Leigh’s joyful rendition of J.M.W. Turner’s final years is unique and unpredictable, an incandescent homage to light, beauty and inimitable talent.

The audience is treated to captivating scenery, its splendour maximised by cinematographer Dick Pope. Each frame exemplifies a perfect photograph, a spine-tingling trait enhanced by the transcendental soundtrack.

Yet Mr. Turner is not mere eye-candy; it is intelligent, entertaining and well-paced, fashioning a rich and authentic world together with ancillary myth and flair.

The crowning glory is universally wonderful characterisation, most significantly established by Timothy Spall who broadcasts a masterful spectrum of coarseness, sensitivity and inscrutability.

Mr. Turner is a must-watch masterpiece. Brimming with beauty and overflowing with marvellous interludes, it makes real Turner’s untold personas and unique genius.

RATING: 5/5

INFORMATION

CAST: Timothy Spall, Paul Jesson, Dorothy Atkinson, Marion Bailey, Lesley Manville

DIRECTOR:  Mike Leigh

WRITER:  Mike Leigh

SYNOPSIS: Mr. Turner explores the last 25 years of J.M.W. Turner’s (Spall) life, travelling, painting and celebrity, a period when his work became increasingly atmospheric. Troubled by his father’s death and having used his accessible and adoring housekeeper, he commences a liaison with a seaside landlady.