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Lust for Life (1956) 7.3
The life of brilliant but tortured artist Vincent van Gogh. Director:Vincente Minnelli |
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Title: Lust for Life (1956)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Kirk Douglas | ... | ||
| Anthony Quinn | ... | ||
| James Donald | ... | ||
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Pamela Brown | ... |
Christine
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| Everett Sloane | ... | ||
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Niall MacGinnis | ... |
Roulin
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Noel Purcell | ... |
Anton Mauve
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| Henry Daniell | ... | ||
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Madge Kennedy | ... | |
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Jill Bennett | ... |
Willemien
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| Lionel Jeffries | ... |
Dr. Peyron
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Laurence Naismith | ... |
Dr. Bosman
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| Eric Pohlmann | ... | ||
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Jeanette Sterke | ... |
Kay
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Toni Gerry | ... |
Johanna
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Vincent Van Gogh is the archetypical tortured artistic genius. His obsession with painting, combined with mental illness, propels him through an unhappy life full of failures and unrewarding relationships. He fails at being a preacher to coal miners. He fails in his relationships with women. He earns some respect among his fellow painters, especially Paul Gauguin, but he does not get along with them. He only manages to sell one painting in his lifetime. The one constant good in his life is his brother Theo, who is unwavering in his moral and financial support. Written by John Oswalt <jao@jao.com>
Taglines:
He had a lust for life. Sometimes he was brutal, sometimes delicate---always he lived with insatiable passion! See more »Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
26 December 1956 (Sweden) See more »Also Known As:
La vie passionnée de Vincent van Gogh See more »Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
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IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (Perspecta Sound encoding) (35 mm optical prints) (Westrex Recording System)| 4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints) (Westrex Recording System)Color:
Color (Metrocolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.55 : 1
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(1792) (uncredited)
Written by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle
Played by a band in France, near the end
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Many of the locations used for filming were the actual locations Vincent van Gogh visited in his life. See more »Goofs
Camera shadow falls across Ducrucq as Van Gogh finds him dead. See more »Quotes
Vincent Van Gogh: If I'm to be anything as a painter I've got to break through that iron wall between what I feel and what I express. my best chance of doing it is here, where my roots are... the people I know, the earth I know.See more »
Connections
Featured in 60 Minutes: Running the War/The Life and Death of Vincent Van Gogh (2011) See more »Soundtracks
"La Marseillaise"(1792) (uncredited)
Written by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle
Played by a band in France, near the end
See more »
"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!
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!