Synopsis:via LACMA (http://www.lacma.org/event/tims-vermeer)
2013, 80 minutes, color, DCP | Directed by Teller; with Tim Jenison, Penn Jillette, Martin Mull, Phillip Steadman, and David Hockney
An illusionist duo, Johannes Vermeer, and restaging scenes from 17th-century Dutch paintings: this is an informative and lovable documentary about art, invention, and industriousness. Directed by Teller of the illusionist team of Penn & Teller, Tim's Vermeer tells the story of cracking the method that painter Johannes Vermeer used to create the unusual lighting that led to his masterworks. Tim recreates the painstaking circumstances behind Vermeer's execution to demonstrate how the artist worked. In addition to Penn, Tim, and his family—who put in invaluable time on the project—the on-camera subjects include David Hockney, who marvels at Tim's mind and prowess.
Trailer:No official trailer yet, just clip promoting documentary for festivals.
Interview:Teller talks!
Photos:Tim paints with oil for first time.
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lonestarfilmfestival.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F10%2FTims-Vermeer-Still-2.jpg&hash=761ac9f0e118537325986e1907480837ce41c034)
The Music Lesson by Johannes Vermeer - painting which Tim attempted to recreate.
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2F4%2F49%2FJan_Vermeer_van_Delft_014.jpg&hash=c1d07203fe7cce10ee2f3f30ad0e3199d4dccc07)
Not sure if this should go into Grapevine or This Year In Film. Documentary was shown at some festivals already and will probably get limited run in LA and NY before new year. No information about wide release yet. Please move thread if wrongly categorized.
This looks really interesting, thanks for posting.
Tangentially, Teller is easily one of the top five people in the world I would want to meet and have dinner with. Based on everything I've ever read by or about him, and interviews I've seen with him (including the one Mel posted here), he is one of the most fascinating, knowledgeable, entertaining people out there.
That was a very good interview. Thank you.
Yeah, the subject matter is great, though it's hard to get an impression of the film from that little clip alone. But the way Teller talks about it in the interview really tickles me.
And everyone should at least watch the last ten seconds of that interview, to see the most hilariously strange reaction to end an interview on.
Quote from: Just Withnail on November 14, 2013, 04:25:37 AM
Yeah, the subject matter is great, though it's hard to get an impression of the film from that little clip alone.
There are hardly any promotional materials available. I had problems finding synopsis that isn't very ambiguous. Right now official site is just a stub: http://www.timsvermeer.com (http://www.timsvermeer.com). There are some talks about nomination for Oscar, guess Sony took that seriously and will promote documentary according to that. You can find additional interviews on Youtube (just search for "Tim's Vermeer"), mostly from festivals, lengthy talks with Tim Jenison are also available.
Here is short intro from TIFF (probably better than clip):
Another clip:
And interview:
Good news: DVD is out.
I still need to digest it. It has Looney Tunes quality, at least some parts of it. As much a documentary is funny itself, Tim's experience of painting Vermeer is far from it. Great amount of stamina and drive by an obsession - inspiring.
This is really good. Don't have a lot say about it other than what the premise might indicate that it will challenge a lot of people's perceptions about the division between art, craft, and technology. But what makes it really enjoyable and fun is Tim himself. He's such an industrious and lovable geek and his obsession is infectious.