Lust for Life (1956)

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Approved
2h 2min
Biography, Drama
Nov 1956 (Australia)
Movie

7.3 (12,511)

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The life of brilliant but tortured artist Vincent van Gogh.

Directors:

Vincente Minnelli, George Cukor

Writers:

Norman Corwin, Irving Stone

Stars:

Awards:

Won 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 6 nominations.
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Reviews:

Photos and Videos

Still of Anthony Quinn (I) in Lust for Life (1956)

Still of Kirk Douglas (I) in Lust for Life (1956)

Still of Jeanette Sterke in Lust for Life (1956)

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126 photos | 1 video

Cast verified as complete

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	Kirk Douglas	...	Vincent Van Gogh
	Anthony Quinn	...	Paul Gauguin
	James Donald	...	Theo Van Gogh
	Pamela Brown	...	Christine
	Everett Sloane	...	Dr. Gachet
	Niall MacGinnis	...	Roulin
	Noel Purcell	...	Anton Mauve
	Henry Daniell	...	Theodorus Van Gogh
	Madge Kennedy	...	Anna Cornelia Van Gogh
	Jill Bennett	...	Willemien
	Lionel Jeffries	...	Dr. Peyron
	Laurence Naismith	...	Dr. Bosman
	Eric Pohlmann	...	Colbert
	Jeanette Sterke	...	Kay
	Toni Gerry	...	Johanna
	Wilton Graff	...	Rev. Stricker
	Isobel Elsom	...	Mrs. Stricker
	David Horne	...	Rev. Peeters
	Noel Howlett	...	Commissioner Van Den Berghe
	Ronald Adam	...	Commissioner De Smet
	John Ruddock	...	Ducrucq
	Julie Robinson	...	Rachel
	David Leonard	...	Camille Pissarro
	William Phipps	...	Emile Bernard
	David Bond	...	Seurat
	Frank Perls	...	Pere Tanguy
	Jay Adler	...	Waiter
	Laurence Badie	...	Adeline Ravoux
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
	Ernestine Barrier	...	Jet (uncredited)
	Jerry Bergen	...	Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (uncredited)
	Mitzi Blake	...	Elizabeth (uncredited)
	Betty Blythe	...	Dowager (uncredited)
	Paul Bryar	...	Inspector (uncredited)
	Henry Corden	...	Waiter (uncredited)
	Germaine Delbat	...	Figuration (uncredited)
	John Dodsworth	...	Handsome Man (uncredited)
	Claire Du Brey	...	Housekeeper (uncredited)
	Anthony Eustrel	...	Tersteeg (uncredited)
	Rex Evans	...	Durand-Ruel (uncredited)
	Alex Frazer	...	Con (uncredited)
	Roy Gordon	...	Elderly Gentleman (uncredited)
	Al Haskell	...	Concertina Player (uncredited)
	Fred Johnson	...	Cordan (uncredited)
	Len Lesser	...	Cartoonist (uncredited)
	George J. Lewis	...	Gendarme (uncredited)
	Norman MacGowran	...	Pier (uncredited)
	Mickey Maga	...	Jan (uncredited)
	Alec Mango	...	Dr. Rey (uncredited)
	Lynn Millan	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
	Belle Mitchell	...	Mme. Tanguy (uncredited)
	Milicent Patrick	...	Julie (uncredited)
	Gordon Richards	...	Customer (uncredited)
	Marion Ross	...	Sister Clothilde (uncredited)
	Delia Salvi	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
	Aaron Saxon	...	Louis (uncredited)
	Karen Scott	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
	Lester Sharpe	...	Doctor (uncredited)
	Betty Sinclair	...	Maid (uncredited)
	Ralph Smiley	...	Artist (uncredited)
	Marc Snow	...	Landlord (uncredited)
	Anthony Sydes	...	Cor (uncredited)
	Helen Van Tuyl	...	Elderly Customer (uncredited)

Directed by

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Vincente Minnelli
George Cukor	...	(co-director) (uncredited)

Written by

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Norman Corwin	...	(screen play)

Irving Stone	...	(based on the novel by)

Produced by

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John Houseman	...	producer
Jud Kinberg	...	associate producer

Music by

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Miklós Rózsa

...

