“B-” Rating by Robert W. Hammerle

Dave Brown, the IMAX Theater Director, recently hosted a one night showing of “Van Gogh: Brush with Genius” in order to solicit the audience’s opinion concerning the viability of this film in the Indianapolis Market.

Well, Mr. Brown, while this film provides a unique, up-close view of the works and life of Van Gogh, I’m afraid that it is not likely to attract a significant audience in a City like Indianapolis. In forming that conclusion, I am in no way taking a backhanded swipe at either this intriguing movie or our fine City.

As to the film, it is a quasi-documentary look at Van Gogh’s life. Told as if Van Gogh is speaking from the grave, you get an intimate look at many of his masterpieces as Van Gogh relates the personal circumstances surrounding his execution of these exquisite paintings.

Not only do you get to hear Van Gogh’s own thoughts concerning a tormented life that led to his early death at the age of 37, but you also get a present day view of many of the locations that inspired his artistic genius. The images of his paintings on the large IMAX screen is simply breathtaking, and the effect of immediately looking at the location where Van Gogh stood as he set brush to canvas is inspiring beyond words.

While the question and answer session that followed the film was intellectually intriguing, it largely failed to touch on the central issue at hand, namely if enough people would pay to watch this film to justify the financial cost of bringing it to the IMAX. As a self-confessed lover of the cinema, it pains me to say that a realistic but honest answer must be “no way.”

As many of you know, there have been some tremendous documentaries that have found their way to Indianapolis, particularly over the past year. However, with the exception of those made by Michael Moore, hardly any have made a dent concerning attracting a meaningful audience.

However, the costs of bringing such films pales in comparison to what the IMAX would have to pay to get a hold of a print of “Van Gogh.” And in that regard, other than those who spend significant time in the fine arts community, I just don’t see that many people paying the additional costs of an IMAX ticket to immerse themselves in Van Gogh’s art and history. And other than possibly New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, I think the same answer would hold true just about anywhere else in our country.

Having said that, I applaud Mr. Brown for taking the time to stretch the artistic envelope by bringing “Van Gogh” into town, even if it was for only one night. Quite frankly, I think other theaters should engage in this type of innovative thinking, as there are many films released each year, particularly foreign ones, that never find their way into Indianapolis.

Instead, we find nearly every theater chain in town playing such works of “art” as “Paul Blart: Mall Copy,” “Bedtime Stories” and “Bride Wars.” Who knows, given the fact that many of these theaters run shows that are all but unattended on a daily basis, maybe they would discover that a little cinematic experimentation would be highly rewarding, not just for them financially but for those of us that love films as well.

In the meantime, for those of you with an interest in Van Gogh, I urge you to see “Lust for Life” (1965). Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn are wonderful as the tortured but talented Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin. While it is admittedly a bit melodramatic, it still holds up well as an historical piece of cinema to this day.