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

"There's no beauty without the wound"

1998 1h 32m EN

😐

6.1

MID

★6.1TMDB · 74

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In the 1960s, British painter Francis Bacon surprises a burglar and invites him to share his bed. The burglar, a working class man named George Dyer, accepts. After the unique beginning to their love affair, the well-connected and volatile artist assimilates Dyer into his circle of eccentric friends, as Dyer's struggle with addiction strains their bond.

“There's no beauty without the wound”

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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 Moreas
Ulla Larson-Styles
Parisian Art World

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Maybury
Writers: John Maybury
Languages: French, English
Countries: United Kingdom, France, Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

28 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: United Kingdom, France, Japan.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Maybury, shot by John Mathieson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Ryuichi Sakamoto. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Daniel Goddard shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Derek Jacobi and Daniel Craig and Tilda Swinton carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "There's no beauty without the wound".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Maybury directs. John Mathieson behind the camera. Ryuichi Sakamoto scores. Daniel Goddard cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom, France, Japan. Dialogue in French, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

128 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.
3International production across 3 countries: United Kingdom, France, Japan.
4Directed by John Maybury, shot by John Mathieson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Ryuichi Sakamoto. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Daniel Goddard shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Derek Jacobi and Daniel Craig and Tilda Swinton carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "There's no beauty without the wound".
9IMDB entry: tt0119577 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 74 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
11Classified under 9 themes, including "new love", "loss of loved one", "arts", "artists' life".