In the fall of 1945 Pollock and Krasner get married and move to a run-down farmhouse on then-rural eastern Long Island. One night Pollock says to Krasner, "Let’s make a baby," but without a moment’s hesitation she answers, "No!" "We can’t," says Krasner. "My life is full enough with you, Jackson." Pollock responds by throwing a violent temper tantrum, and we see that Krasner is right when she tells him she already has all she can handle.

In January of 1947 Pollock starts to develop what became his signature style by placing a canvas on the floor and walking around it, dripping and pouring paint on it. Perhaps this technique enabled him to more fully access his unconscious while creating a painting. But sales are still few, and Pollock and Krasner live near the poverty line. Pollock is so broke at one point that he settles a bill of 56 dollars at a country store by giving the proprietor one of his paintings.

In August of 1949 Life magazine runs an article titled "Jackson Pollock: Is He the Greatest Living Artist in the United States?" Pollock becomes an overnight celebrity and his paintings start to sell. His mother and his brothers and their families come out to his house for a visit, and Pollock -- even though this is during the period when he quit drinking for two years -- acts strangely grandiose. He becomes obsessed with an article in an Italian-language magazine which proclaims that Pollock’s importance has surpassed that of Picasso. Finally, Pollock’s sister-in-law asks him, "Is Picasso more important than your family?"

International stardom brings Pollock financial security, but he soon resumes drinking and throwing violent temper tantrums. By the end of 1950, Pollock’s greatest work is behind him, but he is well aware of how he has changed the art world forever, as when he explains to an interviewer, "Today painters do not have to go to a subject matter outside of themselves ... They work from within." In what amounts to an epilogue, the film goes on to show how Pollock’s marriage to Krasner has crumbled and how while driving drunk at age 44, he kills himself and an innocent young woman.

To my way of thinking, the brilliant performances of Ed Harris and Marcia Gay Harden are the best things about Pollock. When this pair of actors does a scene depicting a nasty domestic squabble between Pollock and Krasner, they make me feel the heartbreak. Also, I love the exhilaration I feel when I watch Harris portray Pollock working on a painting. I was particularly impressed that Harris so immersed himself in the role that he taught himself to paint in the style of Pollock. Also, Harris often has an expression in his eyes reminiscent of many old photographs of the artist, and this, to my mind, adds an eerie verisimilitude to his performance. But the script for Pollock is uneven, and I cringed when Harden had to deliver the lines, "You’ve done it, Pollock. You’ve cracked it wide open." In short, while I think some individual scenes in Pollock are terrific, I don’t find the overall dramatic arch of the film particularly compelling.

When I’ve seen Pollock’s best paintings in museums, I’ve found them to be very emotional, and I’m grateful that Pollock sheds at least some light on the life of the famous painter. Yet, I can’t help feeling disappointed that the film is visually so unimaginative -- it’s basically just a conventional tortured-artist biopic. Still, because of the importance of its subject matter and because of the splendid performances by the actors, I think Pollock is well worth seeing.

Selected Special DVD Features:

Formats Available: The above information refers to the DVD; this film is also available on VHS.

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