Paintings in Films

[moonfleet]

I saw Resnais' 'Providence' in Newcastle, c.1981. I remember that in one scene John Martin's 'The Bard' appears; the original is in the Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle.

The Bard by John Martin :: artmagick.com

I also remember being a bit baffled by the film, and would love to see it again, but it doesn't seem to be available on DVD.

Yes it's a real scandal that this MARVELOUS picture is not available on an "official" dvd support
I've asked on some french Ciné-Forums (where there are sometimes film-editor representatives) for the reasons why, if it's some copyright problem ?? who with then ??... because most of other Alain Resnais films are released, but no one seems to know ...

[Steve Crook]

Barbara's post in another thread reminds me of another painting in The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

When Spud's men crash into the Bathers' Club there's a nice painting on the wall opposite the desk



Here's another view of it



It is believed to be General Gordon's last stand at Khartoum.
Can anyone find the original? (Or an image of the original)

Steve

[theuofc]

Barbara's post in another thread reminds me of another painting in The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp

When Spud's men crash into the Bathers' Club there's a nice painting on the wall opposite the desk



Here's another view of it



It is believed to be General Gordon's last stand at Khartoum.
Can anyone find the original? (Or an image of the original)

Steve

Good question! I'd forgotten about the painting before the photo and then couldn't make it out from the pic. I don't have my BLIMP disc with me. Is it any clearer in the film?

Best,

Barbara

[Steve Crook]

Good question! I'd forgotten about the painting before the photo and then couldn't make it out from the pic. I don't have my BLIMP disc with me. Is it any clearer in the film?

Best,

Barbara

A bit, not a lot. They don't focus on it for any length of time

Steve

[christoph404]

There is a very famous painting titled "General Gordon's Last Stand" by the artist George W. Joy, the scene depicts Gordon at the top of some stairs with revolver in hand, the scene from the painting was more or less recreated in the film with Charlton Heston. Its obviously not the painting from Colonel Blimp as the George W Joy painting is a a portrait format rather than landscape, I only mention it as the most celebrated painting of the scene. Are you positive thats what the painting in Blimp represents?, there doesn't seem to be anything else coming up on the searches.

[GRAEME]

Most likely to be a painting with connections to the specific regiment...

[Rick C]

It looks very French Revolution to me.

[christoph404]

It looks very French Revolution to me.

Well it looks like troops wearing light blue trousers and white shirts versus red tunics with white trousers, could it be a Waterloo battle?

[Steve Crook]

Most likely to be a painting with connections to the specific regiment...

The club, The Royal Bathers Club, is a general military club with people from various regiments as members

Steve

[Steve Crook]

Well it looks like troops wearing light blue trousers and white shirts versus red tunics with white trousers, could it be a Waterloo battle?

Waterloo was fought in the wind, rain & mud. i think they'd be wearing a full tunic rather than just a shirt

Steve

[cornershop15]

The Approach to the New World by Norman Wilkinson:



From his Wikipedia page:

Wilkinson created for the first class smoking room of the RMS Titanic a painting titled Plymouth Harbor (which perished when the ship went down), as well as a comparable painting, titled The Approach to the New World, which hung in the same location on the Titanic's sister ship, the RMS Olympic.

The Approach to the New World as featured in A Night to Remember (1958):


The ill-fated vessel's designer, Thomas Andrews (Michael Goodliffe), takes one last look at the painting:


Resigned to his fate:


From Thomas Andrews' Wikipedia page

On 14 April at 11:40 PM, the Titanic struck an iceberg on the ship’s starboard side. Andrews had been in his stateroom, planning changes he wanted to make to the ship, and barely noticed the collision. Captain Edward J. Smith had Andrews summoned to help examine the damage. Andrews and Captain Smith discussed the damage to the ship shortly after midnight, after Andrews had toured the damaged section of the ship and received several reports of the vessel's damage. Andrews determined that the first five of the ship's watertight compartments were rapidly flooding. Andrews knew that if more than four of the ship's compartments flooded, it would inevitably sink. He relayed this information to Captain Smith, stating that it was a 'mathematical certainty', and adding that in his opinion, the vessel had only about an hour before it completely sank. He also informed Smith of the severe shortage of lifeboats on board the ship.

As the evacuation of the Titanic began, Andrews searched staterooms telling the passengers to put on lifebelts and go up on deck. Fully aware of the short time the ship had left and of the lack of lifeboat space for all passengers and crew, he continued to urge reluctant people into the lifeboats in the hope of filling them as fully as possible. Another reported last sighting was of Andrews frantically throwing deck chairs into the ocean for passengers to use as floating devices. According to John Stewart, a steward on the ship, Andrews was last seen in the first–class smoking room staring at a painting, "Plymouth Harbour", above the fireplace, his lifejacket lying on a nearby table. The painting depicted the entrance to Plymouth Sound, which Titanic had been expected to visit on her return voyage. The painting is often incorrectly shown on television and in movies as depicting the entrance to New York Harbor. Andrews went down with the Titanic and his body was never found.

Finally, on 19 April, his father received a telegram from his mother's cousin, who had spoken with survivors in New York, searching for news of Andrews. The telegram was read aloud by Andrews Sr. to the staff of the home in Comber: "INTERVIEW TITANIC'S OFFICERS. ALL UNANIMOUS THAT ANDREWS HEROIC UNTO DEATH, THINKING ONLY SAFETY OTHERS. EXTEND HEARTFELT SYMPATHY TO ALL."

The real Thomas Andrews:

R.I.P.

[Rick C]

Waterloo was fought in the wind, rain & mud. i think they'd be wearing a full tunic rather than just a shirt

Steve

Maybe they had it indoors on account of the weather then? LOL

[steereomono]

Great thread Cornershop.

Michael Crawford tears through this one in The Knack ...and How to Get It (1965)

[Gerald Lovell]

A rather cartoonish portrait here of the man both Irina Baronova and Valerie Hobson are after:



John Clements waving his baton during a Train of Events (1949).

[Heinrich]

This is the painting of Carlotta Valdes from Vertigo. Also Madeleine, Kim Novak, gazing at the portrait.

[GRAEME]

John Mills' family display their upward aspirations in Flame in the Street through the art on their walls. Daughter Sylvia Syms has a Modigliani on her bedroom wall - anybody know which one? I think it was like this one, but can't be sure...

Amedeo_Modigliani_-_Jeanne_Hebuterne_in_Red_Shawl.jpg

[christoph404]

Odd rendition of a famous story, with Richard Todd looking very bewildered.

[moonfleet]

Fresque on roman wall in Fellini's Satyricon