# Mr. Turner

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This article is about the film. For people with this surname, see [Turner (surname)](/source/Turner_(surname)).

***Mr. Turner*** is a 2014 [biographical](/source/Biographical_film) [drama](/source/Drama_(film_and_television)) film based on the last 25 years of the life of artist [J. M. W. Turner](/source/J._M._W._Turner) (1775–1851). Written and directed by [Mike Leigh](/source/Mike_Leigh), the film stars [Timothy Spall](/source/Timothy_Spall) in the title role, with [Dorothy Atkinson](/source/Dorothy_Atkinson), [Paul Jesson](/source/Paul_Jesson), [Marion Bailey](/source/Marion_Bailey), [Lesley Manville](/source/Lesley_Manville), and [Martin Savage](/source/Martin_Savage_(actor)). Leigh called Turner "a great artist: a radical, revolutionary painter", and said, "I felt there was scope for a film examining the tension between this very mortal, flawed individual, and the epic work, the spiritual way he had of distilling the world".[5]

*Mr. Turner* premiered in competition for the [Palme d'Or](/source/Palme_d'Or) at the [2014 Cannes Film Festival](/source/2014_Cannes_Film_Festival),[6] where Spall won the award for [Best Actor](/source/Best_Actor_Award_(Cannes_Film_Festival))[7] and [Dick Pope](/source/Dick_Pope_(cinematographer)) received a special jury prize for the film's cinematography.[8] The film was critically acclaimed and received four nominations each at the [87th Academy Awards](/source/87th_Academy_Awards) and [68th British Academy Film Awards](/source/68th_British_Academy_Film_Awards). [Its soundtrack](/source/Mr._Turner_(soundtrack)), by Gary Yerson, was also nominated for multiple awards.

## Plot

Profoundly affected by the death of his father, loved by his housekeeper, Hannah Danby, whom he takes for granted and occasionally uses sexually, painter [J. M. W. Turner](/source/J._M._W._Turner) forms a close and loving relationship with a seaside landlady, Mrs. Booth, with whom he eventually lives incognito in [Chelsea](/source/Chelsea,_London).

Turner travels, paints, stays with the country aristocracy, visits a brothel, is a popular if anarchic member of the [Royal Academy of Arts](/source/Royal_Academy_of_Arts), has himself strapped to the mast of a ship so that he can paint a snowstorm, and is both celebrated and reviled by the public and by royalty.[9]

The story recreates the memorable occasion during the [Royal Academy Exhibition of 1832](/source/Royal_Academy_Exhibition_of_1832) when Turner's seascape *Helvoetsluys* was placed next to Constable's *[The Opening of Waterloo Bridge seen from Whitehall](/source/The_Opening_of_Waterloo_Bridge_seen_from_Whitehall)*. Seeing how the muted tones of his own painting paled next to Constable's vibrant work, in a quick stroke Turner adds a smear of red paint representing a buoy. Recognising Turner's genius, Constable says, "He's been here and fired a gun."

