Henry Moore (1951)

I wonder if the very abstract nature of Henry Moore's style of sculpting made it extra difficult to write a narration for a short documentary that might have just been better left to a light score and the photography? When that's what we are presented with here, this proves to be quite an engaging introduction to the works of this creative legend who dreamt of working with his hands, wood, stone, plastic and even bone from the age of fourteen. This film is peppered by some insightful comments from the man himself, trying to explain what drives him and why his work resonates so extensively whilst often defying any conventional description. We see many of the wide range of the creations he has devised over the years as well as some sketches and life drawings which are identifiable or not, as the case may be. I'm no expert on the art or the man, but just glancing at this for half an hour does make you gasp a little at the visionary skills of a man with few constraints to his imagination. I especially liked the almost Dickensian bleakness of his wartime drawings. From the production perspective, as a film it's nothing special - but as a compendium of his achievements, it's a remarkable celebration of variety.