Van Gogh Brush with Genius


Van Gogh Brush with Genius
VAN GOGH; Brush With Genius

Seen for the first time through the full force of the immersive IMX Theatre formant, the extraordinary colours and passionate brushwork of Vincent Van Gogh take on a new life in the dazzling giant screen film Van Gogh; Brush With Genius. Audiences will relive Van Gogh's life journey through his letters, visit the landscapes that inspired him, and discover a Van Gogh they never knew before.

Above all else, Van Gogh fascinates us by his extremes, the record prices paid for his paintings at auction; his famous spiral into self harm; his exceptional connection with his brother, Theo; and his tragic early death at the age of 37.

For French filmmakers Peter Knapp and Francois Bertrand, however, there was a need for a film that was at once dramatic and yet personal; a film portrait centered on the painters work that enables a new and intimate understanding of the artist and the man. The film, Van Gogh; Brush With Genius, told with the stunning visual effects of the IMAX film format, retraces the artist's journey from the time of his first canvases at the age of 27 to his death on 29 July 1890. Told from the perspective of three main characters - Ellen Bacchus, a museum researcher studying Van Gogh's letters and notebooks, Peter Knapp, a documentary filmmaker, and Vincent Van Gogh himself - the film covers the surprisingly short nine year period of the artist's career during which he created more than 900 paintings.

From the Netherlands to Auvers-sur-Oise, and passing through Arles, Saint-Remy and Paris, Van Gogh: Brush with Genius retraces Van Gogh's footsteps, leading us on a journey through the landscapes that inspired some of the most important works in art history. From the dazzling yellow of Van Gogh's cornfields to the deep blue of his famous night sky, the vibrant palette of one of the world's most dazzling painters lights up the giant screen. With the full force of the IMAX Theatre experience, the paintings seem to spring to life before our eyes, and we can feel the artist's energy, hear the wind in the branches of a cypress, and feel the warmth of the dazzling southern European sun.

In choosing the largest film format in the world (70mm/15-perforation IMAX format), the directors lead us on an extraordinary journey through the works and universe of this most beloved artist, tracing the evolution of an artistic expression only rarely matched.

Van Gogh: Brush With Genius is a co-production of Camera Lucida and La Geode Productions and a MacGillivray Freeman Films release. Based on an original idea by Peter Knapp, the film is directed and produced by Francois Bertrand; written by Marie Sellier, director of photography is Vincent Mathias; music composed by Armand Amar.

Van Gogh: Brush With Genius will premier at the Melbourne International Film Festival on August 13th, 2009 at IMAX Melbourne.

www/filmvangogh.com

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