Mr Turner

Something that I have really been wanting to watch for a while. I was waiting to watch this film with someone and have been waiting for a while. Sad to say that I did not manage to watch it with my chosen companion and I will have to watch it again one evening so that they can join me but I don't mind because Mr Turner is a film that you can watch after dinner with your chosen glass.

Timothy Spall surprised me greatly. In today's modern day he is most famous for his role as Peter Pettigrew in the global hit series 'Harry Potter'. A role that was not the best one that he could take on and one that it is probably fair to say wasn't particularly well suited to his talents. In Sweeney Todd he was a supporting actor working alongside Alan Rickman and much of the praise went elsewhere so now we get a chance to turn our full and undivided attention to the very talented Timothy Spall.

Mr Turner is quite literally the work of an artist. The main character, Mr Turner is an artist and it seems like that is his first love, with his family coming second. A dutiful man but nothing more. Apart from a stunning bass baritone voice, there is nothing too surprising in the film once you have started to understand the character. Upholding the honour of a man that is well off but even in death Timothy Spall has the same kind of pained, somewhat grumpy and troubled look on his face. Some great films have a deeply emotional and moving death sequence. The parting and last words between two lovers are often depicted as the most important part in a film, the part where the audience are brought to tears witnessing the death of a great actor like Richard Harris or Alec Guiness but in Mr. Turner the emotion in the film comes out clearest and most meaningful when we get to see the artist taking on his work in sickness or in health.

Everything from the set design, to the portrayal of the characters themselves shows the mark of a true artist. The set creation and location are both beautiful. Some locations I recognised from my walks in Kent and I can honestly say that in those shots they did nothing to the scenery, all they added was a beautiful boat to complete the scene. A masterpiece that will always live in the shadow of other films (this film was released around the same time as Mr. Holmes) and never win the awards that it thoroughly deserved. Empire called it 'Heart- stirringly wonderful' and I agree 100%.

I look forward to becoming better acquainted with the films of Timothy Spall.