Lust for Life (film)
| Lust for Life | |
|---|---|
Lust for Life DVD cover
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| Directed by |
Vincente Minnelli George Cukor (uncredited - supervised one retake) |
| Produced by | John Houseman |
| Written by |
Irving Stone (novel) Norman Corwin |
| Starring |
Kirk Douglas Anthony Quinn James Donald |
| Music by | Miklós Rózsa |
| Cinematography | Russell Harlan |
| Edited by | Adrienne Fazan |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
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Release date
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September 17, 1956 |
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Running time
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122 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3,227,000 |
| Box office | $2,695,000 |
Lust for Life (1956) is a MGM (Metrocolor) biographical film about the life of the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh, based on the 1934 novel of the same name by Irving Stone and adapted by Norman Corwin.
It was directed by Vincente Minnelli and produced by John Houseman. The film stars Kirk Douglas as Van Gogh, James Donald as his brother Theo, Pamela Brown, Everett Sloane and Anthony Quinn, who won an Oscar for his performance as Van Gogh's fast friend and rival Paul Gauguin.
Vincent van Gogh's obsessive devotion to his art engulfs, consumes and finally destroys him. The apostate religious leaders do not like his zeal for God and they frown on his social activism and care for the poor in a coal mining town. He returns home to his father's house where he is rejected by a woman he obsessively loves, takes up with a prostitute who leaves because he is too poor, and discovers painting, which he pursues while agonizing that his vision exceeds his ability to execute. His brother, Theo van Gogh, provides financial and moral support, while Vincent lives off and on with the critical Paul Gauguin. Vincent begins experiencing hallucinations and seizures and voluntarily commits himself to a mental institution. He signs himself out, and with Theo's help, returns to a rural area to paint, where he ultimately shoots himself in despair of never being able to put what he sees on canvas.
The film was based on the 1934 novel by Irving Stone and adapted by Norman Corwin. Vincent Minnelli directed the film, while John Houseman produced it. They worked with Douglas on the 1952 melodrama The Bad and the Beautiful, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor.
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