Pollock (film)

Pollock
Directed by	Ed Harris
Screenplay by	Barbara Turner Susan Emshwiller
Based on	Jackson Pollock: An American Saga by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith
Starring	Ed Harris Marcia Gay Harden
Music by	Jeff Beal
Cinematography	Lisa Rinzler
Editing by	Kathryn Himoff
Release date(s)	September 6, 2000 (2000-09-06)
Running time	122 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Pollock is a 2000 biographical drama film which tells the life story of painter Jackson Pollock. It stars Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Robert Knott, Bud Cort, Molly Regan, Marcia Gay Harden and Sada Thompson.

Plot

The film begins showing the abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock (1912–1956) autographing illustrations in a copy of Life magazine for a woman at an art exhibit in 1950.

The film flashes back to nine years earlier (1941). At this time Pollock is usually drunk and makes a living by exhibiting a painting in occasional group art shows. He is living with his brother Charles Pollock, whom he calls Sande, in a tiny apartment in New York City. Sande's wife tells him that they are having a baby, perhaps indicating to Jackson that he needs to move out. Artist Lee Krasner shows up and takes an interest in him. Later, at dinner he learns that his brother is moving to Connecticut, as he's been drafted by the army to build gliders. Sande's wife reveals that Jackson's Selective Service status is 4F. This means that Jackson cannot be drafted. Unable to handle conflicting feelings, Jackson has a convulsion and needs to be cared for. Lee learns from sande that Jackson is diagnosed neurotic. However, Lee takes him home and decides to be his manager. One day, his old friend Ruben comes along with Howard Putzel who works for an art collector Peggy Guggenheim. Jackson seems more interested to meet Reuben than Howard. Peggy Guggenheim comes to see his art. She is initially very frustrated for having to wait, but gives him a contract to sell $2400 of paintings plus a commission to paint a mural of 8 ft by 20 ft on the entrance hall of her town house in New York City. His first exhibit fails to attract any buyers. After a New Year's Eve party, he almost gets in bed with Peggy but is too drunk to properly perform. Jackson returns to Lee in the morning. He is upset again when he learns of the death of Howard, falling back to the street in a drunken stupor and again returning to Lee. Lee, as always, takes him back. Lee then asks Jackson to make a decision: whether to marry her and continue painting art or "split up". Jackson surprisingly insists on a church wedding and Lee says she wants no guests. They decide to move to a country house by the ocean in Springs, NY, on Long Island. Jackson and Lee adopt an abandoned dog whom they name Gyp. Jackson is disheartened when Lee makes clear to Jackson that she does not want to have a baby, partly because she is happy to just live as two painters, partly because of his neurosis, and partly because of the pecuniary situation and his painting needs. At a get-together at Peggy Guggenheim's, despite art critic Clement Greenberg's comments, he shows that it's hard for him to change his finished painting to others' liking. Jackson's pictures still aren't selling. At a poker party, while they talk about the situation, Clement mentions that things will change after Life Magazine's coverage and subsequent art exhibit. Lee gets jealous when Jackson hugs another woman. Meanwhile, Jackson tries doing other business for a living but his drinking gets in the way. He lies to Sande and family about the financial status and waits to see what will happen after Life Magazine's coverage. This time he tries to abstain from alcohol. Things get better after the magazine story. Later, A photographer, Hans Namuth, tries to make a film of Jackson as he paints. Hans' movie-making interrupts the nature of Jackson's work and Jackson feels like a phony acting it out. Jackson loses patience and, much to Lee's disapproval, he takes to drinking again. The alcohol triggers his neurosis and he ruins Thanksgiving dinner. The film returns to the present in the art exhibit in 1950.

Five years later Clement mentions that the Partisan Review is favoring Clyfford Still, and that his original technique of modern art could be the next direction of modern art. Jackson does not take it well. Lee accuses a drunk Jackson that it's because he's (again) taken to drinking. Jackson argues it's all because she won't have a child. Lee knows he's having an affair with Ruth Kligman. Lee says she won't give Jackson a divorce — no matter what. When Lee goes to Venice to visit Peggy Guggenheim, Jackson receives a call from her. After this call Jackson mentions to Ruth, "I owe the woman something". Ruth brings a friend, Edith Metzger, to visit Jackson. They go for a drive, but Jackson is quite drunk. There is a fatal car accident in which Jackson and Edith die; Ruth survives. The film ends with a mention that Lee survives another 28 years, continuing her painting career in Jackson's studio.

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
• John Rothman as Harold Rosenberg
• Kenny Scharf as William Baziotes
• Sada Thompson as Stella Pollock
• Robert O'Neill as Herbert Matter

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was released on CD on February 13, 2001. Jeff Beal is the composer for the film.

1. "Alone in the Crowd"
2. "Beauty from Pain"
3. "One Man Show"
4. "The Window"
5. "Stroke of Genius"
6. "Plant Your Garden"
7. "Stroke by Stroke"
8. "Breaking the Rules"
9. "Art of This Century"
10. "The Look"
11. "A Life's Work"
12. "Empty"
13. "A Letter from Lee"
14. "The World Keeps Turning" - Tom Waits
15. "Unfinished"
16. "The Mural Goes on and On (The Mural Remix)"
17. "She Played the Banjo (Main Title Remix)"

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. 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.

Harris himself did all the painting seen in the film.

Reception

Pollock received very positive reviews during its release. On Rotten Tomatoes it holds a "Certified Fresh" rating of 82% and a 77 out of 100 at Metacritic. Meanwhile reviews offering alternative and contextualized reads of the film have been written by David Walsh for the World Socialist Web Site and John A. Walker, author of Art & Artists on Screen

Awards

Marcia Gay Harden won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for portraying Lee Krasner, Pollock's wife. Ed Harris was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor.

Harden was also nominated at the Independent Spirit Awards and won at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards.

External links

• Pollock at the Internet Movie Database
• Pollock at AllRovi
• Pollock at Rotten Tomatoes
• Pollock at Metacritic
• Pollock at Box Office Mojo
• Breathing fire into an artist
• Ed Harris interview at IndieWire