Frazetta - Painting with Fire
by Lance Laspina
List Price:
Our Price: $9.99
You Save: $6.99 (41%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $6.28 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD details
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD details
Actor: Eleanor Frazetta, Forrest J Ackerman, Frank Frazetta, Heidi Frazetta, Simon BisleyDirector: Lance Laspina
Brand: Razor
Cinematographer: Devin Rice
Editor: Lance Laspina
Producer: Lance Laspina
Producer: Jeremy J. DiFiore
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 93 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-11-30
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Razor Digital Entertainment
DVD Reviews of Frazetta - Painting with Fire
DVD Review: Frank Frazetta: The Man, The Myth & The Art
Summary: 5 Stars
I recently received a present of the Ralph Bakshi animated film "FIRE & ICE" and was was shocked to see the documentary PAINTING WITH FIRE on Disc-2.
I quickly slipped the disc into the player and pressed "play"...
Right, I'm a Frazetta nut and so I was thinking there's NO way they'll do a good documentary on the guy. Wrong! They did a good job indeed.
The feature-length documentary covers Frazetta's early life and fills in the missing blanks about what he did in the years when he had to fend for himself. For an artist who is extremely private and reclusive, this film peeled back the layers of mystery and revealed the man beneath. It's a very intimate portrait and one that throws light on many aspects of his life as a sportsman and a devoted family man.
The film opens with an absolutely stunning 3-D rendering of the Clayburn Moore "Conan the Barbarian" statue and the painting literally comes to life and moves. The facial bones twitch and the eyes of the Barbarian blaze with intense fire, the sword drips with blood and the slave girl grips onto his leg with unbridled lust conveyed in her luscious legs and flowing hair and across the sky huge vultures circle for the meat on the pile of corpses that the Barbarian stands knee deep in. Skulls lie crushed all around and the sun drips golden fire all over the landscape behind this might warrior.
What a truly inspirational opening to the film.
I adored the method used to illustrate and showcase the oil paintings. The colours were rich and the lighting was magnificent. It was like seeing the artworks for the first time. It's one thing seeing them in books and another thing to see them displayed on the screen in such vivid detail. And, what a lovely surprise it was to see rare sketches and variant versions of some of Frazetta's paintings in this film.
Laspina's method of using "chapters" to sketch though Frazetta's life reminded me of a book-style presentation and it worked splendidly. This was a very effective format and allowed the viewer to focus in on the different aspects of Frazetta's varied life.
It was great to see Frazetta talk and reminisce about the old days. And despite his ill-health this man is still a fighter! And did you notice that in MANY of the paintings it is Frazetta himself who is the central figure for the model? Just take a careful look at "Conan the Adventurer" (the Clayburn statue) and you'll realize it's none other than Frazetta himself! The lighting in the film really brought out subtle details that are missing in the books. The art had much greater shading and revealed acres of stuff that the books can never get close to due to their "flat" printing process and the quality of paper used.
It was interesting to note that because Frazetta had such a busy life as a sportsman, he sometimes ran out of time for his commissions and was thus reduced to painting the pieces in a matter of hours. If he had run out of paper he would simply tear out a plank of wood from the floorboard and use that as a canvas. He would make a pot of coffee, put on a classical record and finish the painting in six hours or so. He'd then spend a week recovering from this intense battle between his creative juices and his physical body. His hands would literally shake with the exertion after painting these pieces. The impulse and speed of the work actually lent his finished pieces a rawness and savagery that is sorely lacking in the works of other painters such as Boris Vallejo.
The film also discussed the influence that Frazetta has had on the world of film, literature and art. John Milius, Simon Bisley, Ralph Bakshi, Sylvester Stallone, George Lucas, Bernie Wrightson, Clint Eastwood, Michael Kaluta, Steven Spielberg, etc , etc, have all used Frazetta's famous style in some of their works.
