Lust for Life

Lust for Life is appropriately titled, for mere passion seems inadequate when describing this superb fictionalized biography (based on Irving Stone's popular novel) of Vincent Van Gogh. In a deservedly Oscar®- nominated performance, Kirk Douglas is physically and emotionally perfect as the tormented Dutch painter, whose life is chronicled from his ill-fated stint as a preacher to Belgian miners in 1878, to his Impressionist-inspired artistic awakening and psychological descent to suicide in 1890. Having triumphed with 1952's The Bad and the Beautiful, Douglas, producer John Houseman, and director Vincente Minnelli brought vigor and vitality to this blessed project, which centers on Van Gogh's stormy friendship with fellow artist Gaugin (Oscar-winner Anthony Quinn). Minnelli used an outmoded color film process and innovative camera techniques to vividly recreate Van Gogh's paintings, and he filmed on the actual Dutch and French locations where Van Gogh's mastery flourished. The artist's lust for life also fed his madness, and this film deeply understands the fine line in between. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com essential video

Lust for Life (Movie)

Excellent portrayal of the life of Vincent Van Gogh. With the inclusion of Van Gogh's actual work, it is a visual delight. November 1, 2008

Kirk Douglas' Performance Of A Lifetime

People rightly cite Dustin Hoffman and Robert DeNiro as thespians who impressively invest their all in the portrayals of the characters they are bringing to life, but I honestly think one of the actors most overlooked for his capacity to deliver an intense transformation is Kirk Douglas. To prove this, all anyone need ever do is to partake of the engrossing, frequently wounding, experience of viewing Vincente Minnelli's 1956 masterpiece, Lust For Life. As Douglas channels the tormented soul of the tragic artist Vincent Van Gogh, Minnelli's camera pans across the strikingly gorgeous countryside of rural France, every bit as hypnotically stunning in the 1950's as it surely was for the impressionists of the nineteenth-century. Lust For Life is a meticulous labor of love, admiration, and obvious respect that still manages to treat its central character without the reverence that would have weakened the impact of its subject matter. No lurid tabloidesque tell-all oozing drama for shock value, Lust For Life gives audiences an up close view of Van Gogh's incarnation as he himself must have felt it happening. At times a helpless victim of disorder and circumstance, at others a commanding genius able to convey his own higher vision of supercharged reality, Van Gogh as interpreted by Douglas is surely one of the screen's most engaging figures. Employing the landscapes, settings, in some cases the actual locations germane to Van Gogh's brief, pain-filled existence, Lust For Life is a rich film that rarely fails to reach the empathetic sensibilities of any viewer, or activate the mind. October 19, 2008

You look too fast!

The above title was my favorite line from Lust For Life. Without a doubt Kirk Douglases' finest performance. Vincente Minelli definitely did his homework on Van Gogh for this film.

While watching it, I couldn't help but think of Don McCleans' song 'Vincent' a moving tribute to the tortured artist. Actually, that song would have been a good contribution to the DVD's director commentary. May 19, 2008

I can't take this anymore!

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. April 22, 2008

Lust for Life

The condition was as described by the vendor and was delivered in a timely fashion. February 8, 2008

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