Customer Reviews

Lust for Life

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

One of the greatest films ever made about the madness of creative genius. As films about artists go, I like this film better than POLLOCK and almost as much as BASQUIAT. This is very much an overlooked CLASSIC. I have friends who are fans of Van Gogh's who have never heard of this film. Based on the book of the same title by Irving Stone and for those who love DEAR THEO: the abridged letters of Vincent Van Gogh, a must see. This film absolutely conveys the heartbreaking feeling of this starving misunderstood genius pounding his lifeblood into canvas in a French atelier or countryside while the gallery owners scoff and the painter remains unrecognized and unloved.

Kirk Douglas' finest performance, is fraught with peril. Anthony Quinn, who won an Oscar for his portrayal of Paul Gauguin, is superb. The script, some of which was taken from Van Gogh himself, is sometimes dated but always poignant: "Sometimes the pictures come to me as if in a dream, with a terrible lucidity." BRILLIANT!!

Unfortunately the VHS format is fullscreen which begs the question; WHY IS THIS MASTERPIECE UNAVAILABLE IN WIDESCREEN ON DVD!?! What a cultural wasteland: I could probably find ERNEST GOES TO CAMP on DVD, but try to find this CLASSIC and the clerk at the local HOLLYWOOD VIDEO might say, "LUST FOR LIFE? That would probably be in the Adult Film Section." I hope someone is working hard to preserve this Masterpiece. Anything less would be a shame. My VHS tape has been viewed so many times the magnetic particles are starting to fall off. If the DVD doesn't come out soon I'll be forced to buy another copy on VHS.(SIGH)

Lust for Life based on Irving Stone's novel about Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) was filmed in 1956 and directed by Vincente Minnelli. Kirk Douglas as Vincent crackles with intensity. He won a Golden Globe award for his portrayal; depicting Van Gogh's artistic growth, deep loneliness and inevitable descent into madness with sensitivity and pathos. It is a moving performance that, along with Spartacus and Paths of Glory, is one of his best. Anthony Quinn as Paul Gauguin won a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award. James Donald is especially touching as Vincent's loving Brother Theo. The film features a powerful and poignant musical score by the great film and Classical Music composer Miklos Rozsa, composer of music for Ben-Hur, Double Indemnity, Ivanhoe and The Lost Weekend amongst many others. This film is, along with John Huston's Moulin Rouge made in 1952 about the life of Toulouse-Latrec, one of my favorite Hollywood films about an artist.

As soon as the titles appear on this recently released DVD you are aware of the superb transfer to disc. Written with Van Gogh's trademark thick impasto technique, they leap off the screen with 3-dimensional brilliance, breathtakingly alive. This is important because the film contains dozens of Van Gogh's most famous art works, all filmed from the originals in the possession of private collectors and museums. With their thick swirls of color and movement, the images are stunningly beautiful; making the DVD of the film a living art gallery. This was worth the price of the DVD for me. I wish there was some way each one of the paintings could have been bookmarked on the DVD to make them easier to find. Alas no. However, the other more disappointing aspect of this DVD release is that it does not contain the 30 minute long "Making of" documentary that often followed the showing of this film on Turner Classic Movies. This fine documentary showed how modern locations in Holland, Belgium and France were painstakingly converted into the late 19th Century locations actually painted by Van Gogh. It also showed how Kirk Douglas developed his characterization. It featured the process by which extras were chosen amongst local townspeople, including one old French woman who had actually known Van Gogh, had seen him paint and remarked upon Douglas' uncanny resemblance to the painter. It is a wonderful little film and its absence from this DVD is inexplicable. There is certainly room for it. The only extras are a 3 minute trailer and a fine commentary by Dr. Drew Casper, a film historian who gives a deeper, more academic analysis of the film than is usual for a commercial release not on Criterion or Kino. This was a missed opportunity by Turner Entertainment that makes no sense and is deeply disappointing.

The film is in color shot in widescreen with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 enhanced for widescreen TVs. It looks beautiful, almost 3-dimensionally vivid. It is 122 minutes in length. Sound is offered in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and sounds glorious. Miklos Rozsa's music sounds especially alive. Languages for menus are English and French. Subtitles are in English, French and Spanish. The region code is NTSC 1.

This is a film definitely worth getting for its beauty and its excellence. Its lack of appropriate extras is disappointing but that is tempered by gratitude for finally having this wonderful, deeply moving film available on DVD. I strongly recommend this DVD release for that fact alone.

