English artist Louis Wain rises to prominence at the end of the 19th century for his surreal cat paintings that seemed to reflect his declining sanity.
Chuck says:
Benedict Cumberbatch has become one of my favorite actors, primarily because he obviously has a desire to challenge himself. At home in the Marvel Universe as Doctor Strange or on the plains of Montana in the upcoming modern western The Power of the Dog, he’s convincing in all he does and seems intent on amassing a collection of the most eclectic characters possible over the course of his career. In taking on the title role in The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, he adds eccentric, troubled artist to his diverse resume.
Due to unsound business practices, Wain never made a great deal of money for his work, even though his drawings and sketches that appeared in London periodicals were enormously popular. Focusing primarily on cats, rendered both realistically and in fanciful poses, he’s credited with elevating awareness of the animal and popularizing the idea they could be kept as domestic pets. Whether that’s true or not was of little concern to Wain as he had more than his fair share of tragedy in his personal life. Credit Cumberbatch for portraying him so that the audience doesn’t dismiss him as a mere oddball but as a man much to be pitied.
3 Stars
