Lust for Life

Lust for Life (1956) starring Kirk Douglas, Anthony Quinn, James Donald, Pamela Brown. Vincent van Gogh (Douglas) struggles to develop his now-famous painting style, while at the same time struggling to make a sale. Quinn won a Supporting Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Van Gogh's friend and fellow artist Paul Gaugin. Surprisingly, van Gogh did not cut his ear off over a woman, but after an argument with Gaugin. Donald turns in a solid supporting performance as van Gogh's brother Theo, who kept van Gogh afloat with donations of canvases, paints and cash. Douglas may be accused of overacting a little bit, but it can't be easy to portray someone who is steadily losing his mind. Van Gogh's life ended in suicide, but of course today his paintings are worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The movie is amply illustrated with pictures of van Gogh's actual paintings. (The disc supplies English subtitles for the hearing-impaired.) Grade: B