Thomas Hart Benton (1989)
Thomas Hart Benton's paintings were energetic and uncompromising. Today his works are in museums, but Benton hung them in saloons for ordinary people to appreciate.
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Powerful
A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.
This is a well-made film by Ken Burns. However, it never really had a lot of impact on me. Perhaps it is the documentary, perhaps it's my reaction to the art of Thomas Hart Benton. Either way, the film left me feeling rather lukewarm--though I could see it was a quality film.This is the life of Thomas Hart Benton--an American artist who is relatively unknown today outside of art circles. His style was wholly unique--rather modern yet sentimental and very much a celebration of America--both the good and bad. You just have to see his art to believe and appreciate it.When it comes to talking about Benton the person, he sounded like a real character--and a bit of a jerk. Considering he was coming from a time when artists went to France, behaved like bohemians and were very temperamental, he fit in very well. And, add to that a bit of John Ford or a crusty old coot and you get Benton. It was sad, but apparently he came alive with friends but as a family man he left a lot to be desired. Seeing his daughter talking about how coldly he behaved towards his children was pretty sad. All in all, an interesting and complex man.Worth seeing, yes. But, not as wonderful and rich as Ken Burns' later documentaries.