Theo van Gogh, filmmaker and actor: biography, creativity

A bright film-maker, public figure, journalist Theodore van Gogh lived a short but very busy life. Even many years after his death, his views and remarks continue to alarm society, and his films have only gained popularity over the years.

Early life and family

Theo van Gogh was born in The Hague on July 23, 1957. His father, Johan van Gogh, was the grandson of the brother of the painter Vincent van Gogh. The boy was named the family name Theodore, he became the third representative of the family with that name. The first was the brother of the artist, who cared all his life for Vincent, and it was to him that we should be grateful for the unusual painting of van Gogh. The second Theo was a member of the Resistance in the Netherlands during World War II, he was captured and brutally executed.

Young Theo since childhood was very active and inquisitive, he studied well at school and after graduating he entered the University of Amsterdam, the Faculty of Law. But studying there seemed to him too boring, and he left, never having received higher education.

Great great-grandfather

The great-grandfather of the director - the brilliant artist Vincent van Gogh - is known as a unique painter and graphic artist. He had his own unique vision of the world, which he expressed in his masterpieces. He was the founder of this trend in painting, as expressionism, and treated his paintings as children. All his life he lived in poverty, he was greatly helped by the brother of Theo, who in many ways took care of Vincent's material well-being and also helped him maintain his peace of mind, as far as possible. Despite his difficult and short life, van Gogh left a rich creative heritage - about a thousand paintings and as many drawings. The value of these works is incredibly high, so nephews and his children have always been wealthy people. The grandson of the artist, the father of the director, decided to transfer to the gratuitous use of a large collection of paintings to the state of the Netherlands. The director said that he did not regret it at all, otherwise he would have spent all the money on the movie.

Working in a movie

After dropping his studies and moving to the city of Amsterdam, Theo decided to do directing. He enthusiastically works on the amateur film "Luger". This black and white picture of 1982 told of a psychopath who kidnaps a mentally retarded girl in order to obtain a ransom. Van Gogh himself considered the picture unsuccessful, on the day of the premiere the director directly in the auditorium told the audience that the film was bad and that they could immediately leave. Although the tape was marked by criticism as an interesting art-house work. For some time the film was considered lost, and only after the death of the director a copy was accidentally found in the basement of his house.

In all, Van Gogh has shot 13 feature films and about a dozen documentaries, four times he was awarded the Danish Film Academy for Best Director. Critics believe that Theo did not have time to remove his best films, but his most outstanding works are the picture "Blind Date" (1996), she was awarded a prize at the Golden Calf, a film festival in the Netherlands, (In the Interest of the State, 1997), which also won a prize at the Film Festival in San Francisco. The last film "06.05" (2004) was devoted to the cruelest murder of the friend Theo Pim Fortune. He adhered to anti-Muslim views and was an active politician, he was against the immigration of Muslims to the Netherlands, was an activist of the environmental movement, called for the prohibition of wearing natural fur. Theo shoots a film-investigation (imaginary) about this scandalous murder. He did not have time to complete the film, his colleague did it.

Picture "Obedience"

Many the works of Theo van Gogh touched on political and acute topics. These pictures caused threats and wide resonance, but the director did not pay attention to it, he wanted to draw attention to the injustice and problems of life. And "Submission," the film that Theo shoots in 2004, is also dedicated to the acute problem of brutal treatment of a woman in an Islamic society. This ten-minute picture was created under the scenario of Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a deputy of the Dutch parliament and a refugee from Somalia. She once fled the country to not marry under duress. The film tells the stories of four women, whose images are intentionally sketched to make it clear that millions of women can be seen behind their fates. Each heroine tells us how much she had to suffer: they were beaten, raped, disposed of as a thing. In 2004, the film was shown on television in the Netherlands and caused a huge response. The authors said that they did not want to offend Muslims, but simply wanted to draw attention to the problem of violence. Many threats began to be directed to the director, the police even had to attach security to him and the screenwriter. But Theo did not save it.

Other types of creativity

Except for the movie. Theo van Gogh was engaged in many other creative professions, one of them is journalism. Since 1980, he writes a column for the newspaper, in which he expresses his opinion about politics, culture, news. In his journalistic texts, he was often sharp, expressed provocative opinions. His sharp tongue was feared by many politicians and famous people. He writes the book "Allah knows best", in which he condemns Islam. Theo also tried himself as an actor and starred in the movie "Northerners" (1992).

In addition, since the 1990s, Theo van Gogh has been active on television. He conducts a weekly talk show "Pleasant chat, or Last ear," for which he was even named the best TV host in The Netherlands. Also for television, the director makes a six-series TV series "Medea". The plot is borrowed from ancient Greek tragedies, but their events are transferred to modern politics.

Political Views

Theo van Gogh held to the republican views, he was even a member of the society that called for the abolition of the monarchy in the Netherlands. Theo's political views were largely radical, he rebelled against the Islamization of Europe and Holland, advocated a military invasion of Iraq in 2003. Theo disliked all religions, several times he spoke very sharply about Judaism and the Jews. On his website "Healthy Smoker" he sharply criticized politicians and public figures.

Tragic death

November 2, 2004 in the morning Theo van Gogh went to work on a bicycle. On the way, Mohammed Bouyeri fired eight times, then he tried to cut off the director's head and stuck a knife into his chest. He also wounded the policemen who arrived in time. The murderer was immediately arrested. He said during the investigation that he punished van Gogh for the film "Submission," and even several years later said that he did not repent of what he had done. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in prison without the right to parole.

Reaction to the death of the director

After the death of Theo, the city of Amsterdam was long shaken by demonstrations and actions. This was the first political assassination in Holland in the last 100 years. The police carried out mass arrests of people suspected of involvement in the murder and in terrorist activities. There have been repeated attacks on mosques, arsons. People carried flowers and candles to the scene of the murder. Worries by and large have not subsided until now. Deputies divided into two parts, some demanding tougher laws for immigrants, others say that it is necessary to maintain liberal legislation.

The director's heritage began to enjoy great attention. The best films of director Theo van Gogh still continue to arouse the interest of viewers.