User Reviews

I really enjoyed this. Its a taken for granted that Ken Russell can get a little carried away in his enthusiasm for his subject sometimes to the detribute of the project in hand. On occasion that excitement can lead to greatness, as with The Devils, Savage Messiah and here with poor neglected Sunday painter, Henri Rousseau. I knew little of the man and so was immediately drawn in to the wonderful little tale of the wonderful little man who kept at it despite the odds (remind you of anyone?) until eventually, after all the mockery and derisive comments, gains the recognition of the surrealists in general and Picasso in particular. As Rousseau's expertise grew, his pictures, still displaying the childlike naivety, began also to take on the feeling of dreams and the workings of the subconscious. Ken Russell's playful, experimental and amusing presentation fits perfectly with the subject and a marvellously infectious documentary presents itself for our delectation.