Live, Love, and Learn

 

Live, Love, and Learn is a film that explores the challenges and joys of being an artist in the 1930s. Bob Graham is a passionate painter who experiments with different styles and techniques, while Julie Stoddard is a supportive wife who encourages him to pursue his dreams. He faces difficulties in his artistic career and suffers from bouts of depression and frustration. He also has a loyal friend and mentor in Oscar, who supports him and critiques his work.

 

Some of the film’s scenes and themes may have been inspired by the lives and works of real artists, such as Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Vincent van Gogh.

 

• Henri Matisse was a French artist who experimented with paper cut-outs later in his career. In the film, Bob Graham is influenced by Matisse’s style and uses bright colours and bold strokes to create his paintings. He also makes a paper cut-out of a bird as a gift for Julie.

 

The film was produced by Harry Rapf and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on October 29, 1937. It was directed by George Fitzmaurice, who was known for his stylish and sophisticated films, such as Mata Hari (1931) and The Son of the Sheik (1926). The screenplay was written by Charles Brackett, Cyril Hume, and Richard Maibaum, who were all prominent writers in Hollywood. The film was made during the Golden Age of Hollywood, a period of artistic and commercial excellence in the film industry. The 1930s and 1940s saw the development of sound, colour, and special effects.