Review of Van Gogh (1969) by Espen N — 03 Apr 2008

Van Gogh was a man who never got critical or commercial acclaim for his work. He spent his days painting what was in front of him in given situations, and his art express empathy and exuberance over life.

The artistâ??s last months before suicide was his most productive, even though he was institutionalized in the country side for lunacy. Maurice Pialat is more interested in Vincent Van Gogh as a human being than as an artist.

As a man, Van Gogh is fragile, reserved, but he know what he wants and he is not shy. Women are more in focus than men. A teenage daughter of Van Goghâ??s doctor, his brother Theoâ??s wife and a prostitute wants a piece of him, and I like how their curiosity to find out who this mystic Dutch painter is, reflected my own during the film's extended length.

The summer settings, the Seine river and rays of sunshine makes the film beautiful to experience (and it had me thinking about â??Le Genaou de Claireâ?? by Eric Rohmer several times because of the climate).

Everything around Van Gogh is inspirational. The film is slow, and Maurice Pialatâ??s long takes gives me the time to devour 19th century time and spirit. Another thing I noticed about style, is Pialatâ??s interest in a narrative where we are set in the consequences, rather than tagging along the progress.

Each time Van Gogh is painting, we see him finishing the painting rather than starting one from scratch. I guess Pialat wants to be rational, in order to tell his story efficiently, and in my eyes he succeeds.

This is truly a wonderful film.