Vincent

Hauntingly narrated by John Hurt, this docudrama from Australian filmmaker Paul Cox (Lonely Hearts, Man of Flowers) is a moving examination of the life and times of Vincent Van Gogh. Comprised entirely of Van Gogh's letters to his brother Theo, the film features a rich representation of Van Gogh's sketches and paintings, in addition to a number of mini-sets--recreating a night in Paris, or workers reaping hay in the fields of southern France. The narration begins bouncily enough with Vincent's reports to his brother about his apprenticeship as an evangelist, but soon he leaves the church, a failure, and begins to paint. Often destitute, tortured by a gradually increasing madness, Van Gogh's desperate voice is powerfully recreated by reader Hurt, as he describes the importance of art to his life. Thwarted in love, unable to make friends, obsessed with his work, Van Gogh eventually took his own life out of lonely desperation. During his short, but prolific, period as a painter, Van Gogh sold a sum total of one painting. A curious and compelling film that--thanks to the voluminous amount of letters between Vincent and Theo--allows us a privileged look into the sad and passionate soul of one of the world's greatest artists. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)