'Hockney' DVD: Intimate Portrait of Lifetime of 20th-Century Master

New York-based foreign and indie-film legend Film Movement continues its theme of documentaries (including the Unreal TV reviewed film on modern American painter Jon Imber) with the September 6, 2016 DVD release of the 2014 movie "Hockney." Artist documentary veteran Randall Wright uses new and vintage interviews with Hockney, talking heads that consist of Hockney friends and/or colleagues, and wonderfully vivid images of scores of bright Hockney paintings to illustrate (pun intended) life story of this artistic genius.

Readers are challenged to watch the following YouTube clip of the "Hockney" trailer and not want to see the film.

This film succeeds because it devotes roughly 75 percent of its focus on the human side of Hockney, approximately 15 percent on his multi-multi-media art, and the rest on showing how the former influences the latter. A Hockney quote that he paints what he likes in the manner that he likes nicely sums up that philosophy.

This comprehensive film includes Hockney telling of his life growing up in wartime London; his colleagues and friends sharing tales of the shy art student who is nothing like the brightly clad confident man whom he becomes, and Hockney and scads o' the people in his adult life telling the story of the artist whom so many of us know and love. (This is form the perspective of a fan with a Hockney museum print hanging in the living room.)

We also hear from Hockney about his starving artists days and on first coming to the Los Angeles area that is the center of his best known work. He further shares some of the methods behind his mad-awesome work. The subjects of some of those paintings further share the origins of those works.

The very intimate details of the personal life of Hockney extend well beyond the extensive discussions about his sex life. We learn the amusing story of his adopting the habit of bleaching his hair blond. hear of his long-lasting friendships with equally famous painters and authors, and the tragic tale of the loss of the love (and regular muse) of his life. We also get video tours of some of the places that Hockney has called home.

The most memorable scene can be considered A Portrait of the Artist as a Hung Man; vintage footage shows a very happy Hockney strip down and wash up in what looks to be the best shower in the world.

On a larger level, "Hockney" achieves the ideal for the documentary genre; it equally entertains and educates. You will go away knowing a great deal about the life and work of Hockney and wanting to spend time with him and his inner circle.

Anyone with questions or comments regarding "Hockney" is encouraged to email me. You can also connect on Twitter via @tvdvdguy.