Pollock

"A true portrait of life and art."

2000 2h 12m EN

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 367

DramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In August of 1949, Life Magazine ran a banner headline that begged the question: "Jackson Pollock: Is he the greatest living painter in the United States?" The film is a look back into the life of an extraordinary man, a man who has fittingly been called "an artist dedicated to concealment, a celebrity who nobody knew." As he struggled with self-doubt, engaging in a lonely tug-of-war between needing to express himself and wanting to shut the world out, Pollock began a downward spiral.

“A true portrait of life and art.”

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Cast

Ed Harris
Jackson Pollock
Marcia Gay Harden
Lee Krasner
Tom Bower
Dan Miller
Jennifer Connelly
Ruth Kligman
Bud Cort
Howard Putzel
John Heard
Tony Smith
Val Kilmer
Willem DeKooning
David Leary
Charles Pollock

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ed Harris
Writers: Barbara Turner, Susan Emshwiller
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

26 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ed Harris, shot by Lisa Rinzler. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jeff Beal. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Kathryn Himoff shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Ed Harris and Marcia Gay Harden and Tom Bower carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A true portrait of life and art.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0183659 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ed Harris directs. Lisa Rinzler behind the camera. Jeff Beal scores. Kathryn Himoff cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

126 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Ed Harris, shot by Lisa Rinzler. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Jeff Beal. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Kathryn Himoff shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Ed Harris and Marcia Gay Harden and Tom Bower carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "A true portrait of life and art.".
7IMDB entry: tt0183659 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 12 themes, including "painting", "artist", "success", "painter".

The technical file

Cinematography: Lisa Rinzler
Original score: Jeff Beal
Editing: Kathryn Himoff
Production design: Mark Friedberg
Costume design: David C. Robinson
Stunt coordinator: G.A. Aguilar
Runtime: 132 min · 2h 12m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $6,000,000
Box office: $10,994,533
Return: 183% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Pollock (2000)

Awards

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Ed Harris

Appaloosa
2008 · ★ 6.6

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2020-12-22
★ 7/10
Downer biography starts weak, but becomes, um, artistic… and moving Abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock (Ed Harris) is a struggling artist in New York City in the early 40s when he meets his future wife Lee Krasner, a fellow artist (Marcia Gay Harden). They move to the far end of Long Island where he finally catches a break, but alcoholism threatens his life. Jennifer Connelly shows up in the last act. “Pollock” (2000) is an honest biography covering the final fifteen years of the artist’s life from 1941-1956. It was a long-term passion for director/star Ed Harris to bring to the screen. The film starts weak with Pollock being portrayed as a troubled artistic weirdo. While I have no doubt that this is true-to-life, the opening act fails to capture the attention of the viewer. What’s worse, there’s an unintentionally amusing scene reminiscent of the Seinfeld episode "The Visa" where Jerry pretends to be morose and disturbed, which unexpectedly turns on George’s Asian girlfriend. This “meh” opening is probably why the film failed at the box office. Thankfully, the story perks up when the couple moves to a remote area on Long Island. At one point a journalist asks Pollock how he knows when he’s finished with a painting. He insightfully responds, “How do you know when you're finished making love?” This showed that Jackson loved his work and equated creating art to making love. He was a troubled soul, very much so, but painting was his escape, his bliss. It was Pollock’s area of genius and, indeed, his peculiar art is stunning and somehow aesthetically pleasing. I was so moved I wept. Unfortunately, alcohol was his downfall. If you don’t mind downer biographies of artists, like “The Doors” (1991) and “Big Sur” (2013), check this one out. There are inspiring moments amidst the melancholy. The movie runs 2 hours, 2 minutes and was shot in New York City and East Hampton, Long Island. ADDITIONAL CAST: Jeffrey Tambor, Bud Cork, Val Kilmer and John Heard. GRADE: B

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