greeting each artist. We see a Turner's frenzied spitting on his work as he paints at a rapid pace; His mocking treatment of fellow artist John Constable marks the known rivalry between the two artists. His more vulnerable side is shown by the devastation upon the death of his much loved father and at a later point when the disparaging remarks from Queen Victoria cause his work to fall from public favour. 

The incredible performance by Timothy Spall, who spent two years learning to paint in preparation for this role, imbibes the character of Turner with the air of a classic Dickensian character. His performance was admirably matched by Dorothy Atkinson as his housekeeper, Marion Bailey as Mrs Booth and Paul Jesson as the elder Mr Turner.