Pollock

Directed by Ed Harris, “Pollock” is a biography of the famed abstract expressionist artist, Jackson Pollock. In 1949 Life Magazine had asked the question of whether Pollock was the greatest living painter in the United States? This film replies to the question by showing that in many ways it was the foisting of exactly such demands on Pollock that contributed to his psychological distress and to his eventual death through alcoholism when he was only forty-four. The film aptly documents both Pollock’s frenzied artistic activity as well as his turbulent emotional life. It also effectively conveys the world of the Manhattan art scene in the mid-twentieth century, at the point where New York City was the most artistically exciting city in the world. Though the necessity of the biography genre requires the narrative to undertake certain conventional tropes - struggle, early success, alcoholism, disillusionment and death - the fierce commitment of director Harris to his subject results in a film that arguably does justice to Pollock’s immense, fiery talents. Unsurprisingly, Harris has drawn terrific performances from his cast, including a powerful Marcia Gay Harden as the art critic and life-long friend of the artist, Lee Krasner. In the central role, Ed Harris is passionate and convincing as Pollock. Harden won an Academy Award for her performance in the film. The interview with Harris in the DVD special features menu gives a viewer an excellent understanding of the commitment of the director in making this film.