Moive #126 Lust for Life *1956*

Kirk Douglas - Vincent Van Gogh
Anthony Quinn - Paul Gauguin
Vincente Minnelli (Director)

It is timely that I am reviewing this movie during the days leading up to the Oscars.  There is a term used now a days "Oscar Bait".  It refers to a performance that seems to be in line with what Oscar voters reward. 

These roles are: 

• Mentally or physically handicap
• The struggling artist
• Europeans
• Characters who must overcome insurmountable odds
• Characters based on real people

And so forth...

Any one of these gives you a leg up in the competition.  Combine these tropes to increase your odds.  This year we have Collin Firth playing the will-be King of England who happens to have a speech impediment, and will be taking over as king as Hitlers army's begin their attempt to take over the world.  That is why I have him as a lock in my Oscar pool.

I have to be honest and state that Lust for Life didn't hold my attention very well.  Usually I like to sit and watch an entire film in one sitting if possible.  If at home and I have to leave the room I will pause the movie.  During this movie I entered and exited several times.  I feel like very little was lost.

The movie is a very sterile 1950's Hollywood telling of the life and death of Vincent Van Gogh.  He began his work as a clergyman.  I didn't know that before the film.  Then he attempted to make himself a martyr for the small mining town where he was to be the priest.  A trend that would follow him throughout his entire life.  Another thing that I didn't know about Van Gogh was that he was not a brilliant painter from the first time he put brush to canvas.  I always assumed that he was.  I hear about the painting savants and I assumed he was one of them.  According to this movie he had to work and struggle to become a great artist.  

I think one of the shortfalls of the story is the lead actor.  That is rare of me to say about such a great talent as Kirk Douglas.  I think he was directed to be charming and a likable character.  Therefore, for me, when he would go on a rant or a "crazy spell" it was endearing and sympathetic when it needed to be violent and spiteful.  Another problem is the cleanliness of the movie.  These 50's MGM color roadshow attractions is that they were made to appeal to the largest audience possible.  You couldn't really show the grime and filth and debauchery that was prevalent during the days of Van Gogh.  Especially in Europe and even more so in Paris.

Quinn did provide a little life when he entered (he did win the Oscar for the role)  I wonder if maybe he had just gotten off the stage or if he was performing on a theater stage at night.  Because his performance was so large that  it was bigger than anything else on the screen.  He didn't fit in after a while and I grew tired of him.  There is not much of any real female presence in the movie.  And the music was hitting every emotional moment with a gong.  I like my music to be persuasive, not manipulative.  Even the sets are not good to the time period.  The entire movie had a very thrown together feel to it.

Another strange element of the movie was that it sort of served as a slideshow for Van Gogh's actual paintings.  There is a special message at the films into where they thank a series of different for their permission to shoot Van Gogh's art work.  I thought at first that this was going to be a cool interlude.  What ended up happening to me is that I felt like showing the art really made the movie choppy and messed with mood and pacing.

I have to give Lust for Life ★★.  Check out the trailer park to see for yourself.  I caught this film as part of TMC's 31 Days of Oscar programming.