Lust for Life (1956)

Lust for Life
Directed by Vincente Minnelli
Written by Norman Corwin based on the novel by Irving Stone
1956/USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Paul Gauguin: With all your talk of emotion, all I see when I look at your work is just that you paint too fast!

Vincent Van Gogh: You look too fast![/box]

Vincent Minnelli gives us a visual feast and Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn bring great painters to life.

The story covers the life of the great expressionist painter Vincent Van Gogh (Douglas) from age 25 until his death by suicide at age 37.  Mental illness will haunt him all his life.  The son of a minister, Vincent begins with a burning desire to spread the word of God to the poor.  His superiors at theology school in Belgium do not believe the unconventional man has what it takes and recommend against assigning him a parish.  Desperate, Vincent begs to be sent to the most undesirable district and he is finally accommodated and sent to preach to a community of dirt poor miners.  Vincent is capable only of rambling and incoherent sermons and does not attract a following.  Finally he decides to be of more direct help by going down into the mine and into the hovels of the workers.  When inspectors come to see how he is doing, they are appalled at his style of living and his rags.  He is relieved of his ministry.  This is the first of many failures and he goes back home to recover.

Vincent begins to draw frantically.  He also falls in love with his widowed cousin.  His behavior is still out of control and he disgusts his cousin.  He goes to the Hague where he studies painting with a cousin and sets up house with a prostitute.  This ends badly as well and he is called back home when his father is stricken.  After his father dies, he goes to Paris to live with his devoted brother Theo (James Donald), an art dealer.  There he meets the Impressionists and begins to develop his own colorful, passionate style.

Vincent goes off to Arles in Provence and throws himself feverishly into his painting.  He is lonely and drinking heavily, however, and his brother decides that the painter Paul Gaugin (Quinn), who had taking a liking to Vincent, might be just what is needed.  Theo pays Gaugin’s expenses and the two painters begin to live together.  Sadly, the fiery and orderly Gaugin is a bad match for Vincent, who has difficulty getting along with anybody, and this relationship too ends in disaster.

This movie is absolutely beautiful to look at.  It is lit to look like the paintings from each period of the artist’s career and Minnelli frequently stops to show us the actual works. Douglas and Quinn are both superb in their parts.

I have read Van Gough’s letters to his brother and was tremendously moved by them.  The story is accompanied by Theo’s narration of imaginary letters (the Estate would not allow any direct quotes).  Douglas does not quite capture the sensitivity of the artist but it’s close enough and I really enjoyed the movie.

Anthony Quinn won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.  Lust for Life was nominated in the categories of Best Actor; Best Writing – Best Screenplay, Adapted; and Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color.

Trailer