IMDb >
Pollock (2000)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at Blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsPollock (2000) More at IMDbPro »
| Videos (see all 4) |
|
Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Release Date:
18 May 2001 (Poland)
more
Tagline:
A True Portrait of Life and Art.
Plot:
A film about the life and career of the American painter, Jackson Pollock. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Life Magazine
|
Artist
|
New York City
|
1940s
|
Painting
more
Awards:
Won Oscar.
Another 2 wins
&
5 nominations
more
NewsDesk:
(35 articles)
Featurette: Behind the Scenes of 'Whip It'
(From HeyUGuys. 4 September 2009, 5:33 AM, PDT)
Tiff 2009 Picture Preview: 18 Films from 'Bad Lieutenant' to 'Young Victoria'
(From Rope Of Silicon. 18 August 2009, 4:52 AM, PDT)
(From HeyUGuys. 4 September 2009, 5:33 AM, PDT)
Tiff 2009 Picture Preview: 18 Films from 'Bad Lieutenant' to 'Young Victoria'
(From Rope Of Silicon. 18 August 2009, 4:52 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Dodging the biopic bullet
more (130 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Ed Harris | ... | Jackson Pollock |
 | Marcia Gay Harden | ... | Lee Krasner |
 | Tom Bower | ... | Dan Miller |
 | Jennifer Connelly | ... | Ruth Kligman |
 | Bud Cort | ... | Howard Putzel |
 | John Heard | ... | Tony Smith |
 | Val Kilmer | ... | Willem DeKooning |
 | Robert Knott | ... | Sande Pollock |
 | David Leary | ... | Charles Pollock |
 | Amy Madigan | ... | Peggy Guggenheim |
 | Sally Murphy | ... | Edith Metzger |
| Molly Regan | ... | Arloie Pollock |
| Stephanie Seymour | ... | Helen Frankenthaler |
| Matthew Sussman | ... | Reuben Kadish |
 | Jeffrey Tambor | ... | Clem Greenberg |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for language and brief sexuality.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
122 min | Germany:132 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Iceland:L |
Argentina:16 |
Malaysia:U |
Canada:18+ (Ontario) |
Australia:MA |
Finland:K-11 |
Germany:12 |
South Korea:15 (original rating) (cut) |
Spain:13 |
Sweden:7 |
UK:18 |
USA:R |
Singapore:PG
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Ed Harris had to gain about 30 lbs. to do the later scenes in the movie when Jackson Pollock is an alcoholic.
more
Goofs:
Factual errors: When Jackson and Lee first go out to the barn, they discover that it was being used for storage and that, if cleaned out, it might make a suitable studio space. In reality, Jackson and Lee moved the empty barn to improve the view from the upper windows of their house. After moving the barn, Jackson started using it as a studio. This was probably done for the reasons that, since they were shooting on location, and moving the barn would have not only been much more expensive, it would have been illegal as it is a historic landmark.
more
Quotes:
interviewer:
How do you know when you're finished with a painting?
Jackson Pollock: How do you know when you're finished making love?
more
Jackson Pollock: How do you know when you're finished making love?
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Jeopardy!: (#22.89)" (2006)
more
Soundtrack:
Don't Be Angry
more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (130 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Pollock (2000) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| Frida | Edvard Munch | Short Cuts | Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon | Factory Girl |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Biography section | IMDb USA section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |
Films like "Pollock" always leave me at a loss when I have to describe them to others. For one thing, it's long been a labor of love for director / star Ed Harris, which maybe causes me to have more sympathy for the picture than I should -- after all, I'd hate to ream a project that he's spent so much time and energy developing. For another thing, I usually find biopics a bit crippled because, in most cases ("Pollock" included), I already know the plot, and without the plot to get lost in, I'm left to look at little things like, you know, the acting, writing and directing. Lucky for Harris (and my conscience), then, that the acting is uniformly great, the direction is mostly seamless (and downright kinetic at times), and the writing, while not being great in the "Casablanca" sense of the word, serves the story well. "Pollock" dodges all the pitfalls that often turn biopics into boring history lessons.
The film picks up with Jackson Pollock the Unsuccessful Drunk (Harris), dabbling in surrealist painting and proclaiming Picasso to be a fraud. There's enough promise in his work, though, for him to gain a girlfriend, Lee Krasner (Marcia Gay Harden); a benefactor, Peggy Guggenheim (Amy Madigan); and a professional critic, Clement Greenberg (Jeffrey Tambor), who champions his work in print. From there we watch Pollock take the express train to art world superstardom, becoming one of the world's foremost abstract painters.
The fly in the ointment, though, is Pollock's notorious temper, aided and abetted by his equally notorious alcoholism. Life in New York City is doing his personal life no favors, so he and Krasner move to the countryside, and it's here that he stumbles upon his "drip method" of painting, granting him another wave of fame and recognition. It is this sequence, in which Pollock makes his pivotal discovery, where Harris's talent as a director comes to the fore. Although we're aware that we're watching an actor perform a discovery that was made by someone else more than fifty years ago, it's an exciting, dynamic moment as Harris dances around his canvas, flicking paint from his brush in a blur of motion. It doesn't come off as staged or phony, but as a moment of genuine discovery, and for those moments we might as well actually be watching Jackson Pollock revolutionize the art world.
From there, though, ego, alcohol, and the mechanics of change all prove to be Pollock's undoing, leading, of course, to his untimely demise. Through it all, Harris seethes with a feral intensity, giving a performance that should rightfully win him an Oscar (and check out the dramatic weight gain at the end. Tom who?). Harden, his co-nominee, is also excellent (although she's stuck uttering lines like, "You've done it, Pollock. You've cracked it wide open."). In lesser hands, Krasner could be just another version of the screeching, wailing, put-upon wife, but Harden bolsters the anguish with a fine layer of anger; the torment of a woman who loves the person causing her misery, but who is unwilling to let go of the principles which led her to enter and maintain the relationship on her own terms.
"Pollock" ultimately succeeds because we know how it will end, we clearly see how unpleasant and deluded the artist had become, and still we can't look away. Harris's labor of love serves as an auspicious debut for someone who, at this stage, seems just as skilled behind the camera as he is in front of it.