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Gregory Peck

Beginning with a prologue directed by German film pioneer Ewald André Dupont (Varieté) in which Vincent Price talks to art students, this 80-minute film gave audiences a taste of art history and art appreciation, and won a Special Award at the Golden Globes in 1952 following its release on 21 December 1951.

Vincent Price also narrated the first of the film’s six segments. It was entitled The Lost Paradise and explored the work of Hieronymous Bosch (1450-1516). The segment, directed by documentary filmmaker Luciano Emmer, was also released as an 11-minute short in 1954.

Gregory Peck narrated the second part, The Legend of St Ursula by Vittore Carpaccio (1460-1526), also directed by Emmer, and featuring special camerawork and effects from legendary Italian filmmaker Mario Bava.

Francisco Goya (1746-1828) was the subject of the third part, directed by Lauro Venturi and narrated by Harry Marble, while Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1863-1901) followed, directed by Robert Hessens and Olga Lipska, and narrated by Lilli Palmer.

Part five, which explored the work of Paul Gauguin (1848-1903), was directed by renowned French filmmaker Alain Resnais (Last Year at Marienbad) and narrated by Martin Gabel, while the final segment, directed by Russian film editor Marc Sorkin, found Henry Fonda in fine voice discussing the life of American Gothic artist Grant Wood (1892-1942).

This film is presently unavailable, and is top of my must-find list. If you have any idea how to track this down, do email me.

About Post Author

The Curator

Peter Fuller is a award-winning print, radio and television journalist and producer, with over 30 years experience covering film and television, with special interest in world cinema and popular culture. He is a leading expert on the life and career of Vincent Price and actively promotes the actor's legacy through publications, websites and special events.
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2 thoughts on “Pictura: Adventure in Art (1951) | Vincent Price invites you on ‘a strange and exciting voyage’

  1. I have a 16mm copy of the film. I am trying to find out the copyright status of the film, background information on the production company, Pictura Films Corp., and if there are any other copies floating around.

  2. I’m the Education Director for the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, which holds the largest public collection of Grant Wood artwork in the world. We would love to see part six of this film in particular, since it features Grant Wood. I’d love to hear from anyone who has this footage! Contact me through our website.

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