The Pitmen Painters

Synopsis

In 1934, a group of Ashington miners hired a professor to teach an art appreciation evening class. Rapidly abandoning theory in favour of practice, the pitmen began to paint. Within a few years the most avant-garde artists became their friends and their work was acquired by prestigious collections; but every day they worked, as before, down the mine. Examining the lives of a group of ordinary men that do extraordinary things, The Pitmen Painters is a humorous, deeply moving and timely look at art, class and politics.

Our Review:

Glenn Meads - 28 October 2009

Lee Hall's The Pitmen Painters tells the true story of ordinary men; miners facing extraordinary challenges in their lives. Dealing with danger and having to contend with the perils of the mines, they are given the chance to paint and to draw; exploring art in a way that they never thought was possible. These working class characters swap their spit and sawdust lives for the world of analysis.

On paper, this is an incredibly rich and and original tale, but somehow Hall loses his way and misses some golden opportunities to move the audience and give the narrative some drive.

Set between 1934 and 1947, you do not really feel the passing of time, even though intertitles constantly remind you of such. Another problem area, is the fact that you do not really see the men paint. So, unlike say, The Full Monty or Billy Elliot, there is no emotional payoff.

This is not to say that the basis of the play is not engaging. Watching these sto...

Read more of the review

Latest User Review

No reviews yet

Click here to add your review