5 stars from margaret pomeranz
WATCH: Skip ahead to 13:01 to see Margaret Pomeranz, the esteemed Australian film critic, give WHITELEY her first-ever 5-Star review on Foxtel Arts' 'Stage and Screen' program.
Stage and Screen, Foxtel Arts, Season 3 Episode 10.
Brett Whiteley documentary traces the tumultuous life of art's 'hand grenade'
READ: Twenty-five years after he died alone in a motel room, Australian art's troubled hero is captured on the big screen...
The Sydney Morning Herald, Gabriella Coslovich, May 5 2017
Brett Whiteley documentary sheds light on famed artist's troubled life
READ / WATCH: The documentary will be released on May 11 and Wendy said it offered a chance to reflect on the impact Brett had on the Australian cultural landscape. "And the dedication of a man, with all his flaws, to his work and to being an artist."
ABC News Breakfast, Patrick Wood, May 4 2017
Brett Whiteley documentary pulls no punches on a visionary artist
READ: A comprehensive cinematic chronicle of the extraordinary life, times and art of the late Australian painter Brett Whiteley is long overdue. This exemplary documentary — one of the finest produced on home soil in recent times — has made the wait absolutely worthwhile. Director James Bogle utilises a basic, no-frills approach, wisely surmising that Whiteley’s spellbinding visual gift will speak for itself.
Herald Sun, Leigh Paatsch - National Film Critic, May 11 2017
HEARTILY RECOMMENDED TO EVERYONE - 4.5 stars
READ: Brett Whiteley’s life exists in the public’s imagination at the level of myth, and, these days, of cliché: the all-consuming talent, the great love, life lived in extremis through the creative drive, debauchery, affairs, and a descent into addiction. Whiteley by James Bogle and Victor Gentile, however, is a strong, truthful and satisfying film, his story told through the words of the artist himself, Wendy Whiteley, and his sister Frannie Hopkirk. Whiteley gives you a sense of the man; you come away feeling as though you knew him.
Arts Hub, Liza Dezfouli, April 24, 2017
Aussie art documentary delivers a great deal of the full Whiteley
READ: Even those not well-acquainted with the art of the late Brett Whiteley are likely to know the legend – that of a comet that burned brightly through the art world, unleashing a self-destructive tailwind that caught up not only himself but his loved ones... This is a major documentary that deserves to be seen by anyone in Australia with even a passing interest in art.
Limelight Magazine, Lynden Barber, May 15 2017
Inside Brett Whiteley's creative mind in new film
WATCH: The documentary about the legendary Australian artist will give an unparalleled insight into his life.
Sunrise, April 12th, 7:45 am, 2017
The Real Brett Whiteley Revealed in New Fly-on-the-Wall Doco
READ: The fact that in his young life the artist was dogged by drug addiction and affairs is common knowledge. But Whiteley goes behind that, giving viewers a greater sense of what drove the man and his addiction to art, to heroin, and to his muse and the love of his life, former-wife Wendy Whiteley.
Broadsheet, Jane Albert, May 1 2017
WHITELEY
READ: Bogle is ultimately successful in juxtaposing the flaws and inconsistencies of the man with the undoubted genius of his paintings, producing an imaginative, unconventional film that leaves the viewer happily ‘transmuted’, to use one of Brett’s favourite terms, into an intoxicating reverie that is not unlike the dazzling effect of the paintings themselves.
The Australian Book Review (ABR), Barnaby Smith, May 5 2017
Whiteley: a seductive cinematic portrait of a serious artist
READ: The single most important achievement of the film is the exposure it provides to Whiteley’s art, including actual footage of the artist at work and explaining his creations, but most significantly, images of the artworks themselves. The device constantly adopted throughout the film of zooming in on the detail in the work and pausing at length on lush passages of paint or the fluid sensuous line that only hints at form, is effective and at times spectacular.
The Conversation, Sasha Grishin, May 9, 2017
The Conversation Hour: Wendy Whiteley
LISTEN: [The] first guest is "secret gardener" Wendy Whiteley, the muse and former wife of artist Brett Whiteley. The new documentary Whiteley (directed by James Bogle and featuring Brett Whiteley, Wendy Whiteley, and Frannie Hopkirk) is in cinemas from 11th May, 2017.
ABC Radio National: The Conversation Hour with John Faine and Deborah Conway, May 4, 2017
WHITELEY: A MOVIE REVIEW
READ: This is enthralling viewing, a seamless portrait of a driven and talented artist and the things that engaged him. One doesn’t have to like everything he produced, but his ability to capture something on paper with just a few brushstrokes is undeniable. Robert Hughes compared watching him painting to being “like watching Nureyev dance”.
J-Wire, Roz Tarszisz, May 8, 2017
A fascinating portrait of a fascinating artist
READ: "As his voice is heard over a montage of his impressive career, it’s clear to see why he has continued to intrigue Australians and the world for almost half a century. Yet the real star will remain the art, writ large on the cinema screen and open to infinite reinterpretation... Sitting on the edge of crazed and genius, as all great artists do, Bogle’s documentary is an essential piece of art history that will leave you hungry for art in your life... Four Stars."
The Reel Bits, Richard Gray, May 22, 2017
ABC Radio NATIONAL - 'Evenings' With Christine Anu
LISTEN: Skip through to 1:59:58 of this recording to hear Christine's interview with James Bogle, director of WHITELEY.
ABC Radio National - Evenings With Christine Anu, May 20, 2017
Film Review: Whiteley
READ: "Brett Whiteley (1939 – 1992), a towering figure in the easily-shocked-and-scandalised Australian arts scene, is brought to life in this tremendous documentary from co-writer, co-producer and director James Bogle, known for dark prestige dramas like In The Winter Dark and Closed For Winter."
The Adelaide Review, DM Bradley, May 12, 2017
Whiteley – Film Review
READ: "One example of flair is the use of an illustration as a background shot, but then in the foreground of the frame an animated person stands so that the image achieves a pop-up art look that doubles as an imaginative ode to the multi-dimensional depths of Whiteley’s work... The incredible 'American Dream' piece is sumptuously photographed, with the camera panning from right to left so that we fully appreciate the scope of the mural and the amount of detail in the entire piece."
Impulse Gamer, Damien Straker, May 10, 2017
ABC RADIO NATIONAL - 'DRIVE' WITH RICHARD GLOVER
LISTEN: Skip through to 2:28:39 of this recording to hear AAP Entertainment Reporter Danielle McGrane reviewing WHITELEY.
ABC Radio National - Drive With Richard Glover - May 23, 2017
Fascinating bio-doc about the brilliant, troubled Australian artist: Brett Whiteley
READ / LISTEN: "Replete with interviews, archival materials and footage of Whiteley trying to describe himself, director James Bogle does a great job illustrating his life and the impact of his work, with much in the film suggesting how far ahead of his time Whiteley was."
3AW, Jim Schembri’s New Release Movie Reviews - May 25, 2017