Mike Birman

With an uncanny resemblance to the self-portraits of Vincent Van Gogh, Kirk Douglas is perfect for this detailed and wonderful production of the artist's life; it's a passionate performance of a troubled soul, whose creative urges battled with his mental illness.
The film has an intelligent script by Norman Corwin, based on Irving Stone's biographical novel. It picks up the story around 1879, when Van Gogh was 26 years old, and went to minister (unsuccessfully) to the coal miners of a destitute area, and from there takes us through his many different abodes, his relationship with "Christine", who is well played by Pamela Brown, and the flourishing of his art in his last 15 years of life.

The art direction is superb, and the recreations of the places Van Gogh painted a marvel, among them the famous yellow house he lived in and its bedroom, and my favorite, the pool hall, with its hanging lamps.
The cinematography by Freddy Young and Russell Harlan is terrific, and we get many full screen views of the original paintings, many of them lesser known pieces from private collections.

This was a multi-award winning film, and garnered an Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Anthony Quinn, who is fabulous as Paul Gauguin, whose personality was the complete opposite of his friend Van Gogh; the ego clashes when they attempted to live together are well illustrated in several scenes, and with a little addition to his nose, Quinn has been made to look exactly like Gauguin's famous self-portrait with the snake.
James Donald is excellent as Vincent's patient and generous brother, who was Van Gogh's central means of support for most of his lifetime, both financially and of his paintings.
A tremendous knowledge about art went into this film, and it's one of the best artist biographies ever put to film (another good one also came from a Stone best seller, "The Agony and the Ecstasy"), and is a must-see for artists and anyone with an interest in Van Gogh's genius. Total running time is 122 minutes.

I would wager that this is really the best work Vincente Minnelli ever did, in spite of his reputation as the famous director of MGM Judy Garland musicals. "Lust for Life" has a power and pathos to it that is seldom matched in biographical movies. The story of Vincent Van Gogh's struggle to paint and find companionship is beautifully brought to life here. And of course, that is due to superstar Kirk Douglas' intensity as the tortured artist. The scenes he plays with Anthony Quinn's Paul Gaugin are so touching, as even Gaugin (a very hard person) must acknowledge how sad Vincent's longing for a friend is.Highlighting the film also are the color depictions of many of Van Gogh's canvases, raw in color and emotion, a testament to a man who didn't know how to do anything by halves, but gave his whole heart and soul to everything he did and everyone he loved, whether reciprocated or not.

I've seen this movie many times since I was young, but it always seem like I'm seeing it for the first time. Kirk Douglas is magnificent as the tortured Vincent, full of passion and pain. He is very convincing throughout the entire film. It's amazing that, back in 1956, a film that lasted 2 hours made every moment relevant. Today, many films that last 2 hours are just plain boring. The music was just beautiful, and it enhanced his paintings and segments of life. Anthony Quinn, as Gaugain, was good, but I think Kirk Douglas should have won an award. There's so much tension in his character, and so much sadness and desparation in his character. You really grow to love him despite his failings. His brother Theo was admirable in his devotion to Vincent. This film is one that can be seen by everyone, regardless of age, as a memorial to an artist who struggled despite the tragic outcome.

I still maintain my personal conviction that, despite the enormous resonance of "The wizard of Oz", this film signs the second stage of Minelli, plenty of expressive maturity and artistic conviction far from commercial concessions.
You and me know the terrible risks you are exposed when some filmmaker dares to film the life of any painter.
There have been successful findings as the famous Norwegian film's Edward Munch from 1975, Caravaggio's Derek Jarman, Loutrec's Huston in the early fifties, Goya ( The German film of the eighties and Saura), Pollock. and in a lesser level , El Greco, but in general terms the most of the filmmakers do not like to bet for these sad, and very often tragic portraits.
I think that Kirk Douglas made two unmatchable performances in the fifties: this one and The Vikings. His Van Gogh characterization is superb as so did Anthony Quinn's Gaugin.
And despite the multiple films made for Minelli in his career, no other reachs the height of Lust for life.
Do not miss this outstanding picture.

I was blown away and surprised I'd never heard of "Lust For Life" until It was recommended to me by someone. "Lust For Life"`s main points are acting and cinematography. Kirk Douglas gives a haunting performance as Van Gogh which may arguably be one of his best performance on film. Kirl Douglas looks exactly like Van Gogh and his intensity gave me goosebumps. Anthony Quinn also gives a very good performance. In fact all the acting in the film is flawless. The second part of the film that is spectacular is the cinematography. The scenery of the film tries to recreate Van Gogh's paintings and it's beautiful to watch. Some people may complain that you get a watered down version of Van Gogh's life but who cares? The film makes up for that plus you must keep in mind when this film was made. Overall one of the best films I've rented in years and I hope it goes to DVD soon.

