Яркий кинохудожник, общественный деятель, journalist Theodore van Gogh lived a short but very busy life. Even many years after his death, his views and statements continue to alarm the society, and his films have only gained popularity over the years.
Early years and family
Theo van Gogh was born in The Hague on July 23, 1957.His father, Johan van Gogh, was the grandson of the painter's brother Vincent van Gogh. The boy was named theodore, he became the third member of the family with that name. The first was the brother of the artist who had cared for Vincent all his life, 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 executed cruelly.
Young Theo was very active since childhood andinquisitive, he was a good student at school and after graduation entered the University of Amsterdam, at the Faculty of Law. But studying there seemed to him too boring, and he left without receiving a higher education.
Great great grandfather
The great-grandfather of the director is a brilliant artist Vincent.Van Gogh - known as a unique painter and graphic artist. He had his unique vision of the world, which he expressed in his masterpieces. He was the founder of such a trend in painting as expressionism, and treated his paintings as children. All his life he lived in poverty, he was greatly helped by brother Theo, who in many ways took care of Vincent’s material well-being and also helped him to keep his mental balance as far as possible. Despite his difficult and short life, van Gogh left a rich artistic heritage - about a thousand paintings and as many drawings. The value of these works is incredibly high, so the nephews and his children were always 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 cinema anyway.
Working in a movie
Бросив учебу и переехав в город Амстердам, Тео decided to do directing. He is enthusiastically working on the amateur film "Luger". This black-and-white painting of 1982 told of a psychopath who kidnaps a mentally retarded girl for ransom. Van Gogh himself considered the film unsuccessful on the day of the premiere, the director, right in the audience, told the audience that the film was bad and that they could leave immediately. 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 director’s death was a copy accidentally found in his basement.
Total van Gogh made 13 feature films and abouta dozen documentaries, four times he was awarded the Danish Film Academy for best direction. Critics believe that Theo didn’t have time to make his best films, but his most outstanding work is “Blind Date” (Blind Date, 1996), which won an award at the Dutch Calf Film Festival, Golden Calf. State ”(In the Interest of the State, 1997), which also won an award at the San Francisco Film Festival. The last film “06.05” (2004) was dedicated to the brutal murder of friend Theo Pim Fortuin. 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 a ban on wearing natural fur. Theo makes a film-investigation (imaginary) about this scandalous murder. He didn’t manage to complete the film, his colleague did.
Painting "Submission"
Many works of Theo van Gogh touchedpolitical and hot topics. These pictures caused threats and a wide resonance, but the director did not pay attention to it, he wanted to draw attention to injustice and the problems of life. And “Submission”, the film that Theo makes in 2004, is also devoted to the acute problem of cruel treatment of women in Islamic society. This ten-minute picture was created under the scenario of Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a deputy of the Dutch parliament and refugees from Somalia. She herself once fled the country in order not to marry under duress. The film tells the stories of four women, whose images are intentionally schematized, so that it is clear that millions of women can be seen behind their fates. Each heroine tells how she was subjected to torture: 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. The director began to receive numerous threats; the police even had to assign a guard to him and the screenwriter. But Theo didn't save it.
Other types of creativity
In addition to the movie.Theo van Gogh was engaged in many other creative professions, one of them - journalism. Since 1980, he has been writing a column for a newspaper in which he expresses his opinion on politics, culture, and news. In his journalistic texts, he often was 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 activelyworks in television. He hosts a weekly talk show, Pleasant Chat, or The Last Ear, for which he was even named the best Dutch TV host. Also for television, the director shoots the six-part series Medea. The plot is borrowed from the ancient Greek tragedies, but their events are transferred to modern politics.
Political Views
Theo van Gogh stuck to Republicanviews, he was even a member of society, which called for the abolition of the monarchy in the Netherlands. Teo’s political views were largely radical, he rebelled against the Islamization of Europe and the Netherlands, and spoke in support of the military invasion of Iraq in 2003. Theo did not like all religions, several times he spoke very harshly about Judaism and Jews. On his website Healthy Smoker, he sharply criticized politicians and public figures.
Tragic death
On the morning of November 2, 2004, Theo van Gogh set offto work by bike. On the way to it, Mohammed Bouyeri shot 8 times, then he tried to cut off the director's head and stuck a knife in the chest. He also injured policemen who came to the rescue. The murderer was immediately arrested. During the investigation, he stated that he had punished Van Gogh for the film “Submission”, and even several years later said that he did not repent of his deed. He was sentenced to life in prison without the right to early release.
Reaction to the death of the director
After Theo's death, the city of Amsterdam shook for a long time.demonstrations and promotions. This was the first political assassination in Holland in the last 100 years. The police conducted mass arrests of people suspected of involvement in the murder and terrorist activities. There were repeated attacks on mosques, arson. People carried flowers and candles to the scene of the murder. Unrest by and large has not subsided so far. The deputies were divided into two parts, some demanding tougher laws against immigrants, others say that it is necessary to preserve liberal legislation.
The legacy of the director has received great attention. The best films directed by Theo van Gogh and today continue to cause interest among viewers.
