Lust for Life (1956)

 Vincente Minnelli's "Lust for Life"


Vincente Minnelli seemed to be a master of color at a time when Hollywood was transitioning to fully color films in the 1950s. His 1956 film "Lust for Life" proves his expertise in color scheme and visual composition. "Lust for Life" tells the life story of the famous painter Vincent van Gogh, from his time as a minister-in-training to his eventual suicide at the age of 37. Minnelli's visual components are worthy of seeing the film, yet the meticulous beat-by-beat narrative of the story renders it a tad dull.

I do admit that some of the themes of the film are a bit intriguing: the quest for artistry, the reason for suffering, and the attempt to find passion in life when it all seems so dull and passionless. There were moments in the film in which I felt it could have really dug deeper into these elements. However, Minnelli attempts to keep those notions as a safe distance and stick to the standard format of biographical storytelling. 



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