Van Gogh (DVD)

...a dramatization of Vincent Van Gogh's life, the Post Impressionist painter. It is not an attempt to depict the whole of his life but rather a part of it.

There are other Van Gogh films out there and this one joins them as another interpretation that has it's own distinct flavour and and yet shares the similar merits of valuing this great artist.

Van Gogh is played by actor Jacques Dutronc and his performance is a good ...
...strong idea of what Vincent Van Gogh might be like you may feel at times in the film that that he's not playing him correctly. But I felt that as it was someones elses idea of Vincent and they were being faithfull to that idea, then it is still enjoyable and somehow relevant.

If you want a close and as real an understanding of Van Gogh as possible it's best to read his letters and get to know his paintings and drawings. But still this ... more

"Van Gogh" DVD directed by Maurice Pialat. Production year 1991. Classification 15 years and over.

I love films from other countries and I enjoyed this one very much.

It is a dramatization of Vincent Van Gogh's life, the Post Impressionist painter. It is not an attempt to depict the whole of his life but rather a part of it.

There are other Van Gogh films out there and this one joins them as another interpretation that has it's own distinct flavour and and yet shares the similar merits of valuing this great artist.

Van Gogh is played by actor Jacques Dutronc and his performance is a good and I thought a non stereo-typical Van Gogh. The only problem with that is if you have as I do a strong idea of what Vincent Van Gogh might be like you may feel at times in the film that that he's not playing him correctly. But I felt that as it was someones elses idea of Vincent and they were being faithfull to that idea, then it is still enjoyable and somehow relevant.

If you want a close and as real an understanding of Van Gogh as possible it's best to read his letters and get to know his paintings and drawings. But still this film is still worth watching. It will give you an alternative view of Van Gogh and make you think about him as a person and what it might have been like to paint on a daily basis in the latter part of 19th Centuary in France.

This film has lots of scenes showing Van Gogh going about his ordinairy day interacting with local country folk and forming relationships that are just made up. But I liked this approach because the ordinairy part of someones famous life is the part we often know nothing about. So to make a film in this way, to invent those "gaps", to make it believable and a success is a hard and brave thing to do.

The film is beautifully shot and is 2 hours and 32 minutes long. The language is in French with English subtitles. It is 2 discs with special features such as deleted scenes, intoduction by Editor Yan Dedet, Jaques Dutronc interview, gallery of Maurice Pialats paintings and a theatrical trailer.

This film is a cultural film for grown ups and has a fresh feeling with individual story telling and I would strongly recommend it. 

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