"van Gogh"

Pialat's stunningly beautiful portrait of Van Gogh's last days -widely acclaimed as the best film about the artist ever made- stars Jacques Dutronc, whose powerful performance earned him a César Award for Best Actor. The film is set between May and July 1890 in the French village of Auvers, where Van Gogh went to consult the local physician Dr. Gachet and to convalesce from his year-long stay in an asylum. This was a period of great creative activity, when he painted a new canvas every day, including some of his greatest masterpieces. Vivid scenes in brothels and Bohemian cafés, swirling village dances and pastoral panoramas combine to make an unforgettable film, which confirmed Pialat as one of French cinema's greatest directors. (-DVD Cover)

«Uno ha un grande fuoco nell’anima e nessuno viene mai a scaldarsi, i passanti non scorgono che un po’ di fumo in cima al comignolo e se ne vanno per la loro strada. E allora che fare, ravvivare questo fuoco interiore, avere del sale in sé, attendere pazientemente – ma con quanta impazienza –, attendere il momento in cui, mi dico, qualcuno verrà a sedersi davanti a questo fuoco, e magari vi si fermerà». A Theo van Gogh, 22-24 giugno 1880 Le lettere di Vincent van Gogh sono la più intensa e commovente testimonianza di un artista nella storia della letteratura mondiale. Oltre a essere uno dei più grandi pittori di tutti i tempi, Van Gogh era infatti uno scrittore dal talento straordinario..

Born in Groot-Zundert, The Netherlands, Van Gogh spent his early life as an art dealer, teacher and preacher in England, Holland and Belgium. His period as an artist began in 1881 when he chose to study art in Brussels, starting with watercolours and moving quickly on to oils. The French countryside was a major influence on his life and his early work was dominated by sombre, earthy colours depicting peasant workers, the most famous of which is The Potato Eaters, 1885.