Educational Media Reviews Online

Hockney is one of many documentaries about the artist David Hockney. What makes this documentary distinct? Why is it necessary? Hockney feels like an honest film. Randall Wright and his crew do not glamorize the artist’s life or give him great accolades, they are mostly relaying facts. The film does not provide much information about the artist’s work or the chronology of his life, but one does get a good sense of the artist’s community, including his contemporaries, friends, lovers and family. Some pertinent interview subjects were chosen, but they were not consistently identified. One strength of the fim is that Hockney’s paintings are used to illustrate what the interviewees are discussing. The footage of surrounding areas like Los Angeles and New York don’t always correlate to the narrative content, but some beautiful scenes are included. Hockney provides a series of cinematic snapshots of his life, the people he associates with, and the subjects that interest him.