Big Eyes
Winter 2015 Features series
Sunday, March 1, 2015 at 7:00pm
Acadia Cinema's Al Whittle Theatre
450 Main Street, Wolfville, NS
Directed by Tim Burton
Screenplay by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski
Starring Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz, and Krysten Ritter
Rated PG ·
1h 46m
USA
English
Big Eyes
Directed and produced by Tim Burton (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Mars Attacks!), Big Eyes is based on the true story of Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Bastards), who was one of the most successful painters of the 1950s and early 1960s. The artist earned staggering notoriety by revolutionizing the commercialization and accessibility of popular art with his enigmatic paintings of waifs with big eyes.
The truth would eventually be discovered though: Keane’s art was actually not created by him at all, but by his wife, Margaret (Amy Adams, Her, The Master). The Keanes, it seemed, had been living a lie that had grown to gigantic proportions.
Big Eyes centers on Margaret’s awakening as an artist, the phenomenal success of her paintings, and her tumultuous relationship with her husband, who was catapulted to international fame while taking credit for her work.
“This nimble, bemused, culturally curious look at the married instigators of the kitschy ‘big eyes’ paintings of the early 1960s exerts an enjoyably eccentric appeal while also painting a troubling picture of male dominance and female submissiveness a half-century ago.” (Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter)
“Especially in a year so devoid of serious female-led dramas, it’s invigorating to see a feminist crowd-pleaser with the force of moral righteousness on its side.” (Inkoo Kang, TheWrap)