“Lust for Life,” Vincente Minelli’s 1956 movie about Vincent van Gogh, really delivers.  It gives us the love affair with the hooker, the tender patronage of brother Theo, the verbal flare-ups with Gauguin, the ear-cutting, and, in between all the drama, some painting.  It also, quietly and convincingly, recreates places from Van Gogh’s paintings, taking us to the outdoor cafe at Arles, the billiards table, the artist’s bedroom, and the field with crows.

Most remarkably, the film has actors, both in speaking roles and in the background, who resemble the artist’s portraits.  Kirk Douglas, who plays Van Gogh, doesn’t feel sufficiently tormented and inward-looking to be the painter, but he looks just like a self-portrait.  The minor characters are stunning.  The potato eaters, Dr. Gachet, the Zouave, the postman, they all come naturally to life.  The people who sat for Van Gogh must have been those who cared for him, and those he loved most.  Watching the film, I understood that the faces of the people around us are an integral part of our landscape.  They’re what the world looks like to us.