Big Eyes, Big Lies
“Big Eyes” opened in wide release on Christmas Day (December 25, 2014) starring Golden Globe winner Amy Adams as Margaret Keane and Christoph Waltz playing her husband Walter Keane. This movie is directed by Tim Burton, while it was written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski.
In the late 1950s and early ’60s, artist Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz) achieves unbelievable fame and success with portraits of saucer-eyed waifs. However, no one realizes that his wife, Margaret (Amy Adams), is the real painter behind the brush. Although Margaret is horrified to learn that Walter is passing off her work as his own, she is too meek to protest too loudly. It isn’t until the Keanes’ marriage comes to an end and a lawsuit follows that the truth finally comes to light.
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Margaret Keane was born in Tennessee and was well known at the local church for her sketches of angels with big eyes and floppy wings. Her work now is still recognizable by the oversize, doe-like eyes of her subjects.
She married her second husband Walter Keane in 1955 and divorced him in 1965. In 1970 Margaret declared to the world, via radio broadcast, that she was the true creator of the paintings. After her announcement, Walter Keane suggested to USA Today that the only reason Margaret claimed she was the painter was because she believed that he was dead, she sued him in federal court for slander
At the hearing, the Judge ordered both Margaret and Walter to create a big-eyed child painting in the courtroom. Walter declined, saying that he had a hurt shoulder. Whereas Margaret completed her painting in a mere 53 minutes. After three weeks of trial, a jury awarded Margaret $4 million in damages.
Margaret stated, “It was difficult because I was so attached to these paintings, they were a part of me. Then here he is taking the credit for them. These were my children and i was losing them.”
She let him take control of her paintings for eight years and ended up losing respect for him and for herself.
Tim Burton told us that a lot of people think that the last 15 minutes were so crazy, that they didn’t think it could be true. But Walter actually did that in the trial. He actually did cross examine himself, he was his own lawyer. When we made the film we actually had to pull back a bit because at the time of the real trial the Judge threatened to put duct tape over his mouth.
Have you seen “Big Eyes”? What did you think of it? Let us know in the comments below!
