loading...
Love Is The Devil
1998
One of the 20th century's greatest painters, Francis Bacon (1909-1992), was at the height of his celebrity during London's swinging '60s. Bacon, however, a fiercely cruel artist suffers from the malady of obsession: his passion for his work is nearly exceeded by his obsession with George Dyer--a darkly handsome petty thief who .. Read more
| Starring | Derek Jacobi, Daniel Craig, Tilda Swinton, Adrian Scarborough |
|---|---|
| Director | John Maybury |
| Genres | Drama, Gay/Lesbian |
loading...
-
Critics' reviews (6)
View all -
This biographical drama from director John Maybury is a highly stylised account of Francis Bacon's abrasive affair with reformed thief George Dyer. Portraying lovers divided by culture and class, Derek Jacobi gives a remarkable physical impersonation of Bacon, while Daniel Craig is a model of repressed anger and bemused despair. The director's use of distorting lenses, reflective surfaces, angular close-ups and split-screen devices to convey both the couple's dislocated world and the style of Bacon's paintings is bold and inspired. However, the vignette structure deprives the film of some much-needed momentum, while the dialogue is pretentiously epigrammatic.
-
A wittily artificial biopic of Francis Bacon, which, in the absence of any of Bacon's paintings, contrives to imitate their style; it is blessed with a brilliant performance from Jacobi as the self-absorbed artist.
-
Maybury's film about Francis Bacon (Jacobi) focuses on the slow but inexorable downward spiral of his seven-year... read more on Time Out
-
Most helpful members' reviews (3)
View all -
21 out of 21 people found this review helpful
OH DEAR . . .
DANIEL CRAIG'S CO*K IS THE ONLY THING GOOD BOUT THIS FILM
-
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful
Disappointing
Disappointing, I would have to agree with the previous reviewer about Daniel Craig
-
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful
pretty good
-
Most recent members' reviews (2)
View all -
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Arty Farty Pretentious Pants
I have to say that not even seeing Daniel Craig playing a man and showing of his some of that sexy body of his which, might i add isnt as sexy as it is now, can make this bearable. The script seems to me to be just random 'show offy' words strung together to make a rather obsurd and frankly illogical mess. Its so totally pretentious that i have to agree with other reviews..who could watch this and enjoy it?! Maybe the whole thing just went over my head but having watched it to the end hoping that it would all be explained to me in some sort of revelation, im still left bemused as to what the point was! Is there even one? I like films that have depth and make the viewer engage in the story but watching this was like climbing Ben Nevis!
-
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
Fascinating
I watched this film with a kind of horrified fascination.
Definitely not a film for everyone - I would be embarrassed to watch it with my mother. However, it 'paints' a fascinating picture and although the camera work can feel a bit sickening, it adds a tone which is appropriate to the mood of the film. Both Derek Jocobi and Daniel Craig (the new James Bond) are well cast and play their roles convincingly.
-
21 out of 21 people found this review helpful
OH DEAR . . .
DANIEL CRAIG'S CO*K IS THE ONLY THING GOOD BOUT THIS FILM
-
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful
Disappointing
Disappointing, I would have to agree with the previous reviewer about Daniel Craig
-
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful
pretty good
-
6 out of 8 people found this review helpful
Wish I could give this 0 stars
This is a film of exaggerated, twisted passion and the grossness of flesh. It's so arty it almost disappears up it's own proverbial. I cannot imagine anyone actually sitting through this cacophony of weird music from some BBC archive and filming through distorted lenses. Yes, DJ gives his usual performance as a dissolute, pretentious homosexual. Is that acting then? I would imagine Daniel Craig is trying to find and burn every copy of this film to hide the fact he's podgy and his legs bulge with varicose veins. Do not waste time even considering whether to rent this.
-
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful
Fascinating
I watched this film with a kind of horrified fascination.
Definitely not a film for everyone - I would be embarrassed to watch it with my mother. However, it 'paints' a fascinating picture and although the camera work can feel a bit sickening, it adds a tone which is appropriate to the mood of the film. Both Derek Jocobi and Daniel Craig (the new James Bond) are well cast and play their roles convincingly. -
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Art Boredom
My wife was right, i didn't like this movie, i sat down trying to open my mind to a different type of movie delving into the lives of Artists, but it didn't grab me. It reminded me of when i watched Sylvia. Shockingly boring.
-
- MrG from Hadley, Telford
- Posted 10 Sep 2006 16:51
-
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Only for Bacon-philes...
If you don't know anything about Francis Bacon, then this film will leave you cold. Otherwise, it's a brilliant piece of art in itself. You can almost forget the storyline and gaze upon the distorted images (like Bacon's paintings) moving across the screen to Sakamoto's ethereal music. Jacobi is good as the painter and Craig gives a credible performance as his doomed lover (you even get to see his, ahem, 'bits'). If you like the paintings, you'll like this...
-
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Why?
As Graham said, very similar to Sylvia but at least Sylvia was watchable this was naff. I turned it off...and I am a TrueMovies fan!
Very arty and weird. Not even the gorgeous and very talented Daniel Craig could save this total dross! -
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
The Devil in the Detail
Ok so this is a very stylised film that did not appeal to me. The central characters are quite good but it wasn't clear to me why Daniel Craig went off the rails and ultimately it was just too arty by far.
-
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
Great Beeb arthouse movie
Brilliant portrayl of Francis Bacon's insular world.
Critics' reviews (6)
-
This biographical drama from director John Maybury is a highly stylised account of Francis Bacon's abrasive affair with reformed thief George Dyer. Portraying lovers divided by culture and class, Derek Jacobi gives a remarkable physical impersonation of Bacon, while Daniel Craig is a model of repressed anger and bemused despair. The director's use of distorting lenses, reflective surfaces, angular close-ups and split-screen devices to convey both the couple's dislocated world and the style of Bacon's paintings is bold and inspired. However, the vignette structure deprives the film of some much-needed momentum, while the dialogue is pretentiously epigrammatic.
-
A wittily artificial biopic of Francis Bacon, which, in the absence of any of Bacon's paintings, contrives to imitate their style; it is blessed with a brilliant performance from Jacobi as the self-absorbed artist.
-
Maybury's film about Francis Bacon (Jacobi) focuses on the slow but inexorable downward spiral of his seven-year... read more on Time Out
-
John Maybury's hugely impressive study of Francis Bacon... stunning.
-
Jacobi gives the performance of his life... Craig is extraordinary.
-
A masterpiece.
Buy from the LOVEFiLM shop
-
-
-
Love Is The Devil
One of the 20th century's greatest painters, Francis Bacon (1909-1992), was at the height of his celebrity during London's swinging '60s. Bacon, however, a fiercely cruel artist suffers from the malady of obsession: his passion for his work is nearly exceeded by his obsession with George Dyer--a ...
-
Related user collection
Films that HAVE to be watched (41)
75.2% from 21 members
Celebrity collection
Mathew Horne (10)
51.6% from 71 members
