Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon
I
don't like Bacon's art and had little interest in his life, but that's
neither here nor there. Some considered him to be Britain's
greatest living painter, and his seven year relationship with George
Dyer of sufficient interest to make a movie about.
Choosing a famous artist as the subject would
be challenging for anyone, but first time director John Maybury (The
Jacket) had the good sense to cast two tremendously talented
actors.
Derek Jacobi (I, Claudius) as Bacon meets the petty criminal Dyer as he's robbing his home. Instead of calling the police, the hospitable Francis makes George an offer he can't refuse. "Take off your clothes, get into bed, and you can have anything you want." So begins their volatile seven year relationship.
The unassertive, nightmare-plagued George is dominated by Francis everywhere except the bedroom, where their roles reverse completely. Francis enjoys pain, and George is only too willing to burn him with cigarettes, beat him with a belt, and God knows what else.
It's a bleak film, and not for the feint of heart. Recommended only for those with an interest in Bacon and his art, although you won't see any of it here. You won't gain much insight into what informed his painting either, but this is true of most artists. Their paintings speak for themselves.
George Dyer: ""When I die, they're going to find 'loser' tattooed on my arse."
Craig won't have that worry, to be sure.
Derek Jacobi (I, Claudius) as Bacon meets the petty criminal Dyer as he's robbing his home. Instead of calling the police, the hospitable Francis makes George an offer he can't refuse. "Take off your clothes, get into bed, and you can have anything you want." So begins their volatile seven year relationship.
The unassertive, nightmare-plagued George is dominated by Francis everywhere except the bedroom, where their roles reverse completely. Francis enjoys pain, and George is only too willing to burn him with cigarettes, beat him with a belt, and God knows what else.
It's a bleak film, and not for the feint of heart. Recommended only for those with an interest in Bacon and his art, although you won't see any of it here. You won't gain much insight into what informed his painting either, but this is true of most artists. Their paintings speak for themselves.
George Dyer: ""When I die, they're going to find 'loser' tattooed on my arse."
Craig won't have that worry, to be sure.
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| George is so drunk that he pees on the painting of a toilet. | Poor Daniel had some really nasty looking leg veins. Maybe he's not perfect after all. ;-) |
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