Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon (1998)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

John Maybury

Writer:

John Maybury (writer)

Release Date:

7 October 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

Study for a portrait of Francis Bacon.

Plot:

Biography of British painter Francis Bacon focuses on his relationship with his lover, George Dyer, a former small time crook.

Plot Keywords:

Francis Bacon | Burglar | Painter | Drinking | Bed

Awards:

7 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Derek Jacobi	...	Francis Bacon
Daniel Craig	...	George Dyer
Tilda Swinton	...	Muriel Belcher
Anne Lambton	...	Isabel Rawsthorne
Adrian Scarborough	...	Daniel Farson
Karl Johnson	...	John Deakin
Annabel Brooks	...	Henrietta Moraes
Richard Newbould	...	Blond Billy (as Richard Newbold)
Ariel de Ravenel	...	French Official
Tallulah	...	Ian Board
Andy Linden	...	Ken Bidwell
David Kennedy	...	Joe Furneval
Gary Hume	...	Volker Dix
Damian Dibben	...	Brighton Rent Boy
Antony Cotton	...	Brighton Rent Boy
Anthony Ryding	...	London Rent Boy
Christian Martin	...	Bell-Hop
Ray Olley	...	Boxing referee
Wesley Morgan	...	Boxer
Nigel Travis	...	Boxer
Eddie Kerr	...	Tailor
George Clarke	...	Wrestler
David Windle	...	Wrestler
William Hoyland	...	Police Sergeant
Mark Umbers	...	PC Denham
Hamish Bowles	...	David Hockney
Jibby Beane	...	Person at the Paris Opening
Gentuca Bini	...	Person at the Paris Opening
James Birch	...	Person at the Paris Opening
Liz Clarke	...	Person at the Paris Opening
Jemima Cotter	...	Person at the Paris Opening
Fiona Daly	...	Person at the Paris Opening (as Fiona Dealey)
John Dunbar	...	Person at the Paris Opening
Victoria Fernandez	...	Person at the Paris Opening
Natalie Gibson	...	Person at the Paris Opening
Caroline Hardy	...	Person at the Paris Opening
Charlie Hayward	...	Person at the Paris Opening
Miles Johnson	...	Person at the Paris Opening
Kate St. Johnston	...	Person at the Paris Opening
Ulla Larson-Styles	...	Person at the Paris Opening (as Ulla Larson)
Alistair Mathieson	...	Person at the Paris Opening
Chiara Menage	...	Person at the Paris Opening
James Mitchell	...	Person at the Paris Opening
Gregor Muir	...	Person at the Paris Opening
Lorcan O'Neil	...	Person at the Paris Opening
Jon Spiteri	...	Person at the Paris Opening
Francesco Vezzoli	...	Person at the Paris Opening
Thalia Valeta	...	Person at the Paris Opening
Marjorie Walker	...	Person at the Paris Opening
Gillian Young	...	Person at the Paris Opening
Maria Björnson	...	Person in the Colony Room Club
Judy Blame	...	Person in the Colony Room Club
John Byrne	...	Person in the Colony Room Club
Les Child	...	Person in the Colony Room Club
Jake Dodds	...	Person in the Colony Room Club
Daniel Farson	...	Person in the Colony Room Club
Sandy Fawkes	...	Person in the Colony Room Club
David Harrison	...	Person in the Colony Room Club
Malcolm Key	...	Person in the Colony Room Club
Philippe Krootchey	...	Person in the Colony Room Club
Steven Linard	...	Person in the Colony Room Club
Alan MacDonald	...	Person in the Colony Room Club
Norman Rosenthal	...	Person in the Colony Room Club
Thomasina Smith	...	Person in the Colony Room Club
Yolanda Sonnabend	...	Person in the Colony Room Club
Annie Symons	...	Person in the Colony Room Club
David Symons	...	Person in the Colony Room Club
Sue Tilley	...	Person in the Colony Room Club
Virginia Wetherell	...	Person in the Colony Room Club
Winford	...	Person in the Colony Room Club
Michael Wojas	...	Person in the Colony Room Club
Roger Bowdler	...	Person in Restaurant
Duggie Fields	...	Person in Restaurant
Pam Hogg	...	Person in Restaurant
Ben Martin	...	Person in Restaurant
Amanda Menage	...	Person in Restaurant
William Middleton	...	Person in Restaurant
Christina Moore	...	Person in Restaurant
Elspeth Thompson	...	Person in Restaurant
Tutu	...	Person in Restaurant
Susie Bick	...	Person in Casino
Lucy Ferry	...	Person in Casino
Simon Goldberg	...	Person in Casino
David Harvey	...	Person in Casino
Rifat Ozbek	...	Person in Casino
Anita Pallenberg	...	Person in Casino
Jimmy Trindy	...	Person in Casino
Andy Walsh	...	Person in Casino
Gaby Agis	...	Person in French Pub
Melanie Arnold	...	Person in French Pub
Matt Cogger	...	Person in French Pub
Angus Fairhurst	...	Person in French Pub
Georgie Hopton	...	Person in French Pub
Marco Jackson	...	Person in French Pub
Sarah Lucas	...	Person in French Pub
Jean Mortimore	...	Person in French Pub
Lance Patterson	...	Person in French Pub
Johnnie Shand Kydd	...	Person in French Pub
Josephine Soughan	...	Person in French Pub
Dave Baby	...	Person in Brighton Pub
Sam Chapman	...	Person in Brighton Pub
Andrew Coltrane	...	Person in Brighton Pub
Daniele Minns	...	Person in Brighton Pub
Tracey Emin	...	Person in Brighton Pub
Caron Geary	...	Person in Brighton Pub
Sam Hawkins	...	Person in Brighton Pub
Darren King	...	Person in Brighton Pub
Donald McInnes	...	Person in Brighton Pub
Martin Meister	...	Person in Brighton Pub
Gillian Wearing	...	Person in Brighton Pub
Jonathan Williams	...	Person in Brighton Pub
Stevan Zivanovic	...	Person in Brighton Pub
April	...	Person in Brighton Pub
Sheena	...	Person in Brighton Pub
Piers Feltham	...	Person in the Colony Room Club
Ben Gibson	...	Person in the Colony Room Club
Sam Jilkes	...	Person in the Colony Room Club
Nick Mortimore	...	Person in the Colony Room Club
Alan Percy	...	Person in the Colony Room Club
Baillie Walsh	...	Person in the Colony Room Club
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tim Burke

