Those of us who create know the self-doubt and questioning we experience with each conception. No matter how famous or wealthy the creator becomes, there is still a nugget of “I am faking this” that sneaks into their thoughts.
I saw this profoundly when I heard an author who has 82 New York Time’s Best sellers say she thought that maybe nobody would read her 83rd book. The movie, “Big Eyes” was a testament to not only that artistic self doubt, but also of the plight of many married women, who went along with what their husbands decree.
It is about art and how talent is in the eyes of the beholder. My grandma had Keane’s and they scared me. I hated them. She said it was the beginning of her art appreciation that became her ultimate joy (besides me).
Already nominated for three Golden Globe Awards, Big Eyes is a strange and wonderful drama. Directed and produced by Tim Burton, this is his second biopic (his previous was 1994’s Ed Wood). Both films are wonderfully written by the team of Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski who take amazing risks with subtly and character.
Amy Adams plays Margaret Keane, a 1950’s housewife who likes to paint in her spare time. She has a daughter and an abusive husband. She leaves him and with her daughter moves to San Francisco, where she meets an artist, Walter (Christoph Waltz), at a flea market where she is trying to sell her paintings.
He is a natural salesman. She has a passion for creating, although it’s the same character over and over. After they get married, Walter tries selling his paintings but discovers that Margaret’s are popular with housewives. He creates a market using the paintings as gifts to famous people and takes credit as the artist.
It is a believable tale because in the 50’s women were not thought of as being on an equal scale of employment. Margaret is a shy person with only one friend and fears losing her child (the angry ex-husband was trying to declare her unfit). This went on for about 10 years then Margaret found religion, community and friends in Hawaii and took Walter to court to win back her name and fortune.
This film focuses on plagiarism, lying for money and marital abuse, uncomfortable subjects for anyone. Walter and Margaret’s journey’s is about a person defying the trends, becoming a creative hero willing to take a risk to get “their” paintings recognized. They were he first artists to mass-produce paintings, thus bringing it to the multitudes and for that, I thank him.
The real Margret helped with the film and is seen reading a book on the park bench when Margaret and Walter are painting in front of the San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts. Margaret said she loved the film because it gave her two more hours with Walter.
The strength of the film is the thematic depiction of the role of many women in mid-20th Century, which is not the aggressive feminist campaign of recent years. Rather, Burton takes care gently to bring the moment to its crisis late in the film.
I loved this movie. It was a fantastic insight on art, becoming famous, then becoming kitsch, all under the shadow of sexism. Big Eyes was surprisingly funny and a bit creepy like the paintings of Keane. It’s a little removed from Burton’s typical eccentric crew, but you still sense him in the shadows. D
Teri Bayus can be reached at: or follow her writings and ramblings at: www.teribayus.com. Bayus is also the host of Taste Buds, a moving picture rendition of her reviews shown on Charter Cable Channel 10. Dinner and a Movie is a weekly feature of Tolosa Press. See this and future columns online at: tolosapressnews.com.
