Pollock (2000)

A film about the life and career of the American painter, Jackson Pollock.

Director:

Ed Harris

Writers:

Steven Naifeh (book), Gregory White Smith (book)

Stars:

Ed Harris, Marcia Gay Harden, Robert Knott

Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ed Harris	...	Jackson Pollock
Robert Knott	...	Sande Pollock
Molly Regan	...	Arloie Pollock
Marcia Gay Harden	...	Lee Krasner
Sada Thompson	...	Stella Pollock
Eulala Scheel	...	Arloie's Baby (as Eulala Grace Harden)
Matthew Sussman	...	Reuben Kadish
Bud Cort	...	Howard Putzel
Amy Madigan	...	Peggy Guggenheim
Everett Quinton	...	James Johnson Sweeney
Annabelle Gurwitch	...	May Rosenberg
John Rothman	...	Harold Rosenberg
John Heard	...	Tony Smith
Kenny Scharf	...	William Baziotes
Tom McGuinness	...	Franz Kline

Storyline

A portrayal of a mental illness living in an artist or an artist living with mental illness; alcohol was the self prescribed medication. Obviously what threw pollack over the edge was the end of his 15 minutes of fame. Sad that an artists worth only appreciates after there is no more production. Typically the ego is so inflated after the galactic interlude, the spiral into normalcy is self destructive. I've seen it happen in people not so famous, but equally talented in their profession.

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Plot Keywords:

life magazine | painter | drinking | artist | 1940s | 

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Taglines:

A True Portrait of Life and Art.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and brief sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Pictures Classics

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 March 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pollock, o asymvivastos

Filming Locations:

Long Island, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$44,244, 17 December 2000, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$8,596,914, 22 July 2001

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$10,558,970, 31 December 2001

Company Credits

Production Co:

Brant-Allen, Fred Berner Films, Pollock Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

122 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was originally conceived as a vehicle for Robert De Niro and Barbra Streisand.

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Goofs

Boom mic shadow on canvas as Jackson works on the mural.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jackson Pollock: [drunk] Who's the greatest drummer in the world?
Sande Pollock: What?
Jackson Pollock: Krupa

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Connections

Referenced in Primetime Glick: Bill Maher/Steve Martin (2001)

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Soundtracks

Vine Street Breakdown
Written by Jack Lauderdale; also attributed to Buddy Tate
Performed by Buddy Tate
Courtesy of Tuff City
By Arrangement with Ocean Park Music Group

User Reviews

Great Artist, Lousy Person

Jackson Pollock was not a likable person. He was an alcoholic, an adulterer, an egotist and simply a plain jerk. He also was a pioneer in the field of modern art, so he became famous and hence, even had this movie about his life.

Ed Harris, a jerk himself, was a good choice for the role. Harris, who looks like Pollock, did a fine job of portraying this "tormented" soul, a word critics love to use for famous artists (see Van Gogh).

This was an interesting film and I watched it twice. It inspired me to become an artist and I did a handful of Pollock imitations, several of which sold for a decent price. I love Pollock's work, and I enjoy character studies of people on film . But this gets a little sordid as the film goes on with a definitely-unhappy ending.

Hat's off to Marcia Gay Harden for her performance as Pollock's wife. She has the New York City accent down pat. She is shown worshiping her husband and it's painful to see her get hurt.

The story is a bit soap operish but if you enjoy art, and especially Pollock's work, you'll find this story fascinating. More than one look, however, changes the canvas, so to speak. The story, more than the art, then will come through more and that can be too much of a downer. So, visit this "art show" once and leave it at that.