Directed by
John Maybury

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
John Maybury		writer

Produced by
Takashi Asai	....	executive producer
Ben Gibson	....	executive producer
Patrice Haddad	....	executive producer
Yvonne Isimeme Ibazebo	....	line producer
Chiara Menage	....	producer
Frances-Anne Solomon	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Ryuichi Sakamoto

Cinematography by
John Mathieson

Film Editing by
Daniel Goddard

Production Design by
Alan MacDonald

Art Direction by
Christina Moore

Costume Design by
Annie Symons

Makeup Department
Alex King	....	makeup artist
Jacquetta Levon	....	hair designer
Jacquetta Levon	....	makeup designer
Donald McInnes	....	additional makeup artist
Donald McInnes	....	hair stylist
Sara Riesel	....	additional makeup artist

Production Management
Stephane Haddad	....	production manager
Emma Salter	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Olivia Lloyd	....	second assistant director
Deborah Saban	....	first assistant director
Jojo Tulloh	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Ian Bee	....	construction manager
Temple Clark	....	storyboard artist
Philippa Hart	....	set dresser
Catriona McKail	....	art department trainee
Thomasina Smith	....	scenic artist
Alex Ward	....	property master

Sound Department
Tim Alban	....	sound re-recording mixer
Felicity Cottrell	....	foley artist
Paul Davies	....	sound designer
Hugh Johnson	....	assistant dubbing mixer
Ken Lee	....	sound recordist
Mario Mooney	....	sound maintenance
Bernard O'Reilly	....	foley editor
Jack Stew	....	foley artist

