''A Bigger Splash'' is a 1973 British

biographical A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or ...

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...

about

David Hockney David Hockney (born 9 July 1937) is an English painter, draftsman, printmaker, stage designer, and photographer. As an important contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960s, he is considered one of the most influential British artists o ...

's lingering breakup with his then-partner Peter Schlesinger, from 1970 to 1973. Directed by Jack Hazan and edited by David Mingay, it has music by

Patrick Gowers William Patrick Gowers (5 May 1936 – 30 December 2014) was an English composer, mainly known for his film scores. Early life and education Born in Islington, Gowers was the son of Stella Gowers (née Pelly) and Richard Gowers, a solicitor. Hi ...

. Featuring many of Hockney's circle, it includes designers

Celia Birtwell Celia Birtwell, CBE (born 1941), is a British textile designer and fashion designer, known for her distinctive bold, romantic and feminine designs, which are influenced by Picasso and Matisse, and the classical world. She was well known for her ...

and

Ossie Clark Raymond "Ossie" Clark (9 June 1942 – 6 August 1996) was a British fashion designer who was a major figure in the Swinging Sixties scene in London and the fashion industry in that era. Clark is now renowned for his vintage designs by present- ...

, artist Patrick Procktor, gallery owner

John Kasmin John Kasmin (born as John Kaye on 24 September 1934) is a British art dealer and collector, also known as "Kas". Early life John Kasmin was born John Kaye in Whitechapel, in 1934. His mother was a seamstress and his father was a factory foreman ...

and museum curator

Henry Geldzahler Henry Geldzahler (July 9, 1935 – August 16, 1994) was a Belgian-born American curator of contemporary art in the late 20th century, as well as a historian and critic of modern art. He is best known for his work at the Metropolitan Museum ...

. It is a

fly-on-the-wall Fly on the wall is a style of documentary-making used in film and television production. The name derived from the idea that events are seen candidly, as a fly on a wall might see them. In the purest form of fly-on-the-wall documentary-making, ...

documentary, intercut with fictionalised and fantasy elements. It was groundbreaking and remains notable for its treatment of gay themes and its insights into his life and work during an important period in Hockney's life. The film takes its title from the 1967 painting '' A Bigger Splash'', perhaps Hockney's best known Californian swimming pool picture. Hockney was initially shocked by its intimacy but later changed his mind.

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* * 1974 films 1974 documentary films 1970s avant-garde and experimental films 1970s biographical films 1973 LGBT-related films 1973 films British avant-garde and experimental films British biographical films British documentary films British LGBT-related films David Hockney Documentary films about gay men Documentary films about painters 1970s English-language films 1970s British films {{bio-documentary-film-stub

See also

References

External links