VINCENT, THE LIFE AND
DEATH OF VINCENT VAN GOGH
1987 / 95 min / 35 mm / Documentary
Director: Paul Cox
Script: Paul Cox, based on the letters of Vincent van Gogh
Camera: Paul Cox
Editor: Paul Cox
Production Co-ordinator: Brendan Lavelle
Executive Producer: Klaus Selinger
Producer: Tony Llewellyn-Jones
Voice: John Hurt as Vincent van Gogh
VINCENT Awards
1998: Istanbul International Filmdays - Jury Prize
VINCENT: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF VINCENT VAN GOGH explores the Europe Vincent explored, the sites of his inspiration and the colours and seasons he experienced, from Groot-Zundert, Nuenen, the Borinage, the Hague, Paris, Arles and St Remy to Auvers, where he died.
Vincent Van Gogh died on 29 July 1890 at the age of 37 years, unknown and a pauper, having sold only one of the approximately 1800 works he produced in less than a decade. Despite a fluctuating physical and mental condition, his work initiated one of the most powerful influences upon the direction of modern art. This film is the story of Vincent Van Gogh, told through his letters to his brother Theo, from 1872 until the time of his death. With these records, we gain some insight into the man, his motivations and his unique humanity.
Paul Cox created this feature-length film as a personal contribution towards the centenary of Vincent’s death in 1990, and as a homage to Vincent himself. To support this, the co-operation of the Kroeller-Mueller Museum in Otterlo, the Rijksmuseum Vincent Van Gogh, the Vincent Van Gogh Foundation in Amsterdam and the Musée d'Orsay in Paris provided privileged access to their collections.
Ozus’ World Movie Reviews - Denis Schwartz - 2007
“It's an unforgettable film experience from an artist who understands and appreciates the artist he's depicting.”
The New York Times - Caryn James - 1998
“Paul Cox's study of van Gogh's life and work, matches the intense surface of those self-portraits ...”
Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert - 1989
“’Vincent’ is the most romantic and yet the most sensible documentary about a painter I have ever seen.”