Customer Reviews

J.C. Leyendecker - The Great American Illustrator

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

It is so tragic that there has only been one film ever produced exclusively about Joseph Christian Leyendecker, a giant of 20th century illustration. What's even more tragic is that this one film is simply awful!! Starting with the opening credits, the entire film has the sensibility of a high school school film project. The edits are crude and unpolished, the background music is not even from Leyendecker's era, the voiceover is shockingly miscast with the voice of Ossie Davis (no disrespect to Mr. Davis, but it's like using the voice of Hugh Grant for a film about the cuisine of the deep South), and the interviews are truncated and disjointed. Misleading photographs appeared during interviews. The director tried to film one interview like Ken Burns, except the camera kept going in and out of focus. Annoying off-camera sounds were left in like doors slamming and objects hitting the ground. This film is not a labor of love as it deserved to be. It feels as if it was given to a director and production company who took on the project to make some quick money. Shame on everyone involved in producing this piece of garbage! It does an immense injustice to all the people interviewed in this film who are true admirers of Leyendecker. I was truly looking forward to this homage on film. Don't waste your time and money, like I did!

J.C. Leyendecker's work remains an enduring staple of American illustration, instantly recognizable for his SATURDAY EVENING POST covers as well as his well-tailored gentlemen in fashion magazines. Yet little is known about the man himself, a reclusive and private figure whose name became overshadowed by his onetime apprentice, Norman Rockwell. This documentary earns a special place, if only for focussing on a subject rarely discussed outside major art circles. Alas, "J.C. Leyendecker - The Great American Illustrator" is neither a particularly insightful or well-made program, and one can't help but wish that someone hadn't done the artist justice. Awkwardly edited, jarringly photographed, with only a bare bones description of Levendecker's private life (the film merely glosses over the artist's checkered relationship with his brother -- a successful artist in his own right, but plagued with personal demons, as well as Leyendecker's homosexuality and his friendship/rivalry with Norman Rockwell), the documentary loses focus, giving little insight into either the man or his art. While images of his paintings are voluminous, they flash by so quickly that we're never given the opportunity to explore their meaning, or Leyendecker's marvelous artistic technique. The narration by Ossie Davis, while he is a tremendous talent, feels inappropriate to the material. Worse still is the selection of jazz music that must be two decades out of place from the source.

I really don't understand the very negative tone of many of the customer reviews here. This film struck me as a very well done piece that appreciates the talent of this underrated artist, and perhaps equally importantly sets him in the context of his time. There are many splendid close-ups of the works, and the various people interviewed on screen are articulate and well qualified to comment.

Leyendecker's virtuosity and humor are well illustrated, and the issues generated by his necessarily concealed homosexuality covered in detail. The technical commentary is enlightening, and the inevitable comparisons to Norman Rockwell are intelligently investigated; quite a bit of professional jealousy there, it seems.

After viewing, I feel I understand a great deal more about the man and his art. I'm glad to see him receiving some of the credit he deserves.

(I would have given this film a ZERO but 1 star is the lowest I was allowed to choose.)
We all waited so long for a really wonderful , beautiful film about this great artist ,but what we got was an insult. This"film" is the most dreadfull piece of rubbish imaginable. All involved should be ashamed of themselves.
It starts with an extremely annoying jumble of flash images of Leyendeckers work, put to an obnoxious(and inappropriate) jazz track that is worse than fingernails on a chalkboard. Then Ossie Davis (a good man, but he couldnt have been a worse choice for this project) does his best to narrate this incredibly inept and superficial look at an important 20th century artist. The interviews are worthless, with no one offering any real insight into this mans complex life, not to mention his contributions to pop culture.
I guess the reason im so upset is that this artist deserves so much more than this truly pathetic attempt ,that fails so miserably on all levels.
Hopefully a real filmaker will take on this neglected artist and put the same love and respect into a film bio , that Leyendecker himself put into his art. He truly deserves it. Thanks for listening.

Great to even find a DVD about Leyendecker.
Consists of interviews by connoisseurs and leyendecker lovers.
Little is known about the person behind the art
but the art is what makes me like the artist
and his art is what's being discusses and depicted
in a good quality recording.
Exactly what I wanted to have.

To start on a positive note, it's nice to see anything available that attempts to explore the art of J. C. Leyendecker. So little is known of the man and so few recognize his name. That being said, this DVD offers little else to praise. And while I am appreciative of the creator's attempts to shed some light on the artist and his work, it seems they themselves know so little about their subject. The tone of the entire thing is sort of strange - from the music to the narration (my apologies Mr. Davis) a mood is never achieved or maintained. Even the interviews come off disjointed and random. For fans of the artist this is a review of what most already know or, rather, reminding us of what we don't know about the man. I remember viewing a much more comprehensive and insightful documentary on Leyendecker in college. Where that came from, I am not certain. I had hoped this might be it. I was sadly mistaken. So, for potential buyers, I say skip it. There's nothing you can't find online in this breezy doc.

This was a pretty interesting film. Ossie Davis was an unusual choice of narrator, but certainly perfectly adequate. Having a strong interest in graphics I had always disregarded Leyendecker as a banally commercial artist, but the interviews here provide more insight into his life and artistic contribution. It's ironic that he was gay, given the very conservative image he presented in his paintings - some good close ups here. He had a long and apparently happy relationship with the football player-type model depicted in many of his works. Of course, they should not have been allowed to obtain any emotional security by marrying, since that would destroy the institution of marriage on earth and probably precipitate the Second Flood.

Ok..I am not understanding why the hostile reviews of this wonderfully written and well executed DVD. I must say that it is one of the more neutral views on our favorite artists! Each interview is well versed and very informative and each piece is a wealth of wonderful facts about JC ..
The photography is beautifully done..it is clear they speed thru certain ones to show the magnitude of works by Leyendecker ..
Please..if you are a fan..this is a must have for your collection..Be open minded and thrilled that these wonderful folks took the time to create this great DVD..you will love it..Promise!