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Big Eyes Official Trailer #1 (2014) – Tim Burton, Amy Adams Movie HD

DP/30: Big Eyes, Amy Adams

Margaret Keane, Painter Behind Tim Burton’s ‘Big Eyes’ | KQED Arts

Big Eyes (2014) Q&A with Amy Adams, Margaret Keane & The Writers

Burton’s Big Eyes Bigger Than a Basic Tale of Art vs. Commerce

• Jeffrey HustonCrosswalk.com Contributing Writer
• 201412 Dec
• COMMENTS0

So when she discovers that her belated breakthrough is due to Walter presenting himself as the painter – and learns of this well after they’ve begun to reap financial rewards – Margaret suppresses her anger over Walter’s deceit and agrees to keep the ruse going. She’ll paint, he’ll sell, and together they’ll become rich, which is exactly what they do. Walter’s savvy business acumen turns Margaret’s coveted artwork into an entire cottage industry of Big Eye merchandise. Big Eyes is more than a basic tale of Art vs. Commerce. It’s The Ethics of a Salesman vs. The Ethics of an Artist, and you feel Burton’s own personal struggle between the two permeate the entire narrative.

Along with that thematic core, what gives the story more complexity than one might suspect is that Walter, even with his too-good-to-be-true charisma, is not initially a huckster. Despite his own shady history, he doesn’t seek to steal credit from Margaret. His flaw is that he’s a salesman to a fault, and so to take credit for the paintings is merely a shrewd, even practical, business decision. But it is that decision that begins to progressively corrupt him into a controlling megalomaniac for whom the ends justify the fraud. He gains a false sense of cultural import too, and Margaret is merely an assembly line. Margaret’s moral path follows the opposite trajectory. She becomes more troubled by her own lack of integrity (especially toward her daughter) along with the total loss of identity and self-worth. Compounding the guilt is that she’s culpable in her own victimization.

Burton doesn’t seem to be aligning himself solely with the heroine but also the villain. Through them, he takes stock of his own best and worst (even ugly) tendencies. Walter Keane is just as much a stand-in for Burton as is Margaret, and by examining their real life conflict Burton appears to be working out his own internal one. Alice in Wonderland and Edward Scissorhands both came from him, after all, so what does the crass commercialism of the former and the artistic sincerity of the latter reveal about him not just as a filmmaker but as a person?

Adams gives dimension to Margaret’s frailty, which is both emotional and circumstantial, while still tapping into a well of courage when she can no longer live with her shame. It’s a deeply felt performance that makes Margaret’s choices understandable and sympathetic. Two-time Oscar-winner Waltz relishes the broad nature of Walter’s persona but elevates it beyond caricature. Walter’s not trying to pull a fast one; he honestly doesn’t see what’s wrong with what he’s doing, which makes for something vastly more interesting (and real) than a self-aware slimeball. And for Burton, while his images are much more muted in color and design than we’re used to (it’s basically Burton-light), the bold pastels and period detail still make for a visually appealing experience.

The film resorts to a typical Third Act climax – yes, in a courtroom – that leads to the only resolution it possibly could. Yet on the whole Big Eyes is an engaging and thoughtful (if formulaic) look at a fight to redeem one’s artistic and personal integrity. Through examining Margaret and Walter Keane, Tim Burton seeks the same thing: ultimately, Big Eyes is a search and fight for himself.

CAUTIONS (may contain spoilers):

• Drugs/Alcohol: Alcohol consumed in various scenes, at home and in pubs. Some drunkenness at home, which leads to angry outbursts. Smoking occurs on occasion.
• Language/Profanity: Occasional but not frequent. One F-word, one S-word, and a few other milder profanities. A couple of vulgar expressions and a crude gesture. A couple of mild sexual references. EDITOR’S NOTE/UPDATE: It’s been brought to our attention that there are also 5-6 instances of the Lord’s name taken in vain in the film, including one ‘GD’ in the first minute. Both Crosswalk and Jeffrey Huston would like to offer our sincere apologies for this accidental omission.
• Sexual Content/Nudity: Some kissing and embracing.
• Violence/Other: Portrayals of non-graphic violence, along with scaring, intimidating, threatening. Intense domestic fights, verbal abuse. Violence-threatening situations. Early reference to physical domestic abuse. Some one-on-one fighting, fistfights.

Publication date: December 23, 2014

Behind the scenes of the real life “Big Eyes”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtLWYQkQH7w

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