A One Mann’s Movies review of “The Electrical Life of Louis Wain” (2022).
Released in the UK on January 1st of this year, “The Electrical Life of Louis Wain” was one that I missed at the cinema, but caught up on during my recent incarceration on my flight to Aus! But it has also just been released on Amazon Prime for you to catch up with, if you feel the urge.
Bob the Movie Man Rating(s):
Plot Summary:
The movie tells the life story of eccentric artist Louis Wain, who popularised – through his quirky cartoons – the concept of having cats as “pets” within a domestic setting.
Certification:
Talent:
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Claire Foy, Andrea Riseborough, Toby Jones, Adeel Akhtar.
Directed by: Will Sharpe.
Written by: Simon Stephenson & Will Sharpe.
Twitter Handles: #LouisWain.
“The Electrical Life of Louis Wain” Review:
Positives:
- This is based on a true story, and although I’d never heard of the guy before, there’s a depth of content in this lifetime to allow the scriptwriters a great deal of latitude. Wain seems to have been truly scatty. Claire Foy’s voiceover describes him as being a “polyhobbiest” with a “chaotic mind”. The film sees him skipping from his brilliant sketching, to amateur boxing to the writing of an opera (which has no musical merit whatsoever but a “nice drawing on the cover”). This is all to the despair of the extended family he is supposed to be financially supporting, especially his sister Caroline played waspishly by Andrea Riseborough.
- Benedict Cumberbatch has to display an awesome range to cover the titular hero from his twenties to the madness of his old age, and he does so admirably. But despite this, and for me stealing every scene in which she appears, is the immaculate Claire Foy as the governess that Wain falls for. With every glance or flash of a smile, Foy conveys a whole range of emotions. Simply brilliant. Toby Jones has a solid role as the editor of the Illustrated London News. And there are some nice supporting roles as well: , Richard Ayoade, Asim Choudhry, Taika Waititi are present and even musician Nick Cave pops up. But I found Adeel Akhtar (he of “Ali and Ada” fame) particularly engaging.
- The cinematography, by Erik Wilson (“Paddington 2“), is excellent as are the technical roles of production design and special effects (for a memorable “cat audience”!)
- There are some interesting musical choices by the composer Arthur Sharpe (who is new to me) using the weird tones of both a theramin and a musical saw.
Negatives
- As a “true story”, you can’t deviate too much from the reality. But while the first half of the film is quirkily entertaining, the second half gets progressively darker and becomes a bit of a downer. Some of Wain’s decisions (and particularly his business decisions) are enormously frustrating!
- The title really didn’t make me want to see the film when it came out… I think the marketing needed more work.
An example of Wain’s feline work. (Source: Pennymead)
Summary Thoughts on “The Electrical Life of Louis Wain”:
It’s a quirky and interesting biopic of someone I knew nothing about. But while beautifully crafted, it doesn’t leave you feeling uplifted.
Trailer for “The Electrical Life of Louis Wain”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzDr_tbL-es .