## Cast

- [Timothy Spall](/source/Timothy_Spall) as [J. M. W. Turner](/source/J._M._W._Turner): The controversial artist; he never married but had two lovers. He fathered two children with one, though he denied paternity.[10]
- [Dorothy Atkinson](/source/Dorothy_Atkinson) as Hannah Danby: Turner's devoted housekeeper for 40 years, whom he exploits sexually. Leigh said that the sexual relationship was "an invention not based on any historical evidence".[11] She suffered from the skin disease [psoriasis](/source/Psoriasis) and died two years after Turner.
- [Marion Bailey](/source/Marion_Bailey) as Sophia Booth: Turner's landlady and lover, twice widowed, with one son by her first husband. After her second husband died, she became involved with Turner.
- [Paul Jesson](/source/Paul_Jesson) as William Turner Snr: Turner's father, a barber. His wife died young in a mental hospital, and their only other child died at 5. He lived with his artist son until his death, which deeply affected Turner.
- [Lesley Manville](/source/Lesley_Manville) as [Mary Somerville](/source/Mary_Somerville), a scientist and friend of Turner. She gained renown at a time when women engaging seriously in scientific study was not condoned.
- [Martin Savage](/source/Martin_Savage_(actor)) as [Benjamin Robert Haydon](/source/Benjamin_Haydon): Turner's friend, an artist who committed suicide.
- [Ruth Sheen](/source/Ruth_Sheen) as Sarah Danby: Hannah's aunt by marriage and Turner's first lover and the mother of his two unacknowledged daughters. Her husband and Hannah's uncle, a musician, had died, leaving her a young widow.
- [David Horovitch](/source/David_Horovitch) as Dr Price: Turner's doctor
- [Karl Johnson](/source/Karl_Johnson_(actor)) as Mr. Booth, a sea captain and second husband of Sophia Booth
- [Peter Wight](/source/Peter_Wight_(actor)) as [Joseph Gillott](/source/Joseph_Gillott): wealthy arts patron
- [Joshua McGuire](/source/Joshua_McGuire) as [John Ruskin](/source/John_Ruskin)
- [Stuart McQuarrie](/source/Stuart_McQuarrie) as Ruskin's father
- [Sylvestra Le Touzel](/source/Sylvestra_Le_Touzel) as Ruskin's mother
- [Leo Bill](/source/Leo_Bill) as [J. E. Mayall](/source/John_Jabez_Edwin_Mayall): pioneering photographer
- [Kate O'Flynn](/source/Kate_O'Flynn) as Prostitute: Eliza is the young prostitute sketched by Turner.
- [Sinead Matthews](/source/Sinead_Matthews) as [Queen Victoria](/source/Queen_Victoria): the young queen who sneers at Turner's later work.
- [Karina Fernandez](/source/Karina_Fernandez) as Miss Coggins: musician who plays [Dido's Lament](/source/Dido's_Lament) by [Henry Purcell](/source/Henry_Purcell), to Turner's singing.
- [Richard Bremmer](/source/Richard_Bremmer) as [George Jones](/source/George_Jones_(painter)): artist famous for battle scenes
- [Mark Stanley](/source/Mark_Stanley) as [Clarkson Stanfield](/source/Clarkson_Frederick_Stanfield): marine painter
- [Jamie Thomas King](/source/Jamie_King_(actor)) as [David Roberts](/source/David_Roberts_(painter)): Scottish Orientalist painter
- [Tom Wlaschiha](/source/Tom_Wlaschiha) as [Prince Albert](/source/Albert,_Prince_Consort)
- [Patrick Godfrey](/source/Patrick_Godfrey) as [Lord Egremont](/source/George_Wyndham,_3rd_Earl_of_Egremont): arts patron (such as Carew) and owner of [Petworth House](/source/Petworth_House) where Turner spent much time.
- [Niall Buggy](/source/Niall_Buggy) as [John Carew](/source/John_Edward_Carew): Irish sculptor
- Fred Pearson as Sir [William Beechy](/source/William_Beechy): portrait painter
- Tom Edden as [C. R. Leslie](/source/Charles_Robert_Leslie): [genre](/source/Genre_works) painter
- [Clive Francis](/source/Clive_Francis) as [Martin Archer Shee](/source/Martin_Archer_Shee): portrait painter
- [Robert Portal](/source/Robert_Portal) as [Sir Charles Eastlake](/source/Charles_Lock_Eastlake): painter and gallery director
- [James Fleet](/source/James_Fleet) as [John Constable](/source/John_Constable): landscape painter, doyen of the Romantic movement
- [Nicholas Jones](/source/Nicholas_Jones_(actor)) as Sir [John Soane](/source/John_Soane): neo-classical architect and art collector
- [Roger Ashton-Griffiths](/source/Roger_Ashton-Griffiths) as [Henry William Pickersgill](/source/Henry_William_Pickersgill): portrait painter
- [Simon Chandler](/source/Simon_Chandler) as Sir [Augustus Wall Callcott](/source/Augustus_Wall_Callcott): landscape artist
- [Edward de Souza](/source/Edward_de_Souza) as [Thomas Stothard](/source/Thomas_Stothard): painter and engraver
- [Oliver Maltman](/source/Oliver_Maltman) as theatre actor
- [Sam Kelly](/source/Sam_Kelly) as theatre actor

## Production

The original screenplay was written by Mike Leigh with research by historian [Jacqueline Riding](/source/Jacqueline_Riding). *Mr. Turner* was filmed in several locations around the UK. [Margate](/source/Margate) was not used to represent Turner's Margate, which was filmed at [Kingsand](/source/Kingsand) in Cornwall. The production visited Kent to shoot a couple of scenes. [Wentworth Woodhouse](/source/Wentworth_Woodhouse) in Rotherham stood in for the Royal Academy in London, with the production crew meticulously recreating the way the paintings of the era were displayed. [HMS *Gannet*](/source/HMS_Gannet_(1878)) in the [Historic Dockyard Chatham](/source/Chatham_Dockyard) was used in the scene where Turner has himself strapped to the mast of a sailing ship during a storm. Stangate Creek doubled as the [Thames](/source/River_Thames) when Turner and his friends are rowed along the Thames and discuss [HMS *Victory*](/source/HMS_Victory), then toast [HMS *Temeraire*](/source/HMS_Temeraire_(1798)).[12]

