What-I'm-Reading-Wednesday--Big Eyes by Leah Gallo

Big Eyes, a film directed by Tim Burton, has rejuvenated interest in Margaret and Walter Keane whose art was adopted by a popular culture movement from the mid-fifties to the mid-sixties. Burton recalls the mass-produced images of posters and wall art that he encountered as a child in suburbia simply identified as "Keane," featuring woeful looking children with big eyes as if haunted by an awful truth. Their images did reflect a fraud. Walter Keane was not their creator; Margaret was the artist.

The book Big Eyes by Leah Gallo provides a companion narrative to the film and covers selecting cast members, creating sets, designing costumes, and recording the music. It also includes 86 plates of Margaret's paintings.

The DVD of Burton's 2014 film was released in 2015 by Anchor Bay Entertainment. It is 105 minutes long and chronicles Margaret's solitary journey as an artist despite her clandestine role.

Both book and DVD are currently at the browsing display of new additions on Floor 3 of the Ort Library. Additional details are given with the following links:

DVD

Book