5. The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain; movie review

 

THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN

Cert 12A

111 mins

BBFC advice: Contains infrequent strong language

Nice marketing. The word electrical implies that this movie will have spark and illuminate the screen.

Unfortunately, neither Mrs W nor I were lit up by the life story of cat cartoonist, Louis Wain. 

Sure, Will Sharpe has created a pretty film and Benedict Cumberbatch takes full advantage of being given licence to be wacky.

But we felt that it trod over the same ground too much and, consequently, I was glancing at my watch far before the end of the screening at Nottingham Cineworld.

Cumberbatch portrays Wain as a chaotic, possibly autistic and depressive artist who is ill-equipped to head his large family when his father dies.

He lives off commissions for animal portraits which he rifles off in a few minutes but believes he has a worthier purpose as an inventor or composer.

However, the rest of the world isn't ready for the entrepreneurial Wain and he has to settle on a regular income for the drawings despite finding the work unchallenging.

The major change in his life comes at the arrival of his sisters' governess (Claire Foy) who is quirky, attractive and self-opinionated.

Much to the dismay of those who care about social status, especially Wain's domineering sibling, Caroline (Andrea Riseborough), the two began an unlikely romance.

His new love inspires his devotion to cats and he immerses himself in illustrating them in many guises - he is even credited with them becoming a popular household pet.

Anyway, Wain's life is a rollercoaster of joy and tragedy while mental illness dogs him throughout.

As said, Cumberbatch is given the chance to show new sides to his repertoire. 

Meanwhile, Foy is disarming, Toby Jones is measured as Wain's fatherly publisher and Riseborough carries off the irritating sister with gusto.

But as Mrs W said as we walked away from Nottingham Cineworld: "There isn't much to discuss after that." 

Great films prompt a debate all the way home. This one wasn't bad but we had stopped talking about it before we reached the car.

Reasons to watch: True story

Reasons to avoid: Not enough action

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 6/10

Did you know? The record paid for a piece of work by Louis Wain was $24,856 for The Maypole, sold at Bonhams New Bond Street in 2014.

The final word. Will Sharpe: "I didn’t know Wain, and I certainly didn’t know anything about his extraordinary life story. I think probably the first thing that I felt a personal connection to was his work. I felt like there was a playfulness there. There was humour and colour, but underneath it, sometimes there was a little bit of fragility and vulnerability.." That Shelf

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