## Music

Main article: [Mr. Turner (soundtrack)](/source/Mr._Turner_(soundtrack))

## Release

*Mr. Turner* had its [premiere](/source/Film_premiere) at the [2014 Cannes Film Festival](/source/2014_Cannes_Film_Festival),[13] where it competed for the [Palme d'Or](/source/Palme_d'Or), with Spall winning Best Actor and Dick Pope winning the Vulcan Award. [Entertainment One](/source/Entertainment_One) released the film in the United Kingdom on 31 December 2014. [Sony Pictures Classics](/source/Sony_Pictures_Classics) handled the United States distribution, with a release date of 19 December 2014. It was screened in the Special Presentations section of the [2014 Toronto International Film Festival](/source/2014_Toronto_International_Film_Festival).[14]

### Piracy

The film was leaked by the hacker group "Guardians of Peace" onto peer-to-peer file-sharing websites on 27 November 2014, more than three weeks ahead of its intended U.S. theatrical release, as part of the [Sony Pictures Entertainment hack](/source/Sony_Pictures_Entertainment_hack). Along with it came *[Fury](/source/Fury_(2014_film))* and three other then unreleased [Sony Pictures](/source/Sony_Pictures) films (*[Annie](/source/Annie_(2014_film))*, *[Still Alice](/source/Still_Alice)* and *[To Write Love on Her Arms](/source/To_Write_Love_on_Her_Arms_(film))*).[15] Within three days of the initial leak, an estimated 63,379 unique IPs had downloaded *Mr. Turner*.[15]

## Critical reception

On [Rotten Tomatoes](/source/Rotten_Tomatoes), the film has an approval rating of 97% based on 196 reviews, with an average rating of 8.4/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Led by a masterful performance from Timothy Spall and brilliantly directed by Mike Leigh, *Mr. Turner* is a superior Hollywood biopic."[16] On [Metacritic](/source/Metacritic), the film has a weighted average score of 94 out of 100 based on 44 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[17]

Critic Katie Kilkenny of *[The Atlantic](/source/The_Atlantic)* called it "a gorgeous, important film".[18] *[Observer](/source/The_Observer)* critic [Mark Kermode](/source/Mark_Kermode) described the film as a "portrait of a man wrestling light with his hands as if it were a physical element: tangible, malleable, corporeal".[19] *[Slate](/source/Slate_(magazine))* reviewer Dana Stevens wrote, "Writing about *Mr. Turner* a few weeks after seeing it, I feel a craving to be again immersed in its world, which is rich with colors, textures, and, it sometimes almost seems, smells".[20]

The consonance between the film and its subject was addressed by Sir [Nicholas Serota](/source/Nicholas_Serota), director of the [Tate Galleries](/source/Tate_Galleries) in England: “Mike Leigh and Timothy Spall’s great achievement is showing us how the artist approached the physical business of painting. But they also convey the spirit of a man whose reputation as a curmudgeon is unwarranted, given his passionate interest in people and the world around him. There is a great humanitarian streak in Turner and Mike Leigh has found a way of capturing this on film, as he has done so often before.”[21]

[Matt Zoller Seitz](/source/Matt_Zoller_Seitz) of [RogerEbert.com](/source/RogerEbert.com) gave the film three and a half out of four, writing that like Leigh's 1999 film *[Topsy-Turvy](/source/Topsy-Turvy)*, about the creation of [Gilbert and Sullivan](/source/Gilbert_and_Sullivan)'s comic opera *[The Mikado](/source/The_Mikado)*, "[*Mr. Turner*] understands creative people on every conceivable level, and translates that understanding with a deftness rarely seen outside of astute documentaries about creative people. To watch it is to feel as though you're a part of its world... experiencing tiny fluctuations in received wisdom and sudden changes of artistic direction that can only be sensed by professionals who are plugged into their art form, and completely in command of their talents."[22]

