 | Starring: Alec Guinness, Kay Walsh, Renee Houston, Mike Morgan, Robert Coote Director: Ronald Neame D.A. Pennebaker Format: Anamorphic Colour DVD-Video Widescreen PAL Released: 04 Jun 2002 Average Rating:  |
This film is based on a novel by Joyce Carey, The Horse's Mouth. Guinness wrote the screenplay which was nominated for an Academy Award. The director was Ronald Neame who also produced it. Special credit should also be given to the cinematographer, Arthur Ibbetson, who brilliantly captures the beauty of London while sustaining the viewer's focus on both the splendor & squalor of Gulley Jimson's passions. For me, Guinness' portrayal of that aging & impoverished but obsessed painter gives a whole new meaning to the word "eccentric." As in the novel, the spirit of William Blake is very evident. Art is Jimson's religion for which he is not only willing but eager to make whatever sacrifice may be necessary, his or another's. There are both lambs & tigers in Blake's world. As portrayed by Guinness, Jimson seems to combine their dominant characteristics in his own personality & behavior.
Members of the supporting cast are outstanding, notably Mike Morgan (Nosey) & Kay Walsh (Coker) who remain devoted to Jimson throughout his constant use & abuse of them. I hasten to add that, after recently watching this bittersweet film again, I found its several comic moments hilarious. The best of Guinness' comic films always include special "touches" which enrich their appeal. Whether it was his idea or Neame's (or theirs together), clever use is made of Sergei Prokofiev's "Lieutenant Kije" suite throughout the film. I am unable to explain why so few people who claim to be "film buffs" know about this classic...nor why even fewer people have seen it.
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