La vida electrizante de Louis Wain

Louis (loo-eee) Wain was a British artist who lived 1860 to 1939, dying a month before he would have turned 79. He also fashioned himself as a composer and an inventor although those never came to fruition. He had theories about electricity but nothing practical like Tesla.

However he made his reputation with cats, especially drawing cats in all kinds of real and fantasy situations. That is his lasting legacy. Within his family, himself and his five female siblings, were some types of mental illness. All this is prominent in this movie.

Before watching it I knew nothing of Louis Wain and now find him to be a fascinating person. I already knew Benedict Cumberbatch to be one of the better working actors currently and he certainly hits a home run as the colorful and eccentric Wain.

My wife and I watched it at home on Amazon streaming.

Some films can firmly claim to be one-of-a-kind, such as; 'The Life of Pi', then there's this one, about a painter I had not heard of from the late eighteen hundreds. Louis was a tortured fellow bordering on several psychotic spectrums while being extremely gifted in the arts, etc - leaving behind his remarkable (and much copied) Cat paintings that took the era by storm. Its style is dazzling all the way, and impresses on many levels - it starts off with a rather convoluted opening, that may not suit viewers with a short attention span or an impatience for understanding what drives a character's actions.

This is a fact-based story running the gamut of human emotions - seeking to open doorways into the lives of troubled souls who existed during unsympathetic, and rather medically ignorant times (think also of Van Gogh). Production design, performances, cinematography and, music are exemplary, leaving patient audiences with a unique and precious gift.

Director, co-writer, Japanese/English Will Sharp is no stranger to Bipolar disorders being type 11, and injects powerful understandings into Louis's character. Will's brother, Arthur Sharp, imparts wonderful emotional support supplying a stand-out Theremin based music score. Story writer Simon Stephenson has created a rich human experience giving us much to feel and think about (perhaps there's also a nod to Australian pop artist Martin Sharp here).

One aspect that created a little disappointment was the decision to photograph in a variation of the old 4 x 3 frame. It added nothing to the story, in fact gave the film a cramped, claustrophobic feel, that can be better achieved in production design. Modern movie makers sometimes, mistakenly, think they need to go backward - away from the vast improvements in aspect ratios, this can sacrifice vital elements within their work. The end credits were neat but why so small? Otherwise, it's quite a special experience from Studio Canal and Amazon Studios.

Benedict Cumberbatch is Louis Wain, the Victorian cat illustrator, in "The Electrical Life of Louis Wain."

This is really a lovely film. Wain, who lives with his five sisters and mother, is flighty. As a result, his sister Caroline (Andrea Risborough) is in charge of the family and sets about to hire a governess, Emily (Claire Foy).

Louis has a million things going on in his head, some of which don't make much sense. He certainly can draw, though. He's also very busy inventing and actually composes an opera ("this isn't really even music," he's told).

When he meets Emily, however, Louis takes on a new interest. She is ten years older than he, and they are of different social standings. Nevertheless, they fall in love and marry. Unfortunately, she is diagnosed with terminal breast cancer not long after.

One day they find a kitten in the rain and name it Peter. Peter gives Emily much comfort during her illness, and Louis begins to draw him. Thus begins his cat illustrations, which bring him success.

Historians believe Louis was schizophrenic and that his advancing illness can be seen in his drawings, which become hallucinogenic later on in his career. He is eventually sent to a state institution, but his fans, including H. G. Wells, raise money to have him sent to more comfortable surroundings, where he lives out his life.

Benedict Cumberbatch - the arrogant genius of Sherlock, the cruel, repressed cowboy in The Power of the Dog, the tortured agent in The Courier, the brilliant Alan Turing, the unstable alcoholic of Patrick Melrose, here adds another brilliant performance to his resume. Passionate, loving, and gentle, whimsical, becoming more and more erratic as time goes on.

Some argue that Wain comes off as too crazy here, and yet others think he is more whimsical and wonder if it wouldn't be more dramatic if his descent into madness had been shown more. Nevertheless, the film has much beauty and many good scenes in it.

The man who catapulted cats into the mainstream, cataloguing his cataclysmic catastrophes while categorically catering as a catnip for cat lovers, the cateracting from the cateractors will make you caterwaul and purr - that is unless you're a dog or a bird or hypoallergenic to fur.

My Review - The Electrical Life of Louis Wain. A Prime Amazon Film

My Rating 7/10

This moving characterisation of talented but mentally troubled artist Louis Wain is yet another fine performance from probably the most talented and diverse actor on the planet today Benedict Cumberbatch. Seeing his brilliant portrayal of Phil Burbank the cruel and austere Montana Cattle rancher and then a few days later to see this consummate actor portray a fragile gentle Victorian Englishman surrounded by his eccentric mother and sisters who falls in love with an older woman blissfully marries then loses her quickly to terminal cancer is utterly remarkable to me that it's the same Benedict Cumberbatch.

This is the true story of a man who later in life was confined to mental institutions as he was alleged to have suffered from schizophrenia. According to some psychiatrists, the onset of schizophrenia can be seen in his works, although the schizophrenia diagnosis is in dispute. I would rather have thought his gentle eccentric and talented artistic temperament aided by a disassociation to other people except his wife and the animals he adored was just more on the autism spectrum not schizophrenia?

Louis Waine has been acknowledged as helping to promote the fascination of the domestic cat and their adoration world over by felinophiles of which I'm one that peaked in Victorian England and lasted through the generations till today .

He achieved this through his drawings, which consistently featured anthropomorphized large-eyed cats although he started drawing dogs until Peter a black and white kitten that he and his wife Emily rescued in their garden from a storm changed both their lives.

I was moved by this story but had a few reservations about the technical aspects of the movie and one piece of miscasting .

As much as I admire Claire Foy I felt her role should have been played by Olivia Colman who is the narrator of the story or an actress like Imelda Staunton.

The character of Emily Richardson is meant to be ten years older than Louis, Claire Foy is actually eight years younger than Benedict Cumberbatch.

Claire Foy is charming as the Governess who comes to live in the mad house that is Louis Waine's home surrounded by loud eccentric women and their even louder children but it's stretching credibility to think that Emily Richardson is ten years older than her husband.

The other problem for me was the 4.3 screen ratio I know it was chosen for artistic reasons and at times this film is as pretty as a Victorian post card but I found it almost squashing the scope of the movie .

The publicity blurb says "Every frame features gorgeous production design by Suzie Davies and elegant costumes by Michael O'Connor, captured in creamily luscious cinematography by Erik Alexander Wilson, though the film is shot in the boxy 4:3 ratio, perhaps to simulate the feeling of a canvas on screen.

Sorry Merchant Ivory achieved the same effect on the wide screen plus wonderful films of artists lives like Turner and Van Gough didn't need 4.3 to stimulate the feeling of a canvas . The other irritating addition to the film on Amazon Prime are the subtitles to explain what is obvious the title of a book on a desk for instance that the viewer can read for themselves? I just found it distracting but I agree it's a very pretty film to watch ,especially the outdoor garden scenes.

Saying all that I'm probably nit picking ,on the whole The Electrical Life of Louis Wain is a fine and very moving film . It yet again puts Benedict Cumberbatch as my favourite actor of the moment . I've seen him play a drug addict in the superb Patrick Melrose, a wartime code breaker in The Imitation Game a monster in Frankenstein an angry cattle rancher in The Power of the Dog ,a sleuth in Sherlock Holmes ,a Sci Fi villain in Dr Strange , a King in The Hollow Crown , a prisoner of war in The Mauritanian and in and on what a range but can he do a musical ? I'm sure he will try .