Kirk Douglas' Lust for Life

A couple of days ago I noticed a film in the library that I was not familiar with called, Lust for Life. It starred Kirk Douglas as Vincent Van Gough and was directed by Vincente Minnelli. I like both of those individuals, but just the same, I approached it with low expectations. I was expecting another romanticized Hollywood biopic with little substance and beautiful technicolor photography. I was half right. The technicolor images of the south of France were rather beautiful, but what surprised me was the fact that the film took its ideas and the man seriously. I thought that Douglas' performance ranks among his very best. He plays Van Gough as a man who wants nothing more than to be useful. The church rejects his attempts to help the needy when he fails to live "like a clergyman is expected" and later, the public rejects his unusual artistic style. He is a desperately lonely man, mostly only kept company by his corespondance to his brother, Theo, who also supports him financially by sending a monthly allowance. Douglas effectively manages to avoid his tough guy image with this intense portrayl of a tortured, lonely genius. Not to mention his occasionaly bouts with madness that ultimately leads to his suicide. The downside to the fim is the fact that it focuses too much on the man and not enough on a unified story. I felt like I understood the man at the end of the film, but the story itself left me unmoved. I also find the title to be worth of contemplation.