(as Miklos Rozsa)

Cinematography by

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Russell Harlan	...	director of photography
Freddie Young	...	director of photography (as F.A. Young)

Editing by

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Adrienne Fazan

Editorial Department

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Charles K. Hagedon

...

color consultant

Art Direction by

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E. Preston Ames	...	(as Preston Ames)
Cedric Gibbons
Hans Peters

Set Decoration by

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F. Keogh Gleason	...	(set decorations) (as Keogh Gleason)
Edwin B. Willis	...	(set decorations)

Costume Design by

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Walter Plunkett

...

(costumes)

Makeup Department

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Sydney Guilaroff	...	hair stylist
William Tuttle	...	makeup creator

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Al Jennings	...	assistant director
Hank Moonjean	...	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department

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Mentor Huebner	...	production illustrator (uncredited)
Robert Andrew Parker	...	portrait reproduction painter (uncredited)
Vincent van Gogh	...	art work (uncredited)

Sound Department

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Wesley C. Miller	...	recording supervisor (as Dr. Wesley C. Miller)
Guy Villette	...	sound assistant
Ed Haight	...	sound editor (uncredited)
Harold Humbrock	...	sound editor (uncredited)
Van Allen James	...	sound editor (uncredited)
John Logan	...	sound editor (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department

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Michel Hugo

...

assistant camera (uncredited)

Location Management

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Christian Ferry

...

location manager (uncredited)

Music Department

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Alex Alexander	...	musician: cello (uncredited)
Robert Franklyn	...	music copyist (uncredited)
Jimmie Haskell	...	musician: accordion (uncredited)
Wally Heglin	...	music copyist (uncredited)
Virginia Majewski	...	musician: viola (uncredited)
Skip Martin	...	music copyist (uncredited)
Max Rabinowitz	...	musician: piano (uncredited)
Uan Rasey	...	musician: trumpet (uncredited)
Milton Raskin	...	musician: piano (uncredited)
Miklós Rózsa	...	musical director (uncredited)
Eugene Zador	...	orchestrator (uncredited)
Si Zentner	...	musician: trombone (uncredited)

Additional Crew

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Sylvette Baudrot

...

image coordinator (uncredited)

Thanks

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Crew verified as complete

Production Companies

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Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

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Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1956) (United States) (theatrical)
Metro (1956) (Norway) (theatrical)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1956) (Sweden) (theatrical)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1956) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1957) (Argentina) (theatrical)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1957) (Finland) (theatrical)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1957) (France) (theatrical)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1957) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1957) (West Germany) (theatrical)
National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1964) (United States) (tv) (pan/scan)
MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1989) (United States) (VHS) (pan/scan)
Warner Home Video (2006) (United States) (DVD)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1957) (Japan) (theatrical)
Swashbuckler Films (2015) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
Antenne 2 (A2) (1988) (France) (tv) (dubbed version)
BBC Two (2016) (United Kingdom) (tv)
MGM Home Entertainment (United States) (video) (LaserDisc)
NHK Sôgô (1969) (Japan) (tv) (dubbed version)
NHK-BS2 (1992) (Japan) (tv)
The Criterion Channel (2021) (United States) (tv) (streaming)
Warner Home Video (2006) (Japan) (DVD)
Warner Home Video (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
Warner Home Video (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
Warner Home Video (2015) (Germany) (Blu-ray)

