For No Good Reason

Documentaries about Artist are Not that Common, and they Should be. Most Artist Linger in Semi-Obscurity even if They have Attained a Modicum of Money, Fame, or Admiration and Recognition. A Good Bit of the Time there are Splashes in the Public Eye, but Unless the Work is in a Sort of Popular Culture Saturation, it is Unlikely that Any given Artist, Outside the Bubble of a Particular Field, Comic Books, for Example, a Particular Artist Remains Relatively Unknown.

Documentaries can Flesh Out the Person Behind the Art, at Least a Little bit, and can Shed Some Insight and Light while giving a Platform for the Art to be Exposed in Heaps for Ninety Minutes or so. Aside, from a Coffee Table Book that Includes Pages and Pages of Artwork, a Docu-Film will most Likely be Seen by More People than Buy the Book.

So here is Ralph Steadman. Who, You Say? Exactly. Unless You were a Reader of Rolling Stone Magazine in the Seventies, or a Fan of Gonzo Journalist Hunter S. Thompson, Steadman has Remained in the Aforementioned Obscurity. But that's About the Extent of His Explosion of Exposure.

Not that it is Insignificant, much to the Contrary, He and the Good Doctor, Thompson, Defined Gonzo Journalism, and Tried to "Change the world!", a Phrase that Steadman Utters at Least Three Times in the Documentary and in the End, at Age 76, Seems Disappointed that Most of what He Tried to Change, Remains Unchanged.

The Fancy Film from Director Charlie Paul is Filled with enough Interesting Anecdotes and Surprisingly Rare and Old Archival Footage, a lot with Hunter. It also Includes Interviews with Other Folks who have Worked with Steadman and it is all Anchored with Johnny Depp, Long Time Friend and Fan. Terry Gilliam's Movie, "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" (1998) is Based on the Book by Thompson that Included Illustrations by Steadman and may be the Artist Link to Moderns with the Most Resonance.

Overall, a Must See Movie for Lovers of Art, the Sixties Counter Culture, Hunter S. Thompson, and to Get an Introduction to One of the Most Bizarre and Powerful Political Artists of Our Time. His Work and Some of His Unique Mystique and Technique, Much on Display Here, can be Admired and Studied.

Ralph Steadman is a very interesting and different type of person to listen to talk. His story is very interesting and I always enjoy listening to his collaborations with Hunter S Thompson. The reason for the 5/10 is simply because of the music. The soundtrack to this isn't just bad but I feel is a giant slap to the face of Ralph and his generation. You don't sum up a counter culture Icon like Thompson or Steadman by playing pop music to a collage of their work. It just doesn't sit right for me.

Good documentary. Very in depth. However, and I do apologise, but the soundtrack is shocking. Bad choice of songs. The backing track sometimes overpowers the interviews. If someone is giving an interview then it's very strange to have a music piece playing with vocals underneath them. Quite a few of the montages in this documentary , which are mainly of Ralph's artwork , are paired with very bad music. This ruins the tone of the documentary - of course this is just my opinion. The main thing I will take away from this doc is that it had a bad choice of music, and music placement - other than that it's brilliant and a must buy.

Review: I really enjoyed this documentary about the extremely talented artist, Ralph Steadman, who has a very unique style of painting/drawing. A lot of people have seen his work on the Withnail & I and Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas covers, but he hasn't really became an household name. After seeing his amazing work in this documentary, which shows Ralph Steadman being interviewed by Johnny Depp who was the main character in Fear & Loathing, you can't help thinking that he is extremely under rated which is probably due to his personal political views. This movie gives an in depth look about the thought process behind his work and the strange but wonderful relationship between Steadman and Hunter S. Thompson. I think that the director done a great job with this documentary, and for someone that had never heard of Steadman before, I will definitely look out for his previous and present work. Enjoyable!

Round-Up: The way that the director was able to use Ralph Steadman's work to put it into mini cartoons, was brilliant and to see Steadman create a painting from just flicking the paintbrush onto a blank piece of paper, really does show how talented the man really is. The different techniques that he uses to come of with some amazing paintings, was an eye opener, but it's a shame that no one has really heard of him. In the art and movie world, he does seem to be well known and respected but I really didn't have a clue about his work before I saw this documentary. Anyway, it's worth watch if your interested in this type of thing, but I'm sure that some people would find it boring if they were looking for entertainment.

Budget: N/A Worldwide Gross: $67,500 (Deserved more!)

I recommend this movie to people who are into documentaries about art and who have seen some of Ralph Steadman's terrific work. 6/10

Johnny Depp, who is intriguing himself, seems to collect other intriguing people as friends. This documentary is about his friend Ralph Steadman, the artist who collaborated with Hunter S. Thompson and did a range of other fascinating work including illustrations for children's' books.

Steadman demonstrates his creative process, discusses his love/hate relationship with Hunter S. Thompson, and talks about what he was and still is trying to achieve with his art.

If you enjoy explorations into the intimate, fascinating details about artists and their work, you will love this film. If you've read Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, it will be all the more interesting.

I appreciated that Johnny Depp remained as invisible as possible, making sure Ralph Steadman took center stage. By the end of this movie, I was fascinated by the artist, and I am planning to view some of the books he has illustrated.

Detailed documentaries about artists and their thought processes are not for everyone, but if you are fascinated by this type of film, you will not be disappointed in this one.