305. Eric Ravilious - Drawn To War; movie review
Cert PG
88 mins
BBFC advice: Contains images of war violence, mild sex references
We don't know how lucky we are, having lived largely in peacetime.
I am not diluting the huge impact conflicts such as those in The Gulf, Afghanistan and The Falklands had on families of those who served in the UK's Armed Forces.
But only world wars touch everybody and the story of Eric Ravilious typifies the love and loss of so many families.
Ravilious was not a soldier, sailor or pilot - he was an artist whose job was to record the Second World War on canvas.
Margy Kinmonth's film chronicles his life, through the early years when he and his wife struggled for money on to his acclaim and wartime when he lost his life.
He is revered as one of Britain’s greatest landscape artists with a unique style and a devotion to watercolour.
His story is fascinating and the narrative is embellished by letters between his wife and the artist.
The documentary has been supported by his estate and his daughter provides anecdotes along with notables such as Ai Weiwei, Alan Bennett, Grayson Perry and Robert Macfarlane.
They all praise Ravilious's work but they are not without criticism of his way of life.
Yes, this is a full biopic rather than a glossy tribute and is all the better for it.
Reasons to watch: Fascinating biopic with a thick slice of history
Reasons to avoid: A one-paced documentary
Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 7.5/10
Did you know? The record price for an Eric Ravilious painting was £265,000 in 2014 for his Bathing Machines, Aldeburgh, dated August 1938.
The final word. Margy Kinmouth: "Because I had nobody looking over my shoulder, I made the film I wanted to make. A television company could have funded it, but it would have made a very different film. I’m looking at a much richer, longer, more emotional story, and that’s why audiences have responded to it. They come out of the theatre crying." Screen Daily
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