Review of Lust for Life (1956) by Terri H — 24 Dec 2008

Kirk Douglas as Vincent Van Gogh is absolutely amazing. He captures the frenetic passion with which Van Gogh painted. The movie has all the main influencing factors of his life and all of the master's difficulties, trials and illnesses.

The film shows Van Gogh's love of painting. He once wrote to his brother that it was impossible to see the world and not want to paint it. He saw the goodness of the simple people and showed his sympathy for them.

Van Gogh's style showed the energy of nature and toil of the poor. Van Gogh comes through as a man desperately trying to paint enough of the beauty he saw, at one moment bristling with positive energy and at the next unsure of himself and afraid of being always alone.

I was touched by [i]Lust for Life[/i] and could not help finding sympathy with Van Gogh despite his arguing with other painters and falling in love with an ill prostitute and his societal awkwardness and so on.

He came through not as a misfit really, but as one who was not meant for society, and a man to whom society wore upon. The movie is excellent and moving and the end is truly beautiful in its tragedy. It is impossible to mention all the aspects of the movie I liked but this movie can be seen based on Douglas's performance alone.