Directed by and starring Academy Award nominee (for Best Actor) Ed Harris (The Truman Show, The Rock), POLLOCK is a beautifully crafted, stunning drama about the legendary American painter, Jackson Pollock. Fellow artists and lovers, Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner are at the center of New York’s 1940s art scene, but as Krasner neglects her work to push Pollock’s career forward, Pollock begins to unravel emotionally. Pollock and Krasner escape to the country and marry and, soon, Pollock creates work that makes him the first internationally famous modern painter in America. But, with fame and fortune, comes a volatile temper and severe self-doubt; before long, Pollock’s life threatens to explode. Featuring exceptional performances by a stellar cast, including Academy Award winner Marcia Gay Harden (Meet Joe Black, The First Wives Club), Amy Madigan (Field of Dreams, Uncle Buck), Val Kilmer (The Saint, Heat) and Jennifer Connelly (Requiem for a Dream).
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Video Quality
Pollock debuts on Blu-Ray in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio from a master that looks terrific. Sony is responsible for the remastering of all of their titles, and given the quality, it would not surprise us to learn that this was remastered in recent years. The natural film grain present resolves consistently without swarming or clumping while allowing impeccable detail to burst through. Given that this movie is so heavily focused on art, it is a joy to see the frame look so rich. Every unique element comes through with great clarity, especially in the texture of the paint, the costumes, and the production design.
Facial features are plentiful with makeup finely textured alongside natural skin tones. There are pops of color within the clothing that make an impression with the hues naturally saturating the frame. Highlights never veer into blooming, and black levels are pretty deep without any significant blocking or compression artifacts. There are some dimly lit scenes that do not fare as well, but this is mostly a limitation of the production. For fans of the film, this upgrade is very welcome and serves this movie well. This Blu-Ray is a fantastic presentation from Sony.
Audio Quality
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment delivers a Blu-Ray with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that faithfully handles this material. Dialogue radiates clearly without being overshadowed by the score from Jeff Beal or any environmental effects. The sounds in the rear speakers are not showy by any means, but they provide a reasonable expansion of the spaces. The environmental effects are delicately defined and given a thoughtful placement throughout the speakers. This is a very subdued track, but the nuances keep things sonically engaging. Sony has done a fine job with this one. There are optional English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles provided.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Director/Star Ed Harris provides a steady commentary track that is very informative in which he discusses the production of the film, working on a tight budget, the larger idea behind certain scenes, how the film differs from what he intended, working with the performers, the score from Jeff Beal, overly enthusiastic extras, and more that is well worth a listen.
- The Making of Pollock: A 22-minute look at the creation of this film with insights from the cast and creative team on the development of the script, the portrayal of the main character, the qualities that Ed Harris brings as a filmmaker, the artwork, and much more.
- Charlie Rose Interview with Ed Harris: A 26-minute interview in which Harris discusses the passion that led him to tackle this project, wanting to take responsibility in his career, how he feels about what he created, his experience behind the camera, and much more.
- Deleted Scenes: There are four unused scenes totaling nearly six minutes provided in rough standard definition.
- Theatrical Trailer: A two-and-a-half-minute trailer is provided.
Final Thoughts
Pollock is a biopic that stays within some of the conventional confines of the genre, but the presence of a top-tier ensemble keeps you glued to the screen. Ed Harris put his heart and soul into this feature both on screen and behind the camera, and the feature is all the better for it. Marcia Gay Harden shines brightest in an impressive cast of supporting players. There are moments of brilliance, but the film holds back from breaking interesting new ground. There is an artistry to the crafting of this film, but not quite a mastery. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray with a fantastic A/V presentation and some good special features. Fans of the film will be thrilled to finally have this available in high definition. Recommended
Pollock can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.