Pollock (film)

The film opens in medias res to abstract expressionist painter Jackson Pollock, autographing illustrations in a copy of Life magazine for a woman at his 1950 art exhibit.

Nine years earlier, Pollock makes a living by exhibiting a painting in occasional group art shows. He is living with his brother Sande and sister-in-law Arloie in a tiny New York apartment. Arloie tells him that they are having a baby, hinting to Pollock that he should move out. Soon afterward, Pollock meets and takes an interest in artist Lee Krasner. Later, at dinner, he learns that his brother is moving to Connecticut to take a job building military gliders to avoid the draft. Unable to handle conflicting feelings, Pollock goes on a drinking binge and is found in a disheveled state by Lee and Sande. Lee learns from Sande that Pollock is diagnosed as "clinically neurotic"; still, Lee takes him home and decides to be his manager.

One day, Pollock's old friend Reuben comes along with Howard Putzel, who works for wealthy art collector Peggy Guggenheim. Guggenheim comes to see his art, and gives him a contract to sell $2400 of paintings, plus a commission to paint a mural of 8 ft by 20 ft on the entrance hall of her New York townhouse. His first exhibit fails to attract any buyers. After a New Year's Eve party, Pollock almost gets in bed with Peggy but is too drunk to properly perform. He falls into another drunken stupor upon hearing that Howard has died. Lee asks Pollock to make a decision: either marry her and continue painting art, or "split up". Pollock surprisingly insists on a church wedding, and Lee says she wants no guests.

Pollock and Lee move to an oceanfront house on Long Island and adopt an abandoned dog whom they name Gyp. Pollock is disheartened when Lee makes clear that she does not want to have a baby. At a get-together at Peggy's, despite art critic Clement Greenberg's comments, he shows that it's hard for him to change his finished painting to others' liking. Pollock's pictures still aren't selling, but Clement assures him that things will change after the Life article and subsequent exhibit. Lee gets jealous when Pollock hugs another woman. Meanwhile, he tries doing other business for a living, but his alcoholism gets in the way. He lies to Sande about his financial status. Pollock's fortunes turn as the Life story is published and he tries to abstain from alcohol. Later, filmmaker Hans Namuth tries to film Pollock as he paints. However, Hans' presence interrupts the spontaneous nature of Pollock's work, making the artist feel like a phony acting it out. He loses patience and, much to Lee's disapproval, begins drinking again and ruins Thanksgiving dinner.

Five years after the 1950 exhibit, Clement tells Pollock that the Partisan Review is favoring Clyfford Still, and that his original technique could be the next direction of modern art. A drunk Pollock does not take it well, and becomes even angrier when Lee berates him for his drinking and womanizing. Pollock argues it's all because she won't have a child. Lee knows he's having an affair with Ruth Kligman, but won't give Jackson a divorce. When she goes to Venice to visit Peggy in 1956, Jackson receives a call from her, after which he tells Ruth, "I owe the woman something". On a subsequent visit, Ruth brings along a friend, Edith Metzger; they go for a drive, but Pollock is drunk and crashes the car, killing himself and Edith, throwing Ruth from the car, who survives.

The film was adapted by Barbara Turner and Susan Emshwiller from the book Jackson Pollock: An American Saga by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith. It was directed by Harris.

This film was a long term dream of Ed Harris.[2] After his father gave him a copy of Pollock's biography, he started thinking about the project, which took almost 10 years to bring to fruition.

Filming took a mere 50 days with a six-week layoff after forty days so Harris could take time to gain thirty pounds and grow a beard.[3]

Harris himself did all the painting seen in the film.[3]

The soundtrack to Pollock was released on February 13, 2001.

• Pollock on IMDb
• Pollock at AllMovie
• Pollock at Box Office Mojo
• Breathing fire into an artist