What I’m watching: a fun gothic romance and a compelling documentaryDate: 1/9/2019 What I’m watching: an amazing documentary and a fascinating update on the classic gothic romance
On Netflix: Struggle: the Life and Lost Art of Szukalski
A friend of mine enthusiastically recommended this new movie that looks at Polish-born artist Stanislav Szukalski who had prominence until WWII in both Europe and the United States, but lived the latter half of his life in obscurity – an obscurity that was undeserved by virtue of his talent. The film, produced by George Di Caprio and his son, actor Leonardo Di Caprio, benefits from hours of video footage shot by art collector Glenn Bray, who befriended the elderly artist in the late 1970s.
Bray discovered him by accident, spotting a print of a drawing Szukalski did in a shop and then being told the artist lived just a few moments away. Bray was a collector and publisher in the underground comics movement in the Southern California area and was entranced by his initial meeting with Szukalski.
He introduced Szukalski to people such as George Di Caprio and artists Jim Woodring and Robert Williams, who were amazed at the drawings Szukalski did as well as photos of his sculptures.
Szukalski was an eccentric to say the least. He had a healthy ego about his own work and abilities and wasn’t afraid to boast about himself and criticize others.
He maintained that art couldn’t be taught, but rather is organically within the artist.
Szukalski’s sculptures were planned on a massive scale. They are astonishingly intricate and full of symbolism.
The circle of his friends easily forgave him for these excesses as they were astonished by his story of survival and ascension as an artist in the first half of the 20th Century, and then his crushing defeat when, in the Nazi bombing of Warsaw, he lost almost everything in his destroyed studio.
The film is not afraid to show Szukalski’s warts, discovering that his role promoting Polish Nationalism prior to WWII included anti-Semitic statements in some publications he produced.
Apparently these feelings were destroyed along with his studio. Once he came back to the United States, he took non-art related jobs and spent much of his time researching iconic images from around the world.
Using what he found, he established a theory that all of humanity thousands of years ago spoke a common language and were at peace with one another.
Szukalski’s work is amazing. This is a compelling film as it presents something that was lost and now has been found.
Take the time to watch it on Netflix.
On Blu-ray: Crimson Peaks
The gothic romance, full of innocent heroines, brooding heroes and dark intrigue, has been a literary staple for almost two centuries.
It is not a common theme for films these days and perhaps that was one of the reasons “Crimson Peaks,” got a 21st Century updating of the genre by director Guillermo del Toro.
del Toro is one of my favorite directors. He is capable of presenting material that is challenging such as “Pan’s Labyrinth,” as well as well as films that celebrate his fanboy roots, such as “Pacific Rim.”
I love his two Hellboy movies as well.
His take on the gothic romance did not disappoint.
Set at the turn of the 20th Century, Mia Wasikowska is Edith Cushing, a young American woman who falls in love with a visiting British nobleman, Sir Thomas Sharpe, played by Tom Hiddleston.
Following her father’s mysterious death, Edith and her new husband return to England and his ancestral home. The home is in disrepair as the family fortunes have been diminished. Thomas is trying to revive the family’s clay mining business with mixed results.
Adding to the sense that something dark is going on is Thomas’s sister (Jessica Chastain) who does not seem to welcome Edith’s presence.
The film also has the typical del Toro touch of ghosts and is punctuated with some intense moments of violence.
If you grew up either reading gothic romances or watching “Dark Shadows,” you’re bound to enjoy this slightly over-the-top take on the genre.
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