Loving Vincent Film Analysis
Hello there! I'm going to start my blog with a question :) Have you guys ever heard a film named ''Loving Vincent''? Well, if you haven't heard it yet, then I strongly advise you this film beacuse it's really beautiful and stunning. This the first entirely oil-painted animation feature film in history. Each of the film's 65,000 frames is an oil painting on canvas, using the same technique as Van Gogh, created by a team of 125 painters. Cool, isn't it?
So, today I'm going to analyse this film in terms of information, form, content and function.
1)-Information
This film is:
Directed by: Dorota Kobiela Hugh Welchman
Produced by: Hugh Welchman Ivan Mactaggart Sean M. Bobbitt
Written by: Dorota Kobiela Hugh Welchman Jacek Dehnel
Starring:
Robert Gulaczyk
Douglas Booth
Jerome Flynn
Saoirse Ronan
Helen McCrory
Chris O'Dowd
John Sessions
Eleanor Tomlinson
Aidan Turner
Release date
12 June 2017 (Annecy)
6 October 2017 (Poland)
13 October 2017 (United Kingdom)
I saw this film at the cinema with my classmates. Actually we had to watch it for the art lesson and as I said before, I found it really great, beautiful and stunning.
2)-Form
It was a dramatical biographical film and the story was based on the work of Vincent van Gogh. I can't give an exact place because this film was made with paintings, so the story locations were in the paintings but during his life Vincent van Gogh lived in The Netherlands, France, Belgium and London. People were clothed in old-fashioned 19th century clothes like suits and dresses. The story was explained in manner of flashbacks. There were many flashbacks about mr. van Gogh. I mostly remember the ear cutting scene and the suicide scene of his flashbacks. It was really sad and emotional.
3)-Content
A short summary about the film:
Loving Vincent is a stunning, fully painted animated movie, starring Douglas Booth and Saoirse Ronan. Loving Vincent explores the life and controversial death of Vincent Van Gogh, told by his paintings and by the characters that inhabit them. The intrigue unfolds through interviews with the characters closest to Vincent van Gogh and through dramatic reconstructions of the events leading up to his death
Some characters of the film:
1- Postman Joseph Roulin (Chris O'Dowd)
In Loving Vincent, Postman Joseph Roulin is a key character. He is the father of Armand Roulin, sending Armand on his quest to deliver a letter, and find out what really happened to Van Gogh.
Postman Roulin was Vincent van Gogh’s closest friend in Arles, unsurprising as Vincent was such a keen letter writer, and the two often drank together.
2-Armand Roulin (Douglas Booth)
Loving Vincent follows the journey of Armand Roulin, son of Postman Joseph Roulin. In the film Armand’s father sends him to deliver a letter to Vincent’s brother Theo, after hearing that Vincent shot himself. Armand arrives in Paris only to find that Theo is dead too. He is drawn into the mystery of Vincent’s death, as he finds out more about Vincent’s amazing life and seeks out the truth about his death.
Armand Roulin lived just around the corner from the ‘Night Cafe’ and Vincent van Gogh’s ‘Yellow House’ in Arles, France. His father Joseph was one of Vincent van Gogh’s closest friends when he lived there, and Vincent painted portraits of all the Roulin family.
3-The Old Man (James Greene)
Another character that our films hero Armand Roulin meets in Auvers-sur-Oise is The Old Man. As Armand talks to the people of Auvers who knew Van Gogh when he lived there, he meets The Old Man thatching a roof, who tells Armand what he remembers about the ‘painter fellow’ as the two share some cider.
4-Dr Gachet (Jerome Flynn)
Dr Paul Gachet was passionately involved with the bohemian world of the impressionist artists of Paris. He was a physician to many painters including Cezanne, and became Van Gogh’s doctor in Auvers-sur-oise after Vincent left the Saint Remy asylum, following a recommendation from Camille Pissarro to Vincent’s brother Theo. Vincent lived in Auvers so he could be treated by Dr Gachet from May 1890 until his death in July that year.
Dr Gachet was an aspiring painter himself, and he and Vincent quickly became firm friends. Whilst Vincent was in Auvers, he painted fervently, creating a new canvas almost daily. He visited Dr Gachet regularly and painted his daughter Marguerite twice as well.
5-Martguerite Gachet (Saoirse Ronan)
Marguerite Gachet was the daughter of Dr Paul Gachet, Vincent van Gogh’s doctor in Auvers-sur-Oise, where he spent the last few months of his life. Vincent regularly joined the Gachet family for meals and painted Marguerite twice, yet her face was always concealed.
6-Louise Chevalier (Helen Mccrory)
Louise Chevalier was Dr Paul Gachet’s housekeeper in Auvers-sur-oise. When Vincent van Gogh left the asylum in Saint Remy in May 1890, he went to live in Auvers, so Dr Gachet could keep an eye on him. In the film, our hero Armand Roulin comes across Louise on his journey to discover more about Van Gogh, and she shares her opinions and theories about the artist and his mysterious death with Armand.
7-The Boatman (Aidan Turner)
One of the characters that Armand Roulin meets in his investigation in Loving Vincent is The Boatman.
8-Père Tanguy (John Sessions)
Julien Tanguy, affectionately nick-named Père Tanguy, ran a paint supply shop in Paris, and Vincent van Gogh was one of his frequent customers and a loyal friend. Père Tanguy was a passionate supporter of the ’new painters’ including the impressionists, exhibiting them and often accepting payment for supplies in paintings. In Loving Vincent, Tanguy’s shop is Armand Roulin’s first stop on his journey to discover the truth about Van Gogh.
9-Adeline Ravoux (Eleanor Tomlinson)
Adeline Ravoux was the innkeeper’s daughter at the Ravoux Inn, where Vincent van Gogh resided during his time in Auvers-sur-Oise, and where he finally died on the 29th July 1890 from a gunshot wound. When he first arrived in Auvers, Vincent’s doctor Paul Gachet had recommended a boarding house that cost twice what Vincent was paying at Ravoux Inn, but he elected to take the cheapest room - the attic room, at the Ravoux.
And..
Van Gogh is played by Polish theatre actor Robert Gulaczyk. This was his first film ever. Actor Robert Gulaczyk had a striking likeness to Vincent van Gogh.
4)-Function
Loving Vincent examines Vincent van Gogh's life and death through his artwork. Every frame of this film is an oil painting on canvas, using the same technique in which Vincent himself painted.
5)-Reaction
When I first went to the movie, I didn't really know what to expect about it, but as soon as the film started, it was very striking to see how every frame was an oil painting on canvas. Every scene was really impressive, especially the suicide scene, because it was really intriguing to know why Vincent wanted to commit suicide or was it really a suicide or a murder? The many personalities that were shown in the movie, had all different and intriguing connections with Vincent van Gogh. Anyways, it was very thrilling and I strongly advise you to watch it.
See you next time :)