Review of Lust for Life (1956) by Walt H — 19 May 2006

When I was in college I had a couple of Van Gogh posters, Starry Night and Cornfield, on my wall. I'm not a total fan of all his works but his heavy brushwork impressed me as the real content. This guy, I thought, painted with a lot of intensity.

You have to think after considering his short painful life that his style and works just aren't a possible outcome from a normal mind. He painted the world in his lucid moments as seen through the eyes a human spirit on fire. He was probably bipolar, and like many true artists he lived much of his life alone with his artistry.

I wasn't sure Kirk Douglas would be so great in this role but he pulled it off quite well. Not the usual no-bs-man-of-action role that he played most often. Anthony Quinn is also good as is the rest of the cast. A lot of effort went in to finding extras and locales that look very much like what Van Gogh saw and painted. The movie itself plods, possibly a matter of perception, watching a slower-paced 50 year old movie. One of the best elements are the many Van Goghs' that get on the screen.

The audio is strictly mono and the video transfer is blah on this recent DVD release, a pity considering that the Van Gogh palette is way more vivid than the wishy-washy colors onscreen. Just a trailer and a commentary fill out the DVD, which gets a 7/10.