Special Effects by
Scott Peters	....	special effects technician
Bob Smoke	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Alan Church	....	effects producer
Sally Clayton	....	visual effects artist
Peter Connelly	....	visual effects artist
Simon Giles	....	visual effects supervisor
David Sewell	....	visual effects artist
John Trussler	....	visual effects artist
Trevor Young	....	film recording
Claire Pollock	....	visual effects artist (uncredited)

Stunts
Glenn Marks	....	stunt coordinator (as Glen Marks)
Rod Woodruff	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Richard Barber	....	gaffer
Cameron Barnett	....	camera operator: second unit
Jaap Buitendijk	....	still photographer
Charlie Hayward	....	camera trainee
Rupert Lloyd-Parry	....	key grip
Tom McFarling	....	second assistant camera
Keith McNamara	....	focus puller
Oona Menges	....	focus puller: second unit
Athan Osborne	....	electrician
Tat Radcliffe	....	camera operator: second unit

Casting Department
Jennifer Duffy	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Jemima Cotter	....	costumer
Miles Johnson	....	wardrobe supervisor
Maria Liljefors	....	additional wardrobe

Editorial Department
Gavin Buckley	....	assistant editor
Gavin Burridge	....	on-line editor
Emily Grant	....	assistant editor
James Lingard	....	assistant editor
Sophia Panayiotopoulos	....	post-production assistant
Anna Turville	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Fernando Aponte	....	score mixer
Daniel Goddard	....	music editor

Other crew
Luke Forsythe	....	floor runner
Laura Goulding	....	script supervisor
Sophia Panayiotopoulos	....	production assistant
Bill Payn	....	location manager
Bella Randall	....	production coordinator
Laurent Rizzon	....	location manager
Miriam Segal	....	script editor
Reuben Segal	....	production runner
Eddie Standish	....	location assistant
Trevor Stanley	....	production accountant
David Torn	....	textures

Production Companies

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Distributors

• Look Now! (1998) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Artificial Eye (UK)
• Asociace Ceských Filmových Klubu (ACFK) (Czech Republic)
• British Film Institute (BFI)
• Golem Distribución (Spain)
• Homescreen (2005) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• IFA (Argentina)
• SBP (1999) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Strand Releasing (USA)
• United King Films (Israel)

Special Effects

• The Film Factory at VTR

Other Companies

• AFM Lighting  lighting

Also Known As:

Love Is the Devil (France) (UK) (short title)
Ai no akuma (Japan)
Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon (USA)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

UK | France | Japan

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

New Zealand:R18 | Singapore:M18 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Norway:15 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

Several of the extras, including Daniel Farson and Sandy Fawkes, were real-life acquaintances of Francis Bacon.

Quotes:

Francis Bacon: Champagne for my real friends, real pain for my sham friends.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Jubilee: A Time Less Golden (2003) (V)

Glad to be miserable?

The film begins by perpetuating the myth of the first Bacon/Dyer meeting - Bacon catching Dyer in the act of robbing his studio - and thus immediately calls its authenticity into question. Whilst the myth has a certain cachet, the scene of discovery, as presented here, is as laughable as a cheesy gay porn scenario.

Daniel Craig is awesome as Bacon's piece of rough. Derek (Theatre Luvvy) Jacobi as Bacon camps it up by numbers. The arty camera devices cannot make up for the cheap production values or the threadbare script.

It's a depressing 80 mins. An everyday tale of two more self-hating homosexuals and a life of doom and gloom in 60s Soho. The only highlight being Mr Craig reclining in the bath. And, handsome as he is, it wasn't worth waiting 75 minutes for.

N.B. Since when did bouncers in 60s Britain wear earrings? And as for the bell-boy's mullet??? It's supposed to be a period piece! Couldn't they have got an actor with an appropriate hair cut???