Special Effects

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Other Companies

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The Art Institute of Chicago (Vincent - for permission to photograph the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh we wish to thank the following museums)
Baltimore Museum of Art - The Cone Collection (Vincent - for permission to photograph the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh we wish to thank the following museums)
Cleveland Museum of Art (Vincent - for permission to photograph the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh we wish to thank the following museums)
The Detroit Institute of Arts (Vincent - for permission to photograph the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh we wish to thank the following museums)
Glasgow Art Gallery and Museum (Vincent - for permission to photograph the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh we wish to thank the following museums)
The Courtauld Institute of Art (Vincent - for permission to photograph the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh we wish to thank the following museums)
Honolulu Academy of Arts (Vincent - for permission to photograph the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh we wish to thank the following museums)
Kunstmuseum (Vincent - for permission to photograph the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh we wish to thank the following museums)
Kunstmuseum (Vincent - for permission to photograph the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh we wish to thank the following museums)
Musée du Louvre, Paris (Vincent - for permission to photograph the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh we wish to thank the following museums)
Musée Rodin, Paris (Vincent - for permission to photograph the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh we wish to thank the following museums)
Musée des Beaux Arts, Palais Saint-Pierre (Vincent - for permission to photograph the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh we wish to thank the following museums)
Museum of Fine Art, Boston (Vincent - for permission to photograph the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh we wish to thank the following museums)
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) (Vincent - for permission to photograph the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh we wish to thank the following museums)
Museu de Arte, Sao Paolo, Brazil (Vincent - for permission to photograph the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh we wish to thank the following museums)
National Gallery of Scotland (Vincent - for permission to photograph the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh we wish to thank the following museums)
Nassau Galleries (Vincent - for permission to photograph the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh we wish to thank the following museums)
Rosenwald Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. (Vincent - for permission to photograph the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh we wish to thank the following museums)
Nelson Gallery and Atkins Museum (Vincent - for permission to photograph the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh we wish to thank the following museums)
Phillips Collection, Washington D.C. (Vincent - for permission to photograph the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh we wish to thank the following museums)
Trustees of the Tate Gallery (Vincent - for permission to photograph the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh we wish to thank the following museums)
Wildenstein Gallery, New York (Vincent - for permission to photograph the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh we wish to thank the following museums)
Rhode Island School of Design (Vincent - for permission to photograph the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh we wish to thank the following museums)
John Herron Art Museum (we wish to thank the following museums and organizations for their cooperation)
Nationalmuseum (we wish to thank the following museums and organizations for their cooperation)
Rijksmuseum Amsterdam (we wish to thank the following museums and organizations for their cooperation)
The Chester Dale Collection (we wish to thank the following museums and organizations for their cooperation)
Auguste Mayer Collection (we wish to thank the following museums and organizations for their cooperation)
Alfred Schwabacher Collection (we wish to thank the following museums and organizations for their cooperation)
Tyson Collection (we wish to thank the following museums and organizations for their cooperation)
J.K. Thanhauser Collection (we wish to thank the following museums and organizations for their cooperation)
The Wertheim Collection, Fogg Art Museum (we wish to thank the following museums and organizations for their cooperation)
W. Weinberg Collection (we wish to thank the following museums and organizations for their cooperation)
Verlag F. Bruckmann, K.G. (we wish to thank the following museums and organizations for their cooperation)
Braun - Paris (we wish to thank the following museums and organizations for their cooperation)
Cercle Francais d'Art, Paris (we wish to thank the following museums and organizations for their cooperation)
Imprimerie Draeger (we wish to thank the following museums and organizations for their cooperation)
Firma de Muinck & Co. (we wish to thank the following museums and organizations for their cooperation)
Ganymed Press (we wish to thank the following museums and organizations for their cooperation)
Drukkerijen v/h Ellerman Harms (we wish to thank the following museums and organizations for their cooperation)
Rinascimento Prints by Robert Hoesch (we wish to thank the following museums and organizations for their cooperation)
Kunst im Druck Obpacher (we wish to thank the following museums and organizations for their cooperation)
Kunstkreis Verlag (we wish to thank the following museums and organizations for their cooperation)
Arthur Jaffe (we wish to thank the following museums and organizations for their cooperation)
New York Graphic Society (we wish to thank the following museums and organizations for their cooperation)
The Pallas Gallery (we wish to thank the following museums and organizations for their cooperation)
Piperdrucke Verlags, Die (we wish to thank the following museums and organizations for their cooperation)
Soho Gallery (we wish to thank the following museums and organizations for their cooperation)
Photo Vizzavona (we wish to thank the following museums and organizations for their cooperation)
J.E. Wolfensberger, Wolfsbergdrucke (we wish to thank the following museums and organizations for their cooperation)
Baltimore Museum of Art (Vincent - for permission to photograph the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh we wish to thank the following museums: )
Home House Society, Courtaulds Institute of Art (Vincent - for permission to photograph the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh we wish to thank the following museums: )
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) (this picture made under the jurisdiction of: affiliated with A.F. of L.)
National Gallery of Art, Washington (Vincent - for permission to photograph the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh we wish to thank the following museums: )
Turner Entertainment (VHS package design)

Storyline

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Plot Summary	Vincent Van Gogh is the archetypical tortured artistic genius. His obsession with painting, combined with mental illness, propels him through an unhappy life full of failures and unrewarding relationships. He fails at being a preacher to coal miners. He fails in his relationships with women. He earns some respect among his fellow painters, especially Paul Gauguin, but he does not get along with them. He only manages to sell one painting in his lifetime. The one constant good in his life is his brother Theo, who is unwavering in his moral and financial support. Written by John Oswalt Plot Summary
Plot Keywords	painter painting suicide liberation-theology artistic-creation See All (62) »
Taglines	THE MOST REVEALING LIFE-INSPIRED STORY EVER FILMED! (original print ad - all caps) See more »
Genres	Biography Drama
Parents Guide	View content advisory »
Certification	Argentina:13 Australia:A Australia:PG Finland:K-12 France:Tous publics Italy:T Mexico:B15 Netherlands:16 Netherlands:14 Norway:16 Sweden:15 United Kingdom:A United Kingdom:PG (tv rating) United Kingdom:PG (video rating) United States:TV-PG United States:Approved United States:Passed (The National Board of Review) West Germany:12 (f)

Additional Details

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Also Known As	La vie passionnée de Vincent van Gogh (France) Vincent van Gogh - Ein Leben in Leidenschaft (Germany) El loco del pelo rojo (Spain) Van Gogh, la passió de viure (Spain, Catalan title) 梵高传 (China, Mandarin title) See more »
Runtime	122 min
Country	United States
Language	English
Color	Color
Aspect Ratio	2.55 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix	Mono (Perspecta Sound® encoding) (35 mm optical prints) (Westrex Recording System) 4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints) (Westrex Recording System)
Filming Locations	Arles, Bouches-du-Rhône, France See more »

Box Office

Budget	$3,227,000 (estimated)
Cumulative Worldwide Gross	$5,875,100

Did You Know?

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Trivia	In his memoir "The Ragman's Son" Kirk Douglas recounted that John Wayne attended a screening of the film, and was horrified. "Christ, Kirk! How can you play a part like that? There's so few of us left. We got to play strong, tough characters. Not those weak queers," Wayne said. Douglas tried to explain, "It's all make-believe, John. It isn't real. You're not really John Wayne, you know." Wayne (born Marion Morrison) looked at him oddly, as if Douglas had betrayed him. See more »
Goofs	At Arles, when Paul Gauguin is explaining his philosophy, Vincent mistakes him for Theo saying "but Theo, err Paul..." However, this is in the script. The whole point of the line is that Van Gogh views his conversation with Gauguin as nothing more than an extension of talks he's had with Theo since childhood. See more »
Movie Connections	Featured in Van Gogh: Darkness Into Light (1956). See more »
Soundtracks	La Marseillaise See more »
Quotes	Paul Gauguin: I'm talking about women, man. Women. I like 'em fat and vicious and not too smart. Nothing spiritual either. To have to say 'I love you' would break my teeth. I don't want to be loved. Vincent Van Gogh: You really mean that, Paul. See more »

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