Great Artists with Tim Marlow (1) (2001)

Great Artists with Tim Marlow - ONE is a documentary film in 14 episodes. It was shown on British television (Channel 5) in 2001 and released on DVD in 2007. Here are some basic facts about it:

** Written and presented by Tim Marlow

** Co-writers: Phil Grabsky, Ali Ray & Mehreen Saigol

** Directors: Phil Grabsky, Ali Ray & Mehreen Saigol

** Musical score composed by Daniel Pemberton

** Studio: Seventh Art Productions (2011)

** Soundtrack: English – no subtitles

** Run time: 14 x 23 minutes = 322 minutes

As stated above, there are fourteen episodes. Each episode covers one artist. The episodes are arranged in chronological order, but you do not have to watch them from 1 to 14. Each episode is a complete account. Therefore you can watch them in any order that you want. Here are the names of the artists who are covered in this film:

DISC ONE

Episode # 01. Giotto (1266 or 1267-1337)

Episode # 02. Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)

Episode # 03. Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528)

Episode # 04. Michelangelo (1475-1564)

Episode # 05. Raphael (1483-1520)

Episode # 06. Titian (born 1487-1490; died 1576)

Episode # 07. Pieter Bruegel (the Elder) (born 1525-1530; died 1569)

DISC TWO

Episode # 08. El Greco (1541-1614)

Episode # 09. Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)

Episode # 10. Velasquez (1599-1660)

Episode # 11. Rembrandt (1606-1669)

Episode # 12. Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675)

Episode # 13. J. M. W. Turner (1775-1851)

Episode # 14. Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890)

In each episode, the artist is placed in his historical context. Marlow is a professional presenter, who covers the life and career of the artist in question and shows us the major works of the artist in question.

Marlow visits the locations where the artist lived and worked, and (if needed) the location where his works are on display today. The program was filmed in more than fifty locations – churches, museums, and palaces – in several European countries. Very impressive.

When Marlow shows us a painting, he helps us understand what we see. He has a good eye for details. They are pointed out and their significance is explained. Very instructive.

What do reviewers say about this program? On IMDb it has a rating of 85 per cent, which corresponds to 4.3 stars on Amazon. Here on Amazon UK there are 14 reviews of this product. The average rating is 4.9 stars.

I understand the positive reviews and I agree with most of them. There is much to like here, but I cannot go all the way to the top with this product. Why?

While each episode can be described as excellent, things are different when I look at the program as a whole. When I do this, I have to say there is a flaw: all the artists chosen here are men! There is not a single women among them. This exclusion of female artists is a flaw. A serious and significant flaw.

I like this film and I want to give it a good rating, but as you can see there is a flaw, which cannot be overlooked; which cannot be ignored. I have to remove one star because of this. Therefore I think this film deserves a rating of four stars.

PS # 1. A minor but general flaw: Marlow has difficulty pronouncing the name of the famous museum in Paris, the Louvre. He invariably says “the Louve.” Obviously, this place is mentioned several times. I do not understand why nobody told him to correct the pronunciation of this word.

PS # 2. Great Artists with Tim Marlow - TWO is a documentary film in 12 episodes. It was shown on British television (Channel 5) in 2005 and released on DVD in 2007. Are any female artists included here? Yes! One! But only one out of twelve, i.e. less than 10 per cent. The selection of artists is extremely one-sided. What a shame!

PS # 3. The Story of Women and Art is a documentary film in three episodes; written and presented by Amanda Vickery. It was shown on British television (BBC) in 2014 and released on DVD in 2015. Watch this film and you will see just how much Marlow missed.

*****

 

Tim Marlow (born 1963)

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