And to compare Frazetta to Michelangelo and Da Vinci was valid. Frzaetta is sometimes ignored by the Fine Art community because he is regarded as an "illustrator". Well, in that case, so were all the past greats because they also illustrated books e.g. The Holy Bible. I think there is idle snobbery levelled at Frazetta because his subject matter usually depicts Fantasy scenes. Nevertheless, Frazetta does not need to prove himself to the Art critics because this man can paint with oils, water-colours, ink, he has produced prints and worked on canvas and also delivered stunning sculptures. A man of many talents then! Just like his fellow painters from the Renaissance period.
I would have preferred this film to have run for six hours but I can't complain too much since they did cover many of the bases. Even the end credits proved to be fun. Laspina left a little clip after the film closed for the fans - we see Ralph Bakshi walking away from the Frazetta museum with a huge stolen canvas stuck under his shirt!
All I now need to do is see the Special Edition of this documentary which contains a second disc of supplemental material where we see Frazetta drawing a panther and the picture gallery contained on the DVD is supposed to be brilliant.
Highly Recommended.
Description of Frazetta - Painting with Fire
For the last half century frank frazetta has dominated the art world with his images of fierce warriors helpless princesses and fantastical creatures set in the most lavish landscapes. Studio: Razor Digital Ent Release Date: 11/30/2004Bestsellers in DVD
![The Story of Jeremiah [VHS] Image](/images/noimg.gif)
The Story of Jeremiah [VHS]Vision Video; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Wresting With God [VHS]by Vision Video
Vision Video; Published: 1990-10-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
Study Bible Video with Workbook [VHS]Spring Arbor Distributors; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops:
Tempo:Childrens TV Favourites Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $9.17
Price in other shops:
Tempo.Herbs:Parseley'Sb/ Party Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
![Strike the Original Match [VHS] Image](/images/Strike-the-Original-Match-VHS-0001374079-X.jpg)
Strike the Original Match [VHS]New Liberty Films; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
![Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS] Image](/images/Medjugorje-The-Miracles-and-the-Message-VHS-0001373293-X.jpg)
Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS]JPN Film Production; Release date: 1995-12-15; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $29.99
Mayo Clinic Echocardiography Review Course for Boards and Recertification DVD 2008by Mayo
DVD
Price in other shops:
Pediatric Diagnostic Imaging DVD: Single Userby Oakstone
DVD
Price in other shops:
Cost Accounting [VHS]by Charles T. Horngren, George Foster, Srikant M. Datar, Howard Teall
Pearson Canada, Toronto; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs
Animals Real and Imagined: Fantasy of What Is and What Might Beby Terryl Whitlatch
Design Studio Press; Published: 2010-12-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $21.27
Price in other shops:
Icon: A Retrospective by the Grand Master of Fantastic ArtUnderwood Books; Published: 2003-10-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $215.00
Digital Painting Techniques: Practical Techniques of Digital Art Masters (Masters Collection)by 3DTotal.com
Focal Press; Published: 2009-09-23; Paperback; Book
Best price: $19.58
Price in other shops:
WizardsFox; Release date: 2004-05-25; Published: 2004-05-01; DVD
Best price: $7.23
Price in other shops:
Icon: A Retrospective by the Grand Master of Fantastic Art, Frank FrazettaUnderwood Books; Published: 1998-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $75.00
FRAZETTA, THE DEFINITIVE REFERENCE PB (Vanguard Classics)by James A. Bond
VANGUARD PRODUCTIONS; Published: 2008-11-19; Paperback; Book
Best price: $19.77
Price in other shops:
Testament: The Life and Art of Frank Frazettaby Frank Frazetta
Underwood Books; Published: 2008-04-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $18.03
Price in other shops:
Spectrum Presents: Frank Frazetta: Rough Workby Frank Frazetta
Spectrum Fantastic Art; Published: 2007-09-28; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.71
Price in other shops:
Fire and Ice (Two-Disc Limited Edition)Ryko Distribution; Release date: 2005-08-30; DVD
Best price: $17.37
Price in other shops:
Legacy: Paintings and Drawings by Frank Frazettaby Frank Frazetta
Underwood Books; Published: 2008-04-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $18.04
Price in other shops: