Vincente Minnelli, Lust for Life, 1956, the crucial moment..

[iLOVENATURE2011]

artist are the hardest to please...and they've got the most abstract minds.... take it from me 'cause i am an artist! =D

[drchepa]

by far he deserved an oscar for his role, the movie is a masterpiece, as the music from the best, miklos rosza....

[SoEyeSay]

Kirk Douglas was a better actor than Van Gogh was a painter.

[honeegrrl]

I read somewhere that Van Gogh cut off his ear and gave it a woman that posed for him as a keepsake, then It said that he heard a voice to kill this guy (I forgot his name, it begins with a G) and that's why he cut off his ear so he wouldn't hear the voice.

[christianruiz11]

awesome we watched this for art class

[jbdacayan]

@rotech19: you're right! the book is just wonderful! its the best book i've ever read! other Irving stone's books were also made into movies

[ladywharton]

Great movie

[FunNotNuts]

There is an actual ailment which causes a person to want to rip off their ears and it has been suggested that Van Gogh may have had that illness.

It is dramatic in a dramatic life. People want to know about his life because of that. His paintings become even more fascinating as well. It's a parcel.

[churzz21]

@FunNotNuts and what mental illness would that be?

[WamblyWallaby]

@FunNotNuts Nonono, people want to know about his life because of the magnificient art he gave the world... Not because he tore his ear off.

[marcostar57]

This is a great movie -- great title, too. Kirk Douglas is wonderful as always, and I thought the dramitization of Von Gogh's troubled friendship w/Gaughin (sp?) is very informative.

[zooeyhall]

Kirk Douglas--a great actor doing his thing.

[Deradune]

Vincent Van Gogh was such a great man and did so many incredible things in his life. Yes, the lead in the paint made him crazy -- but he was not a crazy man in essence and it really BOTHERS me that he is remembered so much for the ear incident. It was such a SMALL part of who and what he was and is!!!

[starrbeatlesqueen]

The painting at 1:07, is part of it blurred for a reason?

[lnulla]

it seems blurred because it reflects through the mirror which became foggy after douglas had pushed his head against it. I believe though that it is a clever move to distract the eye from the painting and concentrate on the invisible from the scene van gogh who is cutting off his earlobe.

[starrbeatlesqueen]

In a commentary on his father's role in this movie, Michael Douglas said that he and his brother saw the film with their dad and ran from the theatre thinking the scene was real (they thought Kirk had cut off his own ear).

I've never seen this movie, just this scene.

[rotech19]

you need to see it.. is really great, also the book.. the book is better than the movie; Lust for Life written by Irving Stone.. yeeah! @starrbeatlesqueen

[erploco]

also like the scene of the field with crows. great painting too.

[frantic1971]

One of the best of Kirk's movies. Even if you don't know much about art (as I do) this movie grabs ahold of you and pulls you into it. It is almost Shakespearean with its tale of wonderful creativity and madness. For those who want to know more about Vincent VanGogh, I highly recommend Simon Schama's "Power of Art", which has a great chapter on Van Gogh's life and works; with Andy Serkis (who played the Gollum in The Lord of the Rings) as Vincent.

[rotech19]

.. and the book its even better!!! :D

[helenajesstarzak]

I have seen this movie once or twice.

I think it`s really good.

But I dident knew that it was

Vincinte Minnelli that directored it.

[Supereyes27]

oh man they didn't show him cutting his earlobe off

[PapagenoJuan]

movies were different back then. things were left for the imagination and suspense. Now movies show everything and there is no art left to them. nothing is taboo anymore, just recycled dish-water

[xg8512]

EPIC