Van Gogh on Film

In the third film to date to feature Van Gogh, Robert Altman directed, Vincent and Theo, filmed in 1990 on location in The Netherlands and France.

It was originally meant to be a four part mini-series for the BBC, but Altman and his writer were able to pair the film back so it may stand alone as a fiction film.

Parallel stories

Tim Roth plays Van Gogh, or perhaps we should say embodies him, for this is a thorough performance.

The film focuses on Van Gogh’s struggle to paint and feel appreciated, as well as the parallel story of Theo, living a much more affluent life working for a gallery in Paris, but also struggling with his own existential and health-related problems, he suffered for many years and eventually died of syphilis.

Through it all the brothers have a need for one another that runs deep, and always brings them back to one another.

A stunning performance

Tim Roth’s portrayal of Van Gogh is special for a number of reasons. Firstly he gives the character a real physicality, he moves with the air of a man who has had a hard life on his feet, his gait is impaired and his shoulders slump, his teeth an ugly mess.

The facial expressions and intense focus also lend to what we might well imagine Van Gogh have really been like.

Isolation

The Van Gogh film shows how isolated much of his life was, this is sure to have been one of the major factors that lead to his mental illness. He paints day and night and as he feels more and more alone in the world, he starts to look deeper into himself, into the void he feels.

‘I can live without God, but I cannot live without painting,’ he declares. Throughout the film we see Van Gogh’s works adorned on walls, or as he himself is in the middle of painting them, standing in flowing fields of wheat and sunflowers.

Real reproductions

All the paintings used in the Vincent van Gogh film were reproductions painted by art students, which too is how we create the reproductions here at Van Gogh Studio. I’m sure you’ll agree they look great on film.

Check out the trailer of the Van Gogh film on youtube here.