For me Pialat's low key treatment of Van Gogh's last few weeks is a remarkable film - beautifully shot with tremendous acting supported by an intelligent screenplay. Dutronc produces a Van Gogh tortured by the spectre of mental ill health, interspersed with the everyday activities of a quiet rural village, a compassionate patron and his frivolous daughter, including an outing with Theo at a musical Parisian brothel! The great artist is seen at work but there is no sense of the isolated, melodramatic genius depicted in other films. On the contrary Van Gogh appears quite normal, conveying generous warmth to those around him, frolicking by the riverside and interested in the lives of others. When the end finally arrives it is treated with sublime sensitivity and, to some extent, a certain inevitability.