BOB BENTLEY
Bob Bentley is a filmmaker and artist.
The two disciplines are inextricably linked
but for the sake of clarity, they can be visited on two different pathways. Please choose the route you would like to take but feel free to go from one to the other.
You may find some interesting junctions!
Trailer of BOB BENTLEY - IN PERSPECTIVE
Bob Bentley is one of the UK’s visionary film makers. He went to the Royal College of Art Film & TV School, then learned much of his craft as a technician, travelling the world and working with amazing colleagues.
Then, after some years he won the BAFTA Best Short Film award with RECLUSE, his first film as a professional director. Subsequent work has been described as exquisite, intriguing, and beautifully crafted.
Bob’s distinct style is evident across many genres including arts profiles JANET BAKER-FULL CIRCLE and JESSYE NORMAN: SINGER.
For a music series Bob directed a number of short films including THE YOUNG ONES with Yehudi Menuhin and TERROR AND MAGNIFICENCE with saxophonist John Harle.
The elegant originality of his dance-screen work is evident in TO A WOMAN’S HEART as well as BEETHOVEN IN LOVE and the award winning NEVER AGAIN.
Among many social, nature and science subjects, there was a series on Aids & HIV, memes with Richard Dawkins, architecture with DANIEL LIBESKIND and the redevelopment of London’s DOCKLANDS.
Bob informs with eloquence, exploring subjects as diverse as Hokusai’s Japan in THE GREAT WAVE to the killing fields of the American Civil War in THE BATTLE OF SHILOH. The American Indian Wars are also visited in THE BATTLE OF BIG HOLE. Both battles were re-enacted.
Art and drama tantalise with TIFFANY TOMB RAIDERS and RUBENS UNWRAPPED as well as in the very British AVAILABLE LIGHT. Other drama includes a Shakespearean analysis of MEASURE FOR MEASURE.
Eroticism is explored in a programme about Rodin’s sculpture THE KISS and in the feature documentary THE PLEASURE OF ROPE, about the Japanese bondage art of Kinbaku.
Most recently BALI VISIONS shows his interest and love for the visual and performance art of that wonderful island.
Some of Bob’s early films are relevant like 15TH CENTURY POEM and HAVING A LOVELY TIME.
His Royal College of Art degree film MAZE is being released in October 2023 by the BFI - as part of Edition Three of Short Sharp Shocks.
Full exhibition tour of BOB BENTLEY - IN PERSPECTIVE
Much of Bob’s visual art features in a book, charting the creative journey from his home town of Bideford in North Devon, to Brighton and then London. Explore his art in BOB BENTLEY - IN PERSPECTIVE, Artwork from 1962 to 2022. The book has a foreward by critic Richard Cork and is available for purchase in the SHOP section of this website.
From art school days highlights include EARLY ABSTRACTION, lines being taken for walks in LINE DRAWINGS and people of all types revealed in FIGURES AND PORTRAITS.
We have SELF PORTRAITS and in Brighton a dip in THE SEA. Then there was obsession with Pre-Raphaelite muse JANE MORRIS and after reading
the Günter Grass novel THE TIN DRUM a decision
to create etched illustrations - for the first and
last chapters.
Getting into sleepy interpretation there is
THE DREAM and an unsettling STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS narrative which sets up some disturbing images. THE MARTYRDOM OF FRANCIS BACON was followed by images created in SWEDEN and slightly later a response to the devastating THALIDOMIDE Big Pharma scandal.
After the ROYAL COLLEGE OF ART film School, the artwork developed alongside the film and TV career. Much of it drew from myths and legends, like RAPUNZEL and LEDA AND THE SWAN. Cross-over happened with a TV programme on Japanese artist Hokusai, inspiring MERMAID DREAMS.
Various work was influenced by travel to other countries while filming, like Japan and INDIA. The BALI influenced paintings and drawings came about in a different way, and a short film eventually emerged.
Personal circumstances gave rise to LOVING MEMORY and family are engaged at Christmas and birthdays with CARTOON CARDS.
The coronavirus pandemic helped in the creation of LOCKDOWN, the final chapter in the book.
OTHER BOOKS
Apart from the book of Bob’s art, there are two other publications. THE PLEASURE OF ROPE is a companion piece to the feature documentary of the same name. SHUNGA+BIJINGA=EROTICA shows examples from his extensive collection of Japanese prints.
