Movies on Van Gogh

Movies on Vincent Van Gogh

Vincent van Gogh has been one of history’s most celebrated and most mysterious figures. A Dutch painter known for his landscapes and portraits, he hardly managed to sell paintings in his short depressing life. But now, his popularity soars more than ever with his artworks being sold for millions. His painting A Starry Night, along with his other pieces, continues to enthrall the world. His life and mysterious death (rumored to be suicide) have been the subject of various realistic and fictional portrayals on-screen. Here are the 4 best portrayals of Vincent van Gogh in film.

Kirk Douglas plays Van Gogh in Lust for Life, a 1956 movie that focuses on the painter’s early struggles to find a career he was passionate about. It shows Van Gogh’s interest in the religious life and depicts why he ultimately decided to become an artist.

You’ll also discover how Van Gogh learned to draw and paint! The movie is based on a novel of the same name by Irving Stone, and the role landed Douglas an Academy Award nomination.

This 1990 period drama tells the story of Van Gogh and his brother Theo. Tim Roth plays Vincent and Paul Rhys plays Theo. The movie is based on various letters written between the two brothers over the years. Vincent and Theo does

a great job of telling Van Gogh’s story as well as Theo’s. You’ll learn just how much Van Gogh relied on his brother’s help. If it wasn’t for the financial support of Theo, Van Gogh would have never gone on to become a painter!

The Eyes of Van Gogh (2005)

The Eyes of Van Gogh is a 2005 drama that tells the story of Van Gogh’s time in an asylum. Van Gogh voluntarily entered himself into the Saint Remy asylum for 12 months when his epilepsy began to interfere with his life. Director Alexander Barnett does an excellent job of

showing how Van Gogh experienced the world when he was in the asylum. This movie is all about what it’s like to enter into a state of madness. This one may not be for the feign of heart and can be really intense at times, just to warn you!

Loving Vincent (2017)

In this movie, you’ll learn more about the painter’s life through the use of over 130 animated versions of his paintings. I’ve never seen anything like this film, and Loving Vincent really knocked it out of the park for me. The movie was nominated for an Oscar, and also caused a bit of controversy. As I already mentioned, historians have always assumed that Van Gogh killed himself. Loving Vincent explores the possibility that his death was, in fact, an accident.