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| Vincent: The Life and Death of Vincent Van Gogh | 
 enlarge | Directors: Rob Visser, Gerrit Messiaen, Paul Cox
Actors: Gabriella Trsek, John Hurt, Marika Rivera
Studio: New Video Group
Category: DVD
List Price: $26.95
Buy New: $11.97
You Save: $14.98 (56%)
Buy New/Used from $11.97
Avg. Customer Rating:  (14 reviews)
Sales Rank: 30528
Format: Color, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 95 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 9743
ISBN: 0767083393
UPC: 767685974339
EAN: 9780767083393
ASIN: B0009U6XD4
Release Date: August 30, 2005
Theatrical Release Date: July 31, 1988
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Description
The most profound exploration of an artist's soul ever to be put on film (Village Voice), VINCENT: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF VINCENT VAN GOGH is a captivating study of a brilliant artist. One of the Top 10 documentaries the year it was released, Paul Cox's portrait of Vincent Van Gogh is a journey through the life of a tortured genius who became one of the greatest artists of all time. The story is told through letters written to his brother Theo from 1872 until 1890, eloquently read by actor John Hurt.
Amazon.com
The best film about Vincent Van Gogh is not one of the many biopics of the painter, but this stirring, ardent documentary. Forgoing a conventional biography's and-then-he-cut-his-ear-off approach, the gifted Dutch-Australian director Paul Cox opts for pure evocation: he trails his camera through the places where Van Gogh walked, as though trying to dream his way into the artist's mindset. Meanwhile, the beautiful voice of John Hurt reads from Vincent's amazingly searching letters to his brother, Theo. (Hurt's voice probably deserved an Oscar for this vocal-cord performance alone.) Van Gogh's journey as struggling artist and tormented man of soul is thus made strangely direct--it will not only send you to see Vincent's paintings but to locate a copy of his collected letters as well. Many film directors have grappled with this subject: Vincente Minnelli with Lust for Life, Robert Altman with Vincent & Theo, Maurice Pialat with Van Gogh. But the perpetually underappreciated Cox (Innocence) has trumped them with simplicity and sheer intensity of feeling. --Robert Horton
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| Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
 A Little Slow May 12, 2008
I watched the DVD but it did not hold my interest as much as I thought it would. The writings of Vincent were read throughout and that was fascinating but the cinematography seemed to be fragmented and although it attempted to show the countryside where Vincent lived and how this inspired him (colors, form, locals), the cut to his paintings was quick and didn't give me enough opportunity to contemplate the beauty of his pieces. I still would recommend this DVD if you just want a look inside of Vincent's mind as he unravels to a tragic end.
 Forgettable December 16, 2007
1 out of 4 found this review helpful
I am an Art History teacher and an avid admirer of Vincent Van Gogh.
This pseudo-documentary is visually uninteresting and seems more home-made than professional. The actor reading the Van Gogh letters has an irritating voice and a monotonal delivery. The score is un-musical and aimless. I am sorry, but I do not recommend this video to anyone for any reason.
 Vincent July 10, 2007
Documentarian Cox's deceptively simple approach to penetrating the enigma of Vincent Van Gogh scores a direct hit. British actor Hurt's weathered but still rich voice expertly conveys the artist's building anguish without our needing facial expressions to pay it off. And Cox's wildly imaginative mix of imagery which accompanies Hurt's recitations help elevate this piece well above the standard run of PBS-type documentary work. "Vincent" is an absolute must for all us art-lovers.
 Take it for what it is... February 2, 2007
7 out of 13 found this review helpful
I bought this DVD after reading all the 5 star reviews, and I must admit, I was very disappointed. I am an avid reader of books and watcher of movies about Van Gogh, so it wasn't the fact that this movie told nothing about Van Gogh that bothered me, but the sheer dryness and feel of the film as a whole. The only real information the movie reveals about Van Gogh is a short text paragraph at the beginning of the movie, and then the rest of the film is just John Hurt reading Van Gogh's letters to his brother while the screen shows flashes of some of Van Gogh's paintings, as well as random shots of landscapes. While this works for a little while, after a few minutes it becomes tedious and boring. I didn't even make it all the way through the movie-only about 45 minutes. I wish I could give this a better review, and some people may say my view is too simple, but that's how I see it. If you're looking for facts about Van Gogh presented in an entertaining manner, I don't recommend this DVD.
Magnificent January 11, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
As a painter and student of art history, I see a LOT of movies and read a lot of books about art and artists. This film is a triumph. It is visually stunning - you could turn off the sound and enjoy the images alone. John Hurt is the perfect voice -- his voiceover is made up entirely of selected portions of Van Gogh's letters. (Complete, unabridged archives of the letters are available on-line, just do a search.)
This is one of the best films about an artist ever made. Don't miss it.
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