‘Mr. Turner’ Due May 5
An exploration of the last quarter century of the great, if eccentric, British painter J.M.W. Turner’s life. Profoundly affected by the death of his father, loved by a housekeeper he takes for granted and occasionally exploits sexually, he forms a close relationship with a seaside landlady with whom he eventually lives incognito in Chelsea, where he dies. Throughout this, he travels, paints, stays with the country aristocracy, visits brothels, is a popular if anarchic member of the Royal Academy of Arts, has himself strapped to the mast of a ship so that he can paint a snowstorm, and is both celebrated and reviled by the public and by royalty. Vitals: Director: Mike Leigh. Stars: Timothy Spall, Paul Jesson, Dorothy Atkinson, Marion Bailey, Karl Johnson, Ruth Sheen, Sandy Foster, Amy Dawson. 2014, CC, MPAA rating: R, 149 min., Bio-Drama, Box office gross: $3.007 million, Sony. Extras: Commentary with writer-director Mike Leigh, “Many Colours of Mr. Turner” featurette, deleted scene. Blu-ray adds “The Cinematic Palette: The Cinematography of Mr. Turner” featurette.
