Hockney

Film Review by Kam Williams


Reverential Retrospective Revisits Life and Career of Charismatic Pop Artist

David Hockney was born in Bradford, England in 1937 which means that his formative years were substantially shaped by World War II, from the air raids to the food rationing. He attended both the Bradford College of Art and the Royal College of Art before scraping up just enough money to move to the United States.

In 1964, he settled in California where he became one of the seminal founders of the Pop Art movement. Like his contemporary Andy Warhol, Hockney had a knack for drawing the attention of the press, between his bleached blond hair and his flamboyant wardrobe. 
 
But while both icons were gay, only David dared to feature homoerotic themes in his art. Despite the stigma associated with homosexuality back in the Sixties, he still managed to achieve enormous success. 
 
That enduring career as well as his self-indulgent private life prove to be fertile fodder for Hockney, a reverential biopic featuring a mix of home movie footage and intimate interviews with David's friends and associates. The intriguing documentary marks the feature film 
directorial debut of Randall Wright, who does a great job of humanizing his subject to the point where you really feel as though you know this inscrutable, if charismatic public figure. 
 
A fascinating examination of the mind, motivations and legacy of one of the 20th Century's most important, modern artists.




Excellent (4 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 112 minutes
Distributor: Film Movement


To see a trailer for Hockney, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFRyJ0GyNHw