This is a classic that i've seen many many times. This may not be the most accurate telling of Vincent Van Gogh's life but there are countless books to serve that purpose. Everything about this film is perfect. The script is great and the acting is wonderful. Many scenes were shot right where Van Gogh painted, and you can easily see it, the film looks like one of his paintings. The style of the film even changes as his painting evolves and he becomes more confident in his skill. This is a film for art lovers, and it deserves the DVD treatment. Hopefully a DVD will include some features on the real Van Gogh, and the making of this film.

"Lust for Life", Vincente Minnelli's rich interpretation of Irving Stone's Vincent Van Gogh bio-novel, is a film both compelling and repelling; in delving into the psyche of the artist (unforgettably portrayed by Kirk Douglas), one can see an untrained, unbridled genius smashing convention to open viewers' eyes to a world defined by passion; yet in doing so, we share in the growing nightmares and agony of his creative mind, teetering toward the madness that would destroy him, and it is an unsettling experience, to be sure!

This is a film so rich in visual imagery (with a Technicolor 'palette' that attempts to recreate Van Gogh's view of his world), that it demands repeated viewings, just to savor the details. From wheat fields 'aflame' in color, to night skies that nearly writhe in waves of darkness, the elemental nature of the artist's vision is spectacularly captured. And in experiencing the world through his eyes, the loving, yet uncomprehending concern of his brother (James Donald), and more hedonistic, shallow patronizing, and gradual disgust of fellow artist Paul Gauguin (Anthony Quinn, in his Oscar-winning performance), become elemental 'barriers', as well. Van Gogh wants to 'speak', but no one can understand his 'language', not even the artist, himself!

This film deserves a wealth of bonus features, yet the DVD offers only a very dry audio commentary, by film historian Dr. Drew Casper, which sounds like one of those college lectures I used to sleep through! MGM produced a wonderful documentary, when the film was made, about the production, locations, and reactions of locals, who knew Van Gogh, of Kirk Douglas' dead-on appearance and portrayal. Why this was not included is a mystery, as it provides the kind of insights Casper's comments don't!

Kirk Douglas never plunged as deeply into a portrayal as he did, in "Lust for Life", and the experience nearly crushed him, as he related in his autobiography, "Ragman's Son". His total immersion in the role SHOULD have won him an Oscar (Yul Brynner won, instead, for "The King and I"), and his bitterness and disappointment at the snub would haunt him, to this day. With the passage of time, his performance has only increased in luster and stature, and it certainly shows an actor at the top of his form!

"Lust for Life" is an unforgettable experience, not to be missed, even if this edition is lacking in 'extras'!

I gave this film a watch recently, after a period of about 12 years. I am still impressed by Kirk Douglas. He is DEFINITELY one of Hollywood's best actors! In "Lust For Life", he may very well have done his best work. Of course, he can't be ignored with his portrayal of Spartacus, but there is more accurate historical reference in regards to Vincent Van Gogh. That Van Gogh was mentally ill is irrefutable. It is curious, that civilization still has no place for people with Van Gogh's "condition".

The see-saw highs and lows that Van Gogh experienced were convincingly portrayed by Douglas. I believe it has everything to do with Kirk Douglas' expressive face. While it may at times, appear as though cut from rock, you can easily see what's going on just by looking at that face!

Anthony Quinn, likewise, did a fantastic job portraying Vincent's friend, Gauguin. The period in which these two men lived must have been full of wonder at the natural world, the likes of which we very rarely see today, because we are so preoccupied with "Modernization". This wonder is expressed in Van Gogh's paintings. While some may be dismissive of his style, he was savant-like in bringing the richness of what he saw onto canvas. In "Lust For Life", we are witness to the demons that plagued Van Gogh for the majority of his life, and ultimately became the engines of his own destruction.

It is painful at times, to see a man so at war with himself, yet able to convey a sense of utter calm in his paintings. During the infamous "ear scene", it is difficult to watch him succumbing to his demons so fully, that physical pain brings no relief to him.

"Lust For Life", for those who have not seen it yet, is a powerful film on the life of one of history's greatest painters. His works are displayed on-screen at the beginning and the end of the film. The performances of the film's principle actors is nothing short of phenomenal! Folks, they just don't make them like this anymore.