Jun 21, 2019 but a bigger splash doesnt have much water or sun, except in paintings or staged dream sequences. Its a film shot over three years in the early 1970s by a film maker credited as cowriter, director and director. Jun 19, 2019 a bigger splash is both meandering and forthright. Embedded in hockneys world and fascinated by his art, hazan charts the course of. A ghastly discovery almost seems like its being played for laughs. Set in 19701973 when his fame was reaching its peak, a bigger splash is a partdocumentary, partfantasy portrait of hockney as he navigates a particularly bitter breakup with his longtime lover and also painter of some renown peter schlesinger. Hockney allowed the britishborn, americantrained hazan remarkable access. This quasidocumentary follows the artist, as well as his circle of friends, and captures the agonized end of the lingering affair between him and his muse, an american named peter schlesinger.
A fictionalised biopic on painter david hockneys life between 1970 and 1973. A close look at the stunning 70s style in a bigger splash. Jack hazan was appalled when his hybrid film was panned by u. Dec 20, 2012 the tate modern exhibition a bigger splash. A bigger splash is a 1973 sometimes cited as 1974 british biographical documentary film about david hockneys lingering breakup with his then partner peter schlesinger, from 1970 to 1973. Watching jack hazans 1974 film a bigger splash, about britishborn, californiaidentified artist david hockney, the more you try to peg what it is snapshot biography. Jack hazans a bigger splash 1974 dispenses with drab talkinghead portraiture to create an intimate and innovative film about englishborn, londonschooled, californiabased artist david hockney and his work that honors its subject through creative risk rather than slavish hagiography. Semifictionalized documentary biopic of british artist david hockney. It featured works by artists as diverse as david hockney, jackson pollock, and yves klein. A bigger splash, jack hazans 1974 portrait of iconic painter david hockney, isnt your typical artist documentary. Titled after hockneys popart painting a bigger splash.
In a bigger splash, rock legend marianne lane tilda swinton is recuperating on the. Jun 21, 2019 david hockney film a bigger splash finds redemption, 45 years after being booed. T he new luca guadagnino film, a bigger splash, takes place on a sunblanketed mediterranean isle somewhere between sicily and tunisia. A new 4k restoration screens at the metrograph this. David hockney is well on his way to art world superstardom. Sep 03, 2019 most cannily and unlike most of its artistfilm competitors, a bigger splash never tries to dive into the depths of hockneys mindone reason why its hot, glistening surfaces remain. With david hockney, peter schlesinger, celia birtwell, henry geldzahler. A bigger splash 1974 director jack hazan and writer david mingay had access to david hockney and his circle from 1971 to 1973, a critical. After the pouty schlesinger leaves hockney, the painter, whose platinum blonde hair and oversize blackrimmed spectacles made him an iconic pop art figure even as his painting split the difference between warhol the pop feel, matisse the color and francis bacon the anxiety, more. Url several months ago, and what i now find surprising is that even if ba bigger splash b didnt.
Shuttling backandforth chronologically through the years 197173, a bigger splash shows the nowestablished thirtysomething hockney hounded by dealer john kasmin to produce more paintings, lured towards america by the new york curator henry geldzahler, and encouraged by friends like painter patrick procktor and the power couple ossie clark. A toolittleseen masterpiece of queer cinema, jack hazans 1974 docufiction charts the artists. A bigger splash, a semifictionalized documentary about david hockney opens with a ringing phone. An early entry into the documentarynarrative hybrid genre, the film a bigger splash honors hockney and his mesmerizing work with a portrait of the artist worthy of his creative genius. Filmed over a period of three and a half years, jack hazans 1973 film is a cinema verite portrait of british artist david hockney and his circle of friends. May 04, 2016 a bigger splash, the title borrowed from a 1967 david hockney painting, is a spellbinding erotic dance set on the gorgeous mediterranean island of pantelleria. A bigger splash, directed by jack hazan, metrograph, 7 ludlow street, new york city, through june 30, 2019. This film meant a good deal to me long before i even saw it. Portrait of david hockney as a young artist in the. He filched hockney s title, opened the action around a swimming pool, and made everything else his own. I asked him to close his eyes, and then i kissed him gay drama my best friend duration. A true oddity that cannot escape its dated origins, a bigger splash is a fictional film in which all the actors play themselves. A bigger splash, which approaches the pursuit of pleasure from a more jaundiced angle, doesnt have that earlier film s neoviscontian sweep or its delirious formal ecstasy. A bigger splash, which approaches the pursuit of pleasure from a more jaundiced angle, doesnt have that earlier films neoviscontian sweep or its delirious formal ecstasy.
