Movie Review by Alice Castle
Starring: Jacques Dutronc, Alexandra London, Bernard Lecoq, Gérard Séty, Elsa Zylberstein
Director: Maurice Pialat
Released in 1991, Maurice Pialat’s acclaimed film about the artist is based on letters between Vincent and his brother Theo in the last couple of months before he died. Van Gogh was sickly and went to spend his final summer in the beautiful town of Arles boarding in a cheap tavern, but visiting the local Doctor, a collector of impressionist art.
Van Gogh played by Jacques Dutronc, is a troubled man, a perfectionist in his work, he finds human relationships difficult and is unmoved even by the young daughter of his patron (the doctor) who falls in love with him. His brother Theo is portrayed as an unsympathetic character, sick of funding Van Gogh’s art – and reluctant to show his brothers work alongside the other fashionable artwork he displays in his art gallery.
Despite an excellent performance by Dutronc, overall it’s a rather lacklustre film of such an intriguing artist.
