Movies: Big Eyes

(Drivebycuriosity) - Margaret Keane was one of the most popular painters of the world, but the world didn`t know that. Her images of children with oversized eyes were highly prized and copies of them sold million-times. But the famed pictures were sold under the name of the artist´s husband Walter, who claimed to be the creator of the paintings. The movie "Big Eyes" tells the story of the fraud and its consequences (imdb).

Director Tim Burton, who made his name with weird tales like "Edward Scissorhands" & "The Nightmare Before Christmas", delivered a comedy with a splat of drama. The film deals with the role of women in the arts and business in the 1950s and 1960, art fraud & hype, manipulation, dysfunctional families and more (this is a spoiler free blog). The movie allows also a glance into middle-class Californian life in the 1960s and the fashionable  San Franciso in these times.

It is a lot of fun to watch Christoph Waltz as the charming and goofy con artist Walter Keane. I also enjoyed Amy Adams in the role of the naive artist & wife.  The delicate Krysten Ritter, who`s star rose in "Breaking Bad", was the icing of the cake and Terence Stamp as an especially obnoxious arrogant New York Times art critic was priceless.

"Big Eyes" is entertaining and also gives something to think about.