Product Details

• Actors: Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner, Elaine de Kooning, Elizabeth Pollock
• Directors: Kim Evans
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Homevision
• VHS Release Date: June 13, 2000
• Run Time: 52 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302891507
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #336,754 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This British documentary examines the life of painter Jackson Pollock--from his childhood in Wyoming to his death in a car crash on Long Island in 1956--in an effort to understand both the development of his work and its place in the history of art.

The film explores the influences that combined to inspire Pollock's unique approach to painting: from the open spaces of his western childhood to the neon bustle of Manhattan, from an early interest in Native American art to a fascination with Mexican muralists and French surrealism. Interviews with many of Pollock's contemporaries round out the portrait. His wife Lee Krasner, fellow artists, and critics offer their own impressions of a complex and deeply troubled man. A conversation with his sister-in-law is especially revealing, since she refuses to accept the Pollock myth and insists that he was a manipulative phony.

Also included are many examples--both still photographs and film--of the artist at work. These images of Pollock crouched over his canvas, cigarette between his lips, almost dancing as he drips and flicks the paint, changed the public perception of artists, and they have become almost as iconic as the art whose creation they record. Unfortunately the paintings themselves lose much of their power on screen, and they seem more drab, less infused with energy than they do when seen in a gallery. A few canvasses (notably The Deep, an extraordinary late work) do convey some of the artist's genius, but only a face-to-face encounter can convey the true impact of his paintings. Like those paintings, Jackson Pollock resists explanation, but this documentary provides a fascinating introduction to a great figure of 20th-century art. --Simon Leake

Product Description

One of the mythic figures of the 1950s, the "cowboy" from Wyoming, Jackson Pollock, helped to forge the first great American art movement, Abstract Expressionism. His famous "drip paintings" earned him both notoriety and abuse, and the pressures of newfound celebrity compounded his lifelong struggle with alcoholism, a fight he lost when he died in a car crash at the age of 44. This portrait of Pollock combines archival footage of his life and work with reminiscences from his contemporaries.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything I could have wanted., September 24, 2001

By 

"xboingox" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jackson Pollock (DVD)

I was a bit weary to pick this up because I wasn't sure just what would be included, both in the feature as well as in the way of extras. Well, there are no extras and the transfer is a bit spotty in places but the feature content is what really shines. I was very impressed with the inclusion of excerpts from both Namuth's black and white and color fims, as well as excerpts from the radio interview Pollock did. Also included are interviews with friends and family (including his wife, Lee Krasner). If you saw the movie and wanted to know what the real man was like, I would suggest picking up this DVD.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars YOU CANT MISS IT !, August 21, 2001

By 

A. KIRIAKOPOULOS "iceman" (Athens Greece) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jackson Pollock (DVD)

You dont need to be a fanatic of Modern Art to purchase this DVD.I really had good time watching it and learning about the life and the work of Jackson Pollock. I strongly recomment it.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth every penny, August 12, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Jackson Pollock (DVD)

THis video dives into the life of Jackson Pollock and tries to make sense of his life and work. i recommend this to any Pollock fan and am sure you will be satisfied with the purchase