A Bigger Splash

not a great film - but a great opportunity to watch him paint and live his life as a young man

I came upon this film by accident; though I was a child of the '60s, David Hockney's work was not known to me. Being introduced to his art in this film was moving and revelatory. Hockney's work is highly accessible and having the subjects pose beside their painted selves was eerie. What struck me most was how perfectly the film captured that more innocent time, the early '70s. Repeated words, happenstance Eros, throwaway conversations, knockings on the same door . . . none of these elements of the film were to me extraneous. Rather, they evoked a time when time was taken to create a mood, a place -- much as did the works of the artist himself, then, and then.

It is not true that the film made a horrible transfer to DVD. The quality is wonderful, especially for a film that was made in the 70's. In fact, I'd say it was a labor of love for whomever processed the original prints. This is a film about David Hockney so there's no chase scene. I can only speculate that since he is an artist, and artists are a little different from the rest of us, this film is a little different from what you might expect. I think Peter Schlesinger is very pretty and I would like to have gotten to know him better but the film never peers into his personality, and I think that is intentional. I find David Hockney much more attractive in that he is warm, funny, artfully clever, and human. Whether you buy it or rent it, I think you'll get something out of it if you want to know something about David Hockney.

If you are going to make a documentary, there should be dialogue. If you are going to make a movie/documentary/biography there still has to be dialogue. I find there are no clearly defined lines as to what this video is supposed to be about. It can't make up its mind? A Clockwork Orange is a good example of surrealistic video Art. Videodrome had dialogue and a plot, albeit psychological science fiction. Fahrenheit 451 at least made an attempt at a plot and had dialogue which came to a believable climax. What is the main character of this video supposed to be evoking from the audience? If I want to view "Ho Hum" occurrences in the life of some boring individual's life, I can find that on Facebooks or some other social forum.

A gem of a film. . Hockney and his former/partner are fine performing as themselves in this affectively rich examination of a love affair gone sour- unraveling into depression and madness. Fine acting, good editing. A treat to the eye and heart.

Whilst the movie is a fascinating period piece, prospective buyers should be aware that it is a non anamorphic transfer which is unforgivable for a new release DVD in 2006.

Good documentary if your into documentaries. Glad it as on PRIME.

A lovely, beautifully photographed film. I will enjoy watching this over again.

This film meant a good deal to me long before I even saw it. I was too young to get into a cinema to see it when released in the mid 70s, but I read everything about it I could and remember standing agape at a huge poster advertising A Bigger Splash in a London tube station. I loved (and love) Hockney's paintings and the fact there was a mini-scandal over a gay sex scene in the movie, which got it banned in some places only made it more desirable to see it!Since then I have seen a poor grainy video version of the film, partly cut, and even more heavily cut when it was on Channel 4. Originally an X certificate adults only film, it is now merely a 15! I'm not a film buff but the transfer on this DVD/Blue-ray set seems to be very good indeed, colours conveyed beautifully and how well lit and presented are Hockney's paintings!This is a fictionalised documentary about the artist and his friends ... in the same way as modern shows like The Only Way is Essex. And what friends they are, the designers Celia Birtwell and her late husband Ossie Clark (murdered in the 90s) feature here, as well as Hockney's former partner, the photographer Peter Schlesinger and other beautiful young men - only identified by their first names. The story told concentrates on Hockney's state of mind after the break up of the relationship, and how this effects his ability to paint. It begins in 1973 and flashes back to 1971, then gradually bringing the story forward. Hockney's dependance on his friends is touching, especially to the intriguing Celia. There is a great deal of full-frontal male nudity in this film, including that of Hockney himself in one shower scene. The gay sex scene is of Peter Schlesinger with an unknown guy, and is certainly longer, grittier and more explicity erotic than anything in Brokeback Mountain! At the time, this shocked cinema goers.I found the film mesmerising, but it does suffer from some longeurs and the narrative can be vague in places because of the way the director Jack Hazan made the film. Fortunately there are some brilliant extras included in this release, especially the detailed interview with Hazan himself. Recommended.

This video of David Hockey and friends is totally voyeur heaven. Best quote 'Celia won't come to New York because the women are too frumpy '. Then there are views of David Hockney working and struggling to get the images of his paintings exactly right. There is an additional film which show David Hockney producing an etching which is wonderful. It was very enlightening about how many processes go into making one apparent simple print. There was also good section on Ozzie Clark's fashion show. There is also a section of boys swimming in the pool for the famous paintings. Iloved this film. If you enjoyed this also watch Bill Cunningham in New York

Super

Almost 40 years after the film was made it remains an insightful window into David Hockney's hedonistic lifestyle in the 1970's in London and California. A beautiful slow moving film built around conversations with friends and lovers and the creation of his swimming pool pictures. I loved it.

very good, very fast