Maurice Pialat's - Van Gogh

directed by Maurice Pialat
France 1991

The final 67 days of Van Gogh's life is examined.
In late spring, 1890, Vincent moves to Auvers-sur-Oise, near Paris, under the care of Dr. Gachet, living in a humble inn. Fewer than 70 days later, Vincent dies from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. We see Vincent at work, painting landscapes and portraits. His brother Theo, wife Johanna, and their baby visit Auvers. Vincent is playful and charming, engaging the attentions of Gachet's daughter Marguerite (who's half Vincent's age), a young maid at the inn, Cathy a Parisian prostitute, and Johanna. Shortly before his death, Vincent visits Paris, quarrels with Theo, disparages his own art and accomplishments, dances at a brothel, and is warm then cold toward Marguerite.

***

Unlike other, more famous, Van Gogh movies, Pialat spends remarkably little time watching the artist at work. Instead, he charts his antagonistic relationships with those around him, including his art dealer brother Theo (Bernard Lecoq), kindly patron Dr Gachet (Gérard Séty) and Gachet's daughter, Marguerite (Alexandra London), who falls for the painter's unbalanced charms.

On the few occasions that Pialat contrives to let us watch the artist at his easel, Jacques Dutronc's phenomenal intensity comes to the fore. He wrestles with each stroke of the brush, beating the paint into submission with bestial ferocity, before dismissively abandoning each canvas as "smudges that will never be worth a cent".

The actor discovers a tragic irony underlying Van Gogh's sense of overwhelming failure as, surrounded by cowards and weaklings too afraid or stupid to admit to his greatness, he hounds himself towards the inevitable end, destroying everything in his wake and little realizing the importance of his work.

What makes "Van Gogh" so remarkable, though, is Pialat and Dutronc's refusal to fit this suicidal descent into the usual rhythms of the biopic. Conjuring a performance that's constantly full of surprises, Dutronc flirts with his character's despair, swinging from depression to elation with bewildering speed.

It's a performance that makes "Van Gogh" worthy of being called a masterpiece in its own right.

Excerpt from Jamie Russell's piece located HERE

Poster

Theatrical Release: France 30 October 1991

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DVD Comparison:

Artificial Eye (2-disc) - Region 2 - PAL vs. Sony - Region 1- NTSC

Big thanks to Per-Olof Strandberg for the Review!

(Artificial Eye (2-disc) - Region 2 - PAL LEFT vs. Sony - Region 1- NTSC RIGHT)

DVD Box Cover
Distribution	Artificial Eye Region 2 - PAL	Sony Pictures Region 1 - NTSC
Runtime	2:22:20 (4% PAL speedup)	2:30:30
Video	1:1.66 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	1.66:1 Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 5.17 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
Bit - R1
Audio	French (Dolby Digital 2.0)	French (Dolby Digital 2.0)
Subtitles	English, None	English, French, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Artificial Eye Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1:1.66 Edition Details: • Disc one: • The Film • Disc two: • Introduction to delated scenes (16:9 / 15:22) • Delated scenes (16:9 / approx. 33:00) • Interview with Jacques Dutronc (16:9 / 22:35) • Gallery of Maurice Pialat Paintings • Biographies and Filmographies DVD Release Date: September 26, 2005 Keep Case Chapters 17	Release Information: Studio: Sony Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1:1.66 Edition Details: • Delated scenes (16:9 / approx. 32:39) • Trailer DVD Release Date: January 9th, 2007 Keep Case Chapters 28

Comments:

ADDITION: Sony - Region 1- January 07' - I wouldn't say there is any immense difference between the two images. The newer Sony is brighter (which is not necessarily a good thing) and the AE appears to have a slight haze next to it. The Sony may be slightly cropped. Neither issue will be enough of a reason to opt for the opposing standard based on visual. Bottom line is they both look very good. The Sony has some intrusive and larger-than-usual yellow subtitles and the double-disc AE has substantially more extras and the higher price indicates that.

If you are very keen on this penetrating film - I would get the AE, otherwise which ever you can get the least expensively is the optimum route. The film really is impacting and it is nice to have it exposed in region 1 as well now.

****

Several times delayed, we finally get this masterpiece with English subtitles on a two disc set. It seems that this is a direct port from the French DVD. Some of the extra material is missing from the French edition, but there's still a lot of them left.

Watching it with a projector, the DVD looked almost flawless. There's a lot of low light indoor scenes, but in all of them the details and the black level was solid. There's occasionally a slight softness in the picture, but I wonder if it's in the original film elements.

In the extras there's an introduction by the editor to the delayed scenes. The delayed scenes is far the best of it's kind so-far, it's almost a pity that they didn't fit to the structure of the completed film.

And the film! I haven't been so enthused for any film this year so much than for this one. It's one of the most beautiful and magic films I've ever seen! And for this DVD, even tough the French release has more extras, it's one of the best DVD's this year! out of

- Per-Olof Strandberg

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(Artificial Eye (2-disc) - Region 2 - PAL LEFT vs. Sony - Region 1- NTSC RIGHT)