## Accolades

List of awards and nominations Award / Film Festival Category Recipient(s) Result 87th Academy Awards[23] Best Cinematography Dick Pope Best Costume Design Jacqueline Durran Best Original Score Gary Yershon Best Production Design Suzie Davies, Charlotte Watts 29th ASC Awards[24] Theatrical Motion Picture Dick Pope 23rd Britannia Awards[25] Excellence in Directing Mike Leigh 68th British Academy Film Awards[26] Best Cinematography Dick Pope Best Production Design Suzie Davies, Charlotte Watts Best Costume Design Jacqueline Durran Best Makeup & Hair Christine Blundell, Lesa Warrener 17th British Independent Film Awards[27] Best British Independent Film Mr. Turner Best Director Mike Leigh Best Actor Timothy Spall Best Supporting Actress Dorothy Atkinson Best Technical Achievement Dick Pope 67th Cannes Film Festival[28] Best Actor Timothy Spall Vulcan Award Dick Pope Palme d'Or Mike Leigh 34th Hawaii International Film Festival[29] EuroCinema Hawai'i Award for Best Film Mr. Turner 35th London Film Critics' Circle Awards[30] Film of the Year Mr. Turner British Film of the Year Mr. Turner Actor of the Year Timothy Spall Supporting Actress of the Year Marion Bailey British Actor of the Year Timothy Spall Director of the Year Mike Leigh Technical Achievement Award Dick Pope 86th National Board of Review Awards[31] Top 10 Independent Films Mr. Turner 49th National Society of Film Critics Awards[32] Best Actor Timothy Spall 80th New York Film Critics Circle Awards[33] Best Actor Timothy Spall

## References

1. ["Mr. Turner"](http://www.film4.com/reviews/2014/mr-turner). *[Film4](/source/Film4)*. 31 October 2014.

1. ["*MR. TURNER* (12A)"](https://bbfc.co.uk/AVF314579). *[British Board of Film Classification](/source/British_Board_of_Film_Classification)*. 24 July 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2014.[dead link]

1. ["Mr. Turner (2014) - Financial Information"](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Mr-Turner#tab=summary). *The Numbers*. Retrieved 29 March 2015.

1. [V "Mr. Turner (2014)"]. *[Box Office Mojo](/source/Box_Office_Mojo)*. [IMDb](/source/IMDb). Retrieved 29 March 2015.

1. Walsh, David (18 September 2012). ["Toronto International Film Festival 2014—Part 1: Something different in filmmaking"](https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2014/09/18/tff1-s18.html). ICFI. World Socialist Web Site. Retrieved 21 September 2014.

1. ["2014 Official Selection"](http://www.festival-cannes.fr/en/article/60533.html). *Cannes*. Retrieved 17 April 2014.

1. ["Awards 2014 : Competition"](http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/awardCompetition.html). *Cannes*. Retrieved 25 May 2014.

1. ["London Film School celebrate Cannes win"](http://www.theknowledgeonline.com/the-knowledge-bulletin/post/2014/05/29/London-Film-School-celebrate-Cannes-win). 29 May 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2014.

1. CineVue (29 April 2014). ["Cannes 2014: 'Mr. Turner' preview"](http://www.cine-vue.com/2014/04/cannes-2014-mr-turner-preview.html). *CineVue - Award-winning UK film site*

1. Ben Child (23 October 2012). ["Timothy Spall to play JMW Turner in Mike Leigh biopic"](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/oct/23/timothy-spall-jmw-turner-mike-leigh). *[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)*

1. Short documentary film: *The Many Colours of Mr. Turner*. Narrated by: Mike Leigh. Producer: Special Treats Productions.

1. Kent Film Office (15 October 2014). ["Kent Film Office Mr Turner Article"](http://kentfilmoffice.co.uk/2014/10/mr-turner-2014/)

1. ["Cannes Film Festival: Official Selection Lineup Announced - Variety"](https://variety.com/2014/film/news/cannes-unveils-2014-official-selection-lineup-1201158710/). *[Variety](/source/Variety_(magazine))*. 17 April 2014.

1. ["Toronto Film Festival Lineup"](https://variety.com/2014/film/news/tiff-toronto-intl-film-festival-gala-special-presentations-1201266480/). *[Variety](/source/Variety_(magazine))*. 22 July 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2014.

1. ["Sony's New Movies Leak Online Following Hack Attack"](https://variety.com/2014/digital/news/new-sony-films-pirated-in-wake-of-hack-attack-1201367036/). *[Variety](/source/Variety_(magazine))*. 30 November 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2014.

