Jackson Pollock Movie
 Pollock
- The Movie
Jackson Pollock was a brilliant and troubled artist who is best known
for his famous drip paintings. Despite the great success his paintings
brought him, few people knew anything about Pollock the man, and so resorted
to romanticizing his life. In 2000, the legend of Jackson Pollock was
paid tribute with the release of the movie ‘Pollock’
starring Ed Harris and Marcia Gay Harden.
The critically acclaimed biopic chronicled the life of Pollock and gave
some insight into the inner demons of a man who battled depression and
alcoholism until his death in a tragic car crash. For fans of the artist,
the Jackson Pollock movie is a truthful representation of his troubled
life. For Ed Harris, who played Pollock, the film project was a labor
of love and a personal quest to bring the artist’s life story to
the screen.
The Road to the Silver Screen
The
idea to make the Jackson Pollock movie came to Ed Harris after receiving
a rather strange gift from his father. The elder Mr. Harris thought that
Ed bore a striking resemblance to the painter and so felt inclined to
give his son a biography of the artist. Ed was quite moved by the apparent
resemblance and became fascinated with Pollock’s life. For years,
he delved into research and read all that he could find on the great artist
in order to learn more about him. He analyzed his paintings and even learned
how to paint in his famous style. After much time and consideration, Ed
Harris decided to take on the responsibility of not only starring in,
but also directing a film version of Jackson Pollock’s life.
 Chronicling the Life of a Genius
In many ways, ‘Pollock’ is a traditional biopic that begins
in the year 1941, when Pollock meets Lee Krasner, his later-to-be wife.
This fateful meeting eventually propels Pollock to fame and also wins
Krasner’s heart. With Krasner’s support and urging, Pollock’s
work attracts the attention of critic Clement Greenberg and benefactor
Peggy Guggenheim. As Pollock begins the rise to fame, Ed Harris does a
masterful job of showing a man who could only find release in his art.
He portrays Pollock as a deeply tortured and angry man, prone to severe
bouts of alcoholism, depression and violence. Any sense of balance in
his life appears to come from his wife, played by Marcia Gay Harden in
an Oscar-winning performance. The film implies that his success was largely
attributable to his wife’s devotion.
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