A Bigger Splash (1974 film)
A Bigger Splash is a 1974 biopic about David Hockney's lingering breakup with his then partner Peter Schlesinger, during the period 1970 to 1973. Directed by Jack Hazan, and edited by David Mingay, it has music by Patrick Gowers. Featuring many of Hockney's circle, it includes designers Celia Birtwell and Ossie Clark, artist Patrick Procktor, gallery owner John Kasmin and museum curator Henry Geldzahler. It is a fly on the wall documentary, intercut with fictionalised and fantasy elements. It was groundbreaking and remains notable for its treatment of gay themes and its insights into his life and work during an important period in Hockney's life. The film takes its title from A Bigger Splash, perhaps Hockney's best known Californian swimming pool picture. Hockney was initially shocked by its intimacy but later changed his mind.
References
- Review: ‘A Bigger Splash’, Los Angeles: Variety, 31 Dec 1974, retrieved 28 Feb 2017
- Review: A Bigger Splash, London: Time Out, 1974, retrieved 28 Feb 2017
- Brooke, Michael, A Bigger Splash (1974), London: BFI screenonline, retrieved 28 Feb 2017
- Dowd, Vincent (30 Jan 2012), How 1970s Hockney film pre-empted reality TV, London: BBC News, retrieved 28 Feb 2017
- French, Philip (4 Mar 2012), A Bigger Splash, London: The Guardian, retrieved 28 Feb 2017
- Moran, Fiotan (22 Nov 2012), The Only Way is Hockney, London: Tate Modern, retrieved 28 Feb 2017