A Filmmaker's Guide: "Love is the Devil" (1998)

In this chapter of ‘the filmmaker’s guide’ we’re actually going to be learning about literature and film together. I understand that many of you are sitting in university during difficult times and finding it increasingly hard to study and I understand that many of you who are not at university or not planning on it are possibly stuck of what to do, need a break or even need to catch up on learning film before you get to the next level. This guide will be brief but will also contain: new vocabulary, concepts and theories, films to watch and we will be exploring something taboo until now in the ‘filmmaker’s guide’ - academia (abyss opens). Each article will explore a different concept of film, philosophy, literature or bibliography/filmography etc. in order to give you something new to learn each time we see each other. You can use some of the words amongst family and friends to sound clever or you can get back to me (email in bio) and tell me how you’re doing. So, strap in and prepare for the filmmaker’s guide to film studies because it is going to be one wild ride.

"Love is the Devil" (1998)

A study of Francis Bacon and his art, this film takes the term 'biopic' to a new level by incorporating Bacon's own artistic works, colour scheme and characters into the film as pieces used to understand the artist and his style. Starring Derek Jacobi and Daniel Craig this film takes one of our national treasures of acting and puts him in the role of one of the most enigmatic painters of the modern world, and it takes James Bond and makes him absolutely vulnerable. It is a brilliant film with a wide scope to study, so let us take a look at some of the scenes and stills to find out more about how this film represents the figure of Francis Bacon.

Still #1

Francis Bacon's paintings often have these very dark and existential topics and so, in the film, it would make sense to make things look the same way in cinematography. Here, we have a bird's-eye-view shot of the situation in which Francis Bacon's lover, George Dyer - portrayed by Daniel Craig - is sat in a bath surrounded by muted colours, minimal furniture and various bottles of alcohol. The existential crisis depicted in this still is similar to the later images that Francis Bacon would paint of George Dyer - depicting their relationship as a time-bomb.

Key word: Bird's-Eye-View Shot

Shot from above, we get the view from atop the scene. The meaning is to normally show the space in which the character is occupying at the time.

Still #2

Almost all of the paintings by Francis Bacon which are of a particular person are painted in strange colours using mostly reds, pinks and blacks. Here, in this still, we see the exact same thing going on in the background. The unnatural use of wallpaint which, obviously, makes the sight a little uneasy and creates some aspects of tension through discomfort, is the same colour as Francis Bacon's use of paint across and around the faces of his portraits.

Still #3

Here again, we see the colour scheme of a Francis Bacon painting. Especially, the black and darkened background. One thing I liked about Derek Jarman's "Caravaggio" (1986) is that it used the darkened Caravaggio colour scheme in the major scenes. But one thing I like about the film "Love is the Devil" is that it always seems to make some sort of reference to the colour scheme used by Francis Bacon. These colours that almost make you feel like there is something not quite right. It seriously adds to the whole atmosphere of the film, presenting a very subtle meaning of Francis Bacon's paintings as being almost autobiographical.

Conclusion

This film is amazing and I am quite disappointed that more people have not watched it. A very insightful film on how to correctly make a painter's biopic, this alongside Derek Jarman's "Caravaggio" (1986) are two of the greatest biopics about artists that have ever been made.