Mr. Turner's greatest strength relies in being an auteur piece, instead of one of those clinched Oscar-baiting, stereotypical Hollywood biographies we have come to expect to come out in the English language. Leigh's semi-experimental style truly shows itself here, lending the film rawness and spontaneity and saving it from the stuffy pitfalls of the typical Masterpiece Theatre English biopics. The overall result is dynamic and robust, directed with finesse and confidence by Mike Leigh and not lacking in his usual biting humor. In less versatile hands, this film could have easily ended up pedantic and over-wrought, but Leigh's rock-n-roll mix of following an existing script and freestyle on-set improvisation plays fast-and-loose with the safety of conventions and effortlessly builds a picture that never truly gets lost within its own importance.
The cinematography accurately reflects J.M.W. Turner's paintings, given the impression that the film as a whole is one of his landscapes come to life, within which the characters move with ease and without any of the trappings of typical English-speaking historical pictures. Director of photography, Dick Pope, first-time use of digital is not on the level seen in Nuri Bilge Ceylan's films, but he still is quite adept at using the medium as a canvas similar to the way Turner does when painting his landscapes. If there is one word to describe Mr. Turner, it's lovely, as its pastel-nuanced colors make for wondrous visuals well-worth catching on the big screen.
The strongest note in this assemble is Timothy Spall, inhabiting the protagonist naturally and without any pretense, breathing real life into J.M.W. Turner yet not caricaturing him. He is as vibrant in the role as the rest of the film slotting gracefully around him and he carries this impressive spectacle on his broad shoulders with great conviction. His Turner is movingly human, even more so perhaps that history recalls him. Ultimately, it doesn't matter: the whole works beautifully and Spall shines in it.
My assessment: very good
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Mr. Turner
Directed by and written by: Mike Leigh
Cinematography by: Dick Pope
Staring: Timothy Spall, Dorothy Atkinson, Marion Bailey etc.
Shot with: Arri Alexa Plus, Cooke Speed Panchro Lenses, Canon EOS C500, Cooke Speed Panchro Lenses