Rafini's Movie Review: Big Eyes

Big Eyes, directed by Tim Burton and starring Amy Adams, is a film about the awakening of self-confidence in a mild-mannered painter who previously had no apparent sense of her own self-worth. While the eventual climax to the film is well supported throughout the story depicted, the initial 1955 impetus for this awakening is intentionally omitted, therefore completely unknown to the viewing audience. The film opens in classic Burton style with a voice over telling the viewers that the scene they were watching, where Margaret Ulbrich is collecting her paintings before leaving her then current husband, was an uncommon occurrence in 1950’s America. The story then fast-forwards through several jump cuts to the moment when the protagonist meets her antagonist, and future husband.

The story of Margaret Keane is not an unusual one, nor is it well known. However, in terms of gender equality, it is an important one. Throughout history women have consistently succumbed to the apparent strength and power of men, through abuse; manipulation; domination. The story of Margaret Keane, as seen in Big Eyes, is a story of triumph over an oppressively lying husband who claims his wife’s work as his own.

The biggest impression I had while watching this film was the fact that I could tell Big Eyes was a Burton production despite the lack of Gothicism and the absence of his two most often hired actors: Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. In addition to the impossible to miss Burton classic of an opening voice over, the film opens with the camera, and Adams, going through the house. Correspondingly, the plot focuses on Keane, a young and artistic mother, who seems to accept being a misunderstood outcast. Danny Elfman, another favorite of Burton’s, provided the music for this film, and the main character was friendly and optimistic throughout the turbulent situation created by her husband. There was also a quirkiness about the main character that matched the quirkiness of some of Burton’s other beloved characters, such as Edward Scissorhands or Willie Wonka, that was equally impossible to miss. If I hadn’t known I was watching a Burton film, I certainly could have guessed it.

As surprised as I was that Burton chose to avoid Gothic elements in this film, I can’t help but agree with his choice. Had Burton chosen to incorporate castles, churches or ancient buildings then the setting would have been inappropriate for the subject. Additionally, had Burton somehow managed to feature horror, death, or even a scarecrow or some other kind of fantastical element, the film would have had a completely different outcome in that Keane’s character would have been seen as out of place. Remarkably, the voice over was not a distraction, as is often the case with a Burton film, and I somehow ended up with the impression that Keane’s “Big Eyes” paintings had influenced Burton’s cinematographic choices.

All in all, I thought Big Eyes was a good film, and is definitely worth seeing if you’re a Burton fan. Even if you’re not a Burton fan, I would still recommend this film due to the impressive triumph Keane exacted from her husband. The film reminded me of the Kate Chopin novel, “The Awakening,” a story centered around gender roles and social constraints, which is and has been considered a must read by college professors for decades. Although the underlying themes of Big Eyes take a different approach than the novel, the main storyline seems to pick up where Chopin left off.

• Margaret divorced Walter Keane in 1965
• Andy Warhol said (about Margaret Keane's work) "I think what Keane has done is just terrific. It has to be good. If it were bad, so many people wouldn't like it."
• When her work was most popular, Margaret was painting non-stop up to 16 hours a day
• Margaret was commissioned to paint the portraits of Joan Crawford, Natalie Wood, Jerry Lewis, and the children of President John F. Kennedy
• Woody Allen's 1973 film, Sleeper, features futuristic people who consider Margaret Keane to be one of the greatest artists of all time
• Margaret sued her ex-husband, Walter Keane, and USA Today for an article claiming Walter was the real artist behind the Big Eyes paintings
• Margaret won her lawsuit and was awarded $4,000,000.
• In 1990 a federal appeals court upheld the defamation lawsuit, but overturned the monetary award
• Just before the release of Big Eyes, Margaret's paintings were selling for $8,500 and up
• Tim Burton is a collector of Margaret Keane's Big Eyes paintings