Lust for Life

One audacious colorist pays tribute to another in this emotionally raw biopic of Vincent Van Gogh, featuring a fanatically committed Kirk Douglas as the frustrated artist, clashing with even allies like his friend Paul Gaugin (Anthony Quinn) as he struggles to work through destitution and depression. Miklós Rózsa’s magnificent score gives expression to Van Gogh’s tormented inner state, while Minnelli, shooting his passion project on location at the actual locations of the artist’s life, gives us a cinematic analog of the painter’s searing vision of the world around him.