Mr. Turner

Renowned British painter J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851) was decidedly eccentric, as filmmaker Mike Leigh aptly illustrates in this erudite character study. Turner (Timothy Spall) is first glimpsed here in 1820s Holland, scribbling in his sketchbook, before eventually returning to his townhouse on Harley Street, where he is greeted by his doting father (Paul Jesson) and devoted housekeeper (Dorothy Atkinson). Over the next quarter-century, Turner creates magnificent landscapes and seascapes, while cantankerously coping with a bitter estranged mistress, two grown daughters, and numerous critics, including judgmental members of London's Royal Academy of Arts, and even Queen Victoria. Ornery, stubborn, and passionately devoted to authenticity, Turner is strapped to the mast of a ship in order to observe first-hand a storm at sea. Visiting Margate to paint harbor scenes, he rents a room under a pseudonym from Mrs. Booth (Marion Bailey), whose husband is a retired seafarer. After Mr. Booth dies, Turner and the widow amiably cohabit in Chelsea. Embodying Turner with grunts, snorts, and spit, portly Spall delivers a memorably brutish portrait of the artist (although it is curious that Leigh completely ignores Turner's penchant for Venice, where he created some of his most radiant works). An Oscar nominee for Dick Pope's luminous cinematography, this is highly recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include an audio commentary by director Mike Leigh, a “Many Colours of Mr. Turner” behind-the-scenes featurette (32 min.), a brief deleted scene, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is “The Cinematic Palette” cinematography featurette (17 min.). Bottom line: a solid extras package for this fine bio-pic.] (S. Granger)