Lust for Life (1956)

★ 7.2 2h 2m IMDb
Drama History

An intense and imaginative artist, revered Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh possesses undeniable talent, but he is plagued by mental problems and frustrations with failure. Supported by his brother, Theo, the tormented Van Gogh eventually leaves Holland for France, where he meets volatile fellow painter Paul Gauguin and struggles to find greater inspiration.

Lust for Life

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Cast

Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas as Vincent van Gogh Died 2020 · Amsterdam, New York, USA Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor, producer, director and author. He grew up as Izzy Demsky and legally changed his name to Kirk Douglas...
Anthony Quinn
Anthony Quinn as Paul Gauguin Died 2001 · Chihuahua, Mexico Manuel Antonio Rodolfo Quinn Oaxaca (April 21, 1915 – June 3, 2001), known professionally as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican-American actor. He starred in numerous critically acclaimed and commercially s...
James Donald
James Donald as Theo van Gogh Died 1993 · Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK ​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia James Donald (18 May 1917 - 3 August 1993) was a Scottish actor. Tall and gaunt, he specialised in playing authority figures; military officers, doctors or scie...
Pamela Brown
Pamela Brown as Christine Died 1975 · London, England, UK
Everett Sloane
Everett Sloane as Dr. Gachet Died 1965 · Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA Everett Sloane (October 1, 1909 – August 6, 1965) was an American stage, film and television actor, songwriter, and theatre director. Description above from the Wikipedia article Everett Sloane , lic...
Director Vincente Minnelli
Cast Kirk Douglas, Anthony Quinn, James Donald, Pamela Brown, Everett Sloane, Niall MacGinnis, Noel Purcell, Henry Daniell, Madge Kennedy, Jill Bennett

Audience Reviews

John Chard 9/10 Jan 26, 2020
Violence makes me sick. I have too much inside me, I'm afraid of it.

Lust for Life is a biography film of revered painter Vincent Van Gogh. It is adapted from Irving Stone's fictionalized biography by Norman Corwin and stars Kirk Douglas, Anthony Quinn and James Donald. It's directed by Vincente Minnelli, cinematography is by Freddie Young and Russel Harlan and music is scored by Miklos Roza.

This shines bright as a beacon in how Hollywood used to make a biopic the right way. Not a big commercial success as such, it has however gained critical praise the older it gets. Technically it's hard to fault, the colour lenses in CinemaScope, Roza's beautiful mood accompaniment score, and the direction and acting - with Douglas inhabiting Van Gogh and likewise Quinn for Paul Gauguin (Oscar Winner Best Supporting Actor) - bring this tragic story vividly to life.

It tugs the heart strings while it also inspires, while for art lovers the use of Van Gogh's real paintings (Minnelli was trusted to film with ultimate care) is an added joy. A super piece of film making. 9/10

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