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
No comments:
Post a Comment