December 30, 2014, 7:00 p.m. — Vincent and Theo (1990)
Vincent and Theo
1990. USA. Directed by Robert Altman. Screenplay by Julian Mitchell. With Tim Roth, Paul Rhys, Johanna ter Steege. Altman's foray into the period biopic follows Vincent van Gogh and Theo, his art-dealer brother who supported him financially and emotionally. The onscreen bond between by Tim Roth and Paul Rhys gives depth to this otherwise familiar topic, with each man stifled by bourgeois values in his own way. This portrait of an uncompromising artist rejected by the Academy elicits comparison to Altman himself, who spent the 1980s in the margins. The director’s fate changed more quickly than his subject’s; the following year, Altman returned to Hollywood success with The Player. 133 min.