1. ["Mr. Turner (2014)"](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/mr_turner/). *[Rotten Tomatoes](/source/Rotten_Tomatoes)*. [Fandango](/source/Fandango_Media). Retrieved 18 November 2022.

1. ["Mr. Turner Reviews"](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/mr-turner). *[Metacritic](/source/Metacritic)*. [CBS Interactive Inc.](/source/CBS_Interactive). Retrieved 22 February 2015.

1. Kilkenny, Katie (24 December 2014). ["Mr. Turner Turns a Man Into a Myth, Beautifully"](https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/12/mr-turner-more-myth-than-man/384018/). *[The Atlantic](/source/The_Atlantic)*. Retrieved 24 September 2015.

1. Kermode, Mark (2 November 2014). ["Mr Turner review – Mike Leigh shines a brilliant new light on the great master"](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/nov/02/mr-turner-review-mike-leigh-biopic-great-master). *[The Observer](/source/The_Observer)*. Retrieved 24 September 2015.

1. Stevens, Dana (18 December 2014). ["Mr. Turner"](http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/movies/2014/12/mike_leigh_s_jmw_turner_biopic_mr_turner_starring_timothy_spall_reviewed.html). *[Slate](/source/Slate_(magazine))*. Retrieved 24 September 2015.

1. Serota is quoted in Gilbey, Ryan (16 January 2015). ["The Baftas vs Mike Leigh: why is our greatest auteur continually snubbed?"](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jan/16/the-baftas-vs-mike-leigh-why-is-mr-turner-director-continually-snubbed). *[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)*

1. Seitz, Matt Zoller Seitz (19 December 2014). ["Mr. Turner Movie Review & Film Summary"](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/mr-turner-2014). *[RogerEbert.com](/source/RogerEbert.com)*. Ebert Digital LLC. Retrieved 24 July 2017.

1. ["2015 Oscars Nominees 87th Academy Awards Nominations"](http://oscar.go.com/nominees?cid=oscars_nominees_announcement_cadillac). oscar.go.com. 15 January 2015. Retrieved 15 January 2015.

1. ["ASC Awards Nominees: 'Birdman', 'Unbroken', 'Mr Turner' On Cinematographers List"](https://deadline.com/2015/01/asc-awards-nominees-2015-cinematograpers-birdman-unbroken-1201343016/). *[Deadline Hollywood](/source/Deadline_Hollywood)*. 7 January 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2015.

1. ["The Jaguar Britannia Awards 2014"](http://www.bafta.org/los-angeles/britannia-awards/news/the-2014-britannia-awards). British Academy of Film and Television Arts. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2014.

1. ["BAFTA Nominations: 'Grand Budapest Hotel' Leads With 11 – Full List"](https://deadline.com/2015/01/bafta-nominations-2015-baftas-nominees-full-list-1201344262/). *[Deadline Hollywood](/source/Deadline_Hollywood)*. January 8, 2015. Retrieved January 9, 2015.

1. ["British Independent Film Awards Nominations 2014!"](https://web.archive.org/web/20150219175224/http://www.bifa.org.uk/releases/british-independent-film-awards-nominations-2014). British Independent Film Awards. 7 November 2014. Archived from [the original](http://www.bifa.org.uk/releases/british-independent-film-awards-nominations-2014) on 19 February 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2014.

1. ["Cannes:"Winter Sleep" Takes The Palme D'Or; Festival Award Winners Announced"](https://deadline.com/2014/05/cannes-2014-award-winners-palme-dor-full-list-735520/). Penske Business Media, LLC. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2014.

1. ["Hawaii International Film Festival"](https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000315/2014?ref_=ttawd_ev_3). IMDb.com. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2014.

1. ["Mr. Turner leads London Critics nominations"](http://www.screendaily.com/mr-turner-leads-london-critics-nominations/5081175.article?referrer=RSS). December 16, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2014.

1. ["2014 Award Winners"](http://www.nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/2014/). NationalBoardOfReview.org. 2 December 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2014.

1. ["2014 Awards"](http://www.nationalsocietyoffilmcritics.com/). nationalsocietyoffilmcritics.com. 3 January 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2015.

1. ["2014 Awards"](http://www.nyfcc.com/awards/?awardyear=2014). NYFCC.com. 1 December 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2014.

## External links

- [Official Website](http://sonyclassics.com/mrturner)
- [Mr. Turner](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2473794/) at IMDb

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mr. Turner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Turner) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Turner?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.