tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post8235536560007906435..comments2023-10-20T13:34:46.654-07:00Comments on Kevin's Movie Corner: Lust for LifeKevin Deanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07697597405552599370noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-89105619609364626522011-09-14T13:22:05.930-07:002011-09-14T13:22:05.930-07:00I knew Robinson was a big art aficionado,and, if m...I knew Robinson was a big art aficionado,and, if memory serves, he had to sell part of his collection to pay for a divorce.<br /><br />Vincent Price, of course, was another art aficionado, as was George Macready. Together the two opened an art gallery in Los Angeles.Kevin Deanyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07697597405552599370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-70458558191708193842011-09-14T12:56:44.863-07:002011-09-14T12:56:44.863-07:00Some movies do that to you, don't they Kevin? ...Some movies do that to you, don't they Kevin? They just stay with you. I guess that's the difference between great and genius. Lust for Life needs more than one viewing just to take it all in. And the paintings -- I love the way at one point so many of his originals are shown with a very low,lyrical music. Did you notice at the end credits that among the list of museums and private collections given a thank-you for allowing their paintings to be shown, was the name Mr. and Ms. Edward G. Robinson. Eddie G., the great gangster, was a connoisseur of art.ClassicBeckyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03591715859057540467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-54700386379688817542011-09-14T11:29:13.631-07:002011-09-14T11:29:13.631-07:00Thank you, Becky, for the nice words. I've nev...Thank you, Becky, for the nice words. I've never seen "Richard III" so I'll take your word about Olivier's performance. <br /><br />I watched the movie a week ago and I still can't stop thinking about it. To me, that's one of the marks of a great movie.Kevin Deanyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07697597405552599370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-80489070198077044302011-09-14T05:08:05.493-07:002011-09-14T05:08:05.493-07:00Excellent assessment of a favorite movie of mine, ...Excellent assessment of a favorite movie of mine, Kevin! Douglas was perfect, not only resembling Van Gogh,but bravely playing the role with the painful intensity which Van Gogh always did display. He had so much trouble with people because of his great neediness and openly displayed emptions. I loved Brynner in King and I, but as far as acting, to me it was between Olivier and Douglas. It would have been hard to pick between those two, which highlights the quality of Douglas' performance, since I believe Olivier also gave a tour de force performance in Richard III. I think your opinion of why Brynner won was spot on.<br /><br />Anthony Quinn certainly made a specialty of winning Oscars for roles that had less than an actual 10 minutes or so of screen time. He also won for a similar, almost cameo-type role in Viva Zapata. But he deserved it -- his Gaugin was so powerful it was like being slapped in the face when he became angry or intense. I liked the way you picked up on his envy in that scene -- it was brilliant the way all those emotions washed across his face without words. I still have to laugh and shudder when Gaugin says in the brothel that he likes his women "fat, vicious and not too smart." Gaugin was not know for sticking with friends or family (he left his own family behind to pursue painting), so it was really no surprise that he did not stick by his mentally ill friend and just took off.<br /><br />Rosza's score is everything you said. I have always thought that a good score can make or break a movie. This was a great movie anyway, and it was partly because of the score. Wonderful article, Kevin!ClassicBeckyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03591715859057540467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-52087205112640254152011-09-13T14:02:43.675-07:002011-09-13T14:02:43.675-07:00R.D., the movie does seem a real labor of love fro...R.D., the movie does seem a real labor of love from Minnelli doesn't it? If memory serves M-G-M requested he direct "Kismet" as a condition for directing "Lust for Life". He was busy on pre-production for the van Gogh movie while directing "Kismet" (and with great disinterest on his part.) <br /><br />And it shows. "Kismet" may be my least favorite M-G-M musical of all time. It's duller than dirt apart from a couple of sensational dance numbers. <br /><br />I thought my reaction to the film would improve after finally seeing it wide screen but it didn't help. I still didn't like it. But if "Kismet" allowed for "Lust for Life" to be made, then I'm glad to have "Kismet". (Talk about damning with faint praise!) <br /><br />It is a shame about the non-nomination for Color Cinematography wasn't it, and I thank you for pointing that out.Kevin Deanyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07697597405552599370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-62168455472768391202011-09-13T13:53:28.396-07:002011-09-13T13:53:28.396-07:00Kevin, I entirely share your enthusiasm for this m...Kevin, I entirely share your enthusiasm for this movie. Douglas certainly should have gotten the Oscar for best actor. (He did at least get the best actor award from the NY Film Critics group.) He looks so uncannily like Van Gogh that this is surely one of those instances where an actor was born to play a particular person. And I found his performance quite controlled for him. When Douglas chews the scenery, there is no mistaking it! The movie is built around his performance, but for me everything about it is perfect. I get the clear impression that for Minnelli this was a labor of love. The beginning parts of the movie that take place in Holland and northern Europe look and seem completely different in style from the rest of the movie, which takes place in Provence--in tone as distinct as "The Potato Eaters" is from the Provencal paintings. Not long after the last time I saw this movie, I read a review of a new biography of Van Gogh which started with a thumbnail review of his life. It could have been a synopsis of this movie. This is the first I've heard of a three-hour long version, and I can only dream that someone will find the complete version and restore it. Even with all those Oscars the picture lost, to me an equally great injustice is that the film was not even nominated for best color cinematography. Just the illustrations from your post prove it should have been recognized for its astounding visual achievements.R. D. Finchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05045080274131718843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-72801801900945640432011-09-12T14:34:04.717-07:002011-09-12T14:34:04.717-07:00CW. and LE: The Rozsa score is a marvel, but what&...CW. and LE: The Rozsa score is a marvel, but what's even better is the suite he extracted from the score. <br /><br />I'll have to hunt down the Don McLean song to give it a listen. Watching "Lust for Life" compelled me to go to the library to check out a book of his art. <br /><br />And what art it is! Talk about an artist suffering for his art. But the movie doesn't whitewash his character, and you get the impression that, no matter what a great artist he was, he would have been next to impossible to live with.Kevin Deanyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07697597405552599370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-92108197917623933082011-09-12T12:32:05.865-07:002011-09-12T12:32:05.865-07:00Kevin - Your post has gotten me interested in read...Kevin - Your post has gotten me interested in reading Kirk Douglas's autobiography - and in seeing "Lust for Life" again, particularly to hear Rosza's musical interpretation of Van Gogh's style.<br /><br />Lately the Don McLean song "Vincent" has been running through my mind from time to time. A beautiful, haunting reflection on Van Gogh. I can't imagine what Douglas must've gone through when he went into character - such a tortured man. Impossible to believe Van Gogh couldn't sell his work in his lifetime - but it's now valued in the millions, one painting valued at $150 million +. At least Picasso had the satisfaction of making money with his art in his lifetime...<br /><br />I'll be watching or recording "Lust for Life" when it airs next week. Thanks, Kevin.The Lady Evehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11963115499930520653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6189896360230007229.post-37131403936802995942011-09-12T10:52:09.664-07:002011-09-12T10:52:09.664-07:00It's very interesting to read of Kirk's re...It's very interesting to read of Kirk's reaction to the role. It is also almost too painful for the viewer in its truthfulness. Truly, a magnificent performance.<br /><br />A very interesting article, and I appreciate the heads up on the TCM schedule. I must pay particular attention to Rosza's score, keeping in mind his goal.Caftan Womanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05936895555808823221noreply@blogger.com