Jan 27, 2012 philip horne admires jack hazans artful 1974 film about david hockney. After a difficult breakup, hockney is left unable to paint, much to the concern of his friends. Sharing its title with a 1967 david hockney painting, a bigger splash is energized by fiennes unflinching portrayal of an emotional wrecking ball. It is a time capsule of gay life in the 1970s, an honest depiction of male romance, and an invaluable view of art history in action. Philip horne admires jack hazans artful 1974 film about david hockney. David hockney film a bigger splash finds redemption, 45. Semifictionalized documentary biopic of british artist david. Blending documentary and fiction, director hazan features artist david hockney as himself, at the center of a story providing an intimate insiders picture of swinging london at the juncture of the sixties and the seventies. Groundbreaking in its honest portrayal of gay life, the film notably centers itself around the. A close look at the stunning 70s style in a bigger. David hockney and peter schlesinger in a bigger splash photo. One of the most acute films made about a twentiethcentury artist, jack hazans homoerotic docufiction a bigger splash 1974 takes its title from david hockneys signature 1967 painting depicting the momentary aftermath of a plunge into a southern california pool, wherein a plume of. Just as in the film, the ageing hockney and his circle are seen to be cruelly.
The relationship between hockney s a bigger splash and hazens film of the same name is more complex. The image is derived in part from a photograph hockney discovered in a book on the subject of building swimming pools. One of the strangest, most original and visually provocative films, a bigger splash is a captivating, shimmeringly beautiful film l. A bigger splash is a rare film from the era that represents. The films title is taken from the bestknown painting of hockneys acclaimed swimming pool series. Jack hazans fictionalised 1974 biopic, a bigger splash, concentrating on th. Much of a bigger splash was shot in and around hockneys notting hill studio, where he is observed working day and night to complete portrait of an artist.
The background is taken from a drawing he had made of californian buildings. A clearer picture of a bigger splash the new york times. At one point the camera joins the artist in the shower. Jul 22, 2019 now that its been restored and will be given a limited release and we can hope streaming distribution, a bigger splash is a documentary way ahead of its time that has yet to be surpassed for its hybridity. For marianne tilda swinton and paul matthias schoenaerts. Most cannily and unlike most of its artist film competitors, a bigger splash never tries to dive into the depths of hockney s mindone reason why its hot, glistening surfaces remain. The 1974 documentary anticipated david hockneys success and the rise of reality tv. A slideshow of photos flashes across the screen, and the shrill ringing goes on. Jun 10, 2019 an early entry into the documentarynarrative hybrid genre, the film a bigger splash honors hockney and his mesmerizing work with a portrait of the artist worthy of his creative genius. See this film and you will wish there were more documentaries like it. It was painted in california between april and june 1967, when hockney was teaching at the university of california, berkeley.
A bigger splash is a sensuous portrait of desire, jealousy and rock and roll, under the mediterranean sun. Its theme is encapsulated by something hockney says early on. Thats fitting, given that the film s title comes from one of david hockney s erotic pool paintings, a series portraying a leisure class of luxury and desire. Blending fact and fiction, the film captures hockney s work and social circle in.
But then a bigger splash goes slack and silly toward the end, just as it should be at its most gripping. A bigger splash film gratuit complet en vf et hd film. A bigger splash is a large pop art painting by british artist david hockney. Directed by jack hazan, and edited by david mingay, it has music by patrick gowers. When love goes wrong, theres more than two people that suffer. A bigger splash starring david hockney, peter schlesinger, celia birtwell, henry geldzahler, mo mcdermott, john kasmin, ossie clark, gregory evans, and many others 106 min. A bigger splash 1974 director jack hazan and writer david mingay had access to david hockney and his circle from 1971 to 1973, a critical period. David hockney biopic a bigger splash refutes artistgenius. In fact, because the film is so precise for long in both its beauty and its weirdness, the tonal shift toward uncomfortable farce feels that much more disappointing. The passion and process of david hockney, seen in a. At the time a bigger splash was released, the film was mainly pegged in art house circles as gay title in the same vein as some of paul morrissey s films for andy warhol like lonesome cowboys and trash. Dec 29, 2019 the film offers a snapshot of hockneys career as well as an unfiltered and often steamy look at gay life in the early 1970s. A bigger splash is a 1973 sometimes cited as 1974 british biographical documentary film about david hockney s lingering breakup with his then partner peter schlesinger, from 1970 to 1973. Hockney in jack hazans a bigger splash 1974 image courtesy cinetic media.
At the economist, guadagnino acknowledged an interest in mysterious attractions. David hockney film a bigger splash redeemed 45 years after. David hockney is a gay painter unable to work when he breaks up. A bigger splash was painted between april and june 1967 when hockney was teaching at the university of california at berkeley. A bigger splash is a 2015 psychological drama film directed by luca guadagnino and written by alain page and david kajganich. About and starring hockney and his swinging friends, this immersive, formally daring work was shot over the course of three years when the artist was creating his most recognizable paintings, including portrait of an artist and the eponymous a bigger splash.
What is behind what is beyond, what is before the crashing of the surface. David hockney film a bigger splash finds redemption, 45 years after being booed. He considered the painters rendering of surfaces, and thought. A bigger splash dispenses with talkingheads to create an innovative film about the englishborn, californiabased artist david hockney that honors its subject through creative risk.
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