Harry Situation Reviews: Loving Vincent

“To me, Van Gogh is the finest painter of them all. Certainly, the most popular great painter of all time. The most beloved. His command of color, the most magnificent. He transformed the pain of his tormented life into ecstatic beauty. Pain is easy to portray, but to use your passion and pain to portray the ecstasy and joy and magnificence of our world. No one had ever done it before. Perhaps no one ever will again. To my mind that, strange, wild man who roamed the fields of Provence was not only the world's greatest artist, but also one of the greatest men who ever lived..."

That monologue was written in an episode of Doctor Who which featuring the great painter Vincent Van Gogh, and it is a stellar tribute that perfectly described the man as a whole, as much as this film does.

Loving Vincent is an animated biographical drama about a man trying to deliver a letter from the late painter Vincent Van Gogh. Along the way he begins a personal investigation into Van Gogh's life, as well as his tragic end. Even if you don't know who Van Gogh was—and I'd be shocked if you honestly didn't—but odds are who've come across one of his paintings in an art gallery or a book somewhere. It's unfortunate that he wasn't considered popular during his lifetime, and it didn't help that he suffered from severe depression and other mental health issues, thus leading to his suicide in 1890. But at least today he is properly considered one of the greatest artists that ever lived.

I got a chance to see this film at a small showing at the Rapid City Public Library. They've shown this film once before and have shown it again due to public interest. I am blown away by the shear magnificence of this movie.

What makes this film stand out from all other animated films is that all of the animation is done in frame-by-frame through paint. The actors act out the scenes and a group of painters would paint it all out. The movements, the backgrounds, the settings, all done in a technique very similar to Van Gogh's artwork. There are also moments where you'll see Van Gogh's actually paintings, even people he has painted, come to life on the big screen as if they are part of the movie, and I thought that was a nice touch.

The story is a very engaging one. Instead of seeing it through the eyes of the late painter you're seeing it through the eyes of this gentleman, which I believe his name was Armond, trying to deliver a letter and is interviewing all the people that knew Van Gogh in life and that were present at the time of his death. And what's interesting was how it was told. Armond acts as a surrogate for the audience. He doesn't know much about Van Gogh just as we the audience don't know much about Van Gogh, and through Armond we are learning everything that made the painter so extraordinary.

There even comes a point where Armond is interviewing these people he's listening to a different version of a story. He's heard that Van Gogh barely interacted with others, then he's hearing Van Gogh was real friendly with a certain lady, or he hang around with the town drunk. There even comes a point the Armond hears a story that Van Gogh probably didn't shoot himself but was shot by someone and starts believing that. All throughout the movie you the audience are starting to believe these tales as much as our main character is and then things start to blur from fiction and reality that you're not sure what to believe. But as one character in the film puts it you can believe what you will the outcome is still the same. Van Gogh is dead.

I will say that what this film lacked was any character development outside of Van Gogh. I mean I don't know much about the other characters and I certainly don't remember any of their names. However that's not really the point of the movie, is it? You are not watching this film about these other characters, you are watching to know more about Vincent Van Gogh.

I can see why this film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. It is a fantastic movie that not only celebrates the artwork done by Vincent Van Gogh, but it celebrates Vincent Van Gogh the human being. A man who indeed managed to portray pain in such stellar beauty. Who managed to see the world's truest beauty and capture it with the stroke of a brush. I don't think it will win the award unfortunately. Let's face it, Oscars be biased.

Regardless this is a film worth checking out. If you want to see the works of one of the world's greatest artists come to live then this film is well worth your time.

Positives:

-Wonderfully animated

-Great story about Van Gogh

-Strong emotion

-Celebrates Van Gogh's work

-Celebrates Van Gogh the man

Negatives:

-Lack of character development

Final Grade: A

So there's my review of Loving Vincent. Have you seen it? What were your thoughts? Any paintings by Van Gogh that you're particularly fond of? Please be kind, leave a like and comment, and check back for more reviews on Prose!

Best Quote:

Vincent Van Gogh: "In the life of the painter, death may perhaps not be the most difficult thing. For myself, I declare I don't know anything about it. But, the sight of the stars always makes me dream."

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