A documentary on the life of painter Frank Frazetta, who revolutionized science fiction, fantasy and comic art with breathtaking realistic paintings of fantastic heroes, most famously Conan the Barbarian.
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Reviews
Purely Joyful Movie!
As Good As It Gets
A waste of 90 minutes of my life
The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.
I remember when I was a kid I thought that Frazetta's painting were some part of folklore-they were everywhere, and most important, they didn't seem man-made! Only later I discovered that Death Dealer and Conan are not national heroes (unfortunately) but masterpieces made by Frank Frazetta. The film is perfect blend of Frazetta's both sides of career - epic and warm. It consists of comments (better say "honest glorifications") of Frazetta's work by his colleagues, comic illustrators, with slideshows of his most famous works and his artistic biography, and simultaneously tells story about normal guy, devoted to his family, friends and passions, in such a worm way that it could easily put this film in "drama" section. It's really nice to see that such genius is not some cranky old warlock living in highest tower where he paints with virgins' blood and cat's tail, but regular funny guy, which makes him even greater.
Overlong but generally informative feature-length documentary on celebrated artist Frank Frazetta (whose work in comic strips influenced generations of designers), which is perhaps slightly too reverential towards its subject. His distinctive three-dimensional style (with which I was familiar, if not the artist's name) is discussed at length - as is Frazetta's personal life, including his recent health problems - and, of course, even features interjections from noted film-makers such as John Milius (who directed the Frazetta-influenced CONAN THE BARBARIAN [1982]) and Ralph Bakshi (with whom Frazetta collaborated on FIRE AND ICE [1983]). Still, one would have liked some narration to smooth over, i.e. put into context, the many anecdotes and opinions - rather than have 90 uninterrupted minutes of just 'talking heads'!
Frank Frazetta is probably the greatest artist to grace the related fields of comic book and paperback illustration. Starting as a comic book artist for EC back in the early 1950s, then moving on to draw the incredibly sexy women of the L'IL ABNER comic strip, then reaching his pinnacle as the greatest fantasy paperback cover artist of the 1960s and 1970s. He expanded into other fields, such as cinema and sculpture. PAINTING WITH FIRE is documentary and tribute to the great artist. Frazetta's own commentary is interspersed with tributes from others, like comic book artists Bernie Wrightson, Mike Kaluta, and Neal Adams.Every fan of comic books, book cover art, and fantasy art needs to see this film.
Came upon this by accident on IFC and could not turn away from it. Practically everyone is familiar with Frazetta's work even if they don't realize it. Google him and you will see what I mean. The movie tells his story through numerous interviews with family, friends and co-workers. Very interesting as you see just how many people love his work and were influenced by it, especially in Hollywood. It also does a nice job of placing his work in historical context. I like Frazetta's work though I'm not a huge fan. The way this movie just captured me despite me not being a fanatic speaks a lot as to just how good this movie is. It's a true documentary that shows how you can entertain while staying true to form unlike some of the garbage that seems to win awards these days. Please watch this if you get a chance!
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