Is Lilias Trotter one of the best British painters you've never heard of, or is she one of the greatest Christian missionaries who is not a household name? In fact, she is both, as viewers will discover in filmmaker Laura Waters Hinson's haunting and visually dazzling documentary, which aims to fill in the blanks on both of Trotter's places in history while also telling a compelling story about a remarkable woman. Born in 1853 to a wealthy family, Trotter grew up with intellectual parents and a circle of artists and writers. Her own exceptional talent as a painter drew the attention of artist and art critic John Ruskin, and despite a wide age difference, Ruskin's offer to mentor Trotter soon flowered into a deeper companionship, and arguably more. Hinson is an American pastor's wife whose obsession with Trotter unearthed 20 years' worth of correspondence between Trotter and Ruskin. Despite Ruskin's declaration that Trotter could become the greatest living British painter of her generation, the latter's passion for missionary work led her in a different and often dangerous direction, including helping London's prostitutes find shelter and job skills. In her mid-30s, Trotter felt the call to travel to Algeria and she set up a mission, focusing on women and children despite violent hostility from the nation's patriarchal forces. Spending the next 40 years in the North African country (she died there in 1928), Trotter worked to bridge her beliefs with those of the Sufi community. Hinson makes tasteful and evocative use of dramatic re-enactments, while Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey) reads from Trotter's writings, and John Rhys-Davies voices Ruskin. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)
Many Beautiful Things
(2016) 70 min. DVD: $19.99. DRA. Vision Video (avail. from most distributors). Volume 32, Issue 2
Many Beautiful Things
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