History has not been kind to many female artists, with numerous having allowed, or having been forced to allow, men to take credit for their work.
By Keeva Stratton
Margaret Keane, whose famous ‘big eyes’ paintings were iconic in America in the 1960s under the name of her husband, is one such artist. Her husband Walter took not only the credit for her work, but forced her to keep producing her art at an obscene rate to feed his craving for the money and fame it delivered.
In Big Eyes, Tim Burton tells Margaret’s story through an intense portrayal by Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz as Margaret and Walter Keane. Burton has always had a rare ability to mesh hyperbole with raw human emotion, and in Big Eyes he does so flawlessly.
Margaret has left her first husband, and is looking to find a way to support her daughter, when the charming Walter Keane enters the fray. With his entrancing stories of a former life in the art schools of Paris, Margaret soon finds herself falling hard for this charming man.
Walter too is entranced, but not so much with Margaret as with her artwork. Determined to become famous, he attempts to sell the artwork through a local nightclub, whose celebrity clientele soon take an interest in it. Rather than reveal the true painter, he takes credit; and Margaret, wishing to please her new husband, goes along with the ruse in order to keep the money coming in.
What begins as a small act of deception grows into a profound domestic oppression. Walter’s temper, his greed and his vacant morals, see him push his wife to breaking point. In a world where male brilliance is the norm, it’s going to be difficult to escape her husband’s grip and claim on her art.
Big Eyes is a film that evokes its own sense of artistry in every shot. Tim Burton’s signature visual lustre and magic is evident in the rich streetscapes and emboldened colours. Combined with the costumes of Colleen Atwood, the film presents itself as a stunning cinematic equivalent of on canvas art.
Waltz is chilling and Adams is brilliant, making the film so much more than a mere visual spectacle. Big Eyes will open your eyes to a different era when women were far from empowered.
Directed by: Tim Burton
Starring: Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz
Rating: PG
Runtime: 106 mins
Release Date: March 19
Reviewer Rating: 4/5
