Love is the Devil

Before Daniel Craig was Bond, James Bond, he was George Dyer – burglar, drug- and drink addict, parasitic yet abused lover and muse to acclaimed and reviled artist Francis Bacon in 1960’s Soho.

Maybury’s film cleverly evokes the world of Bacon (Derek Jacobi in a stroke of inspired casting) and the Soho-boho set around the famous Colony Room – a hangout and drinking den for artists and misfits alike founded by foul-mouthed Muriel Belcher (here played by Tilda Swinton). Often, the characters and scenarios this colourful world inhabits are portrayed distorted and in panels and triptychs, as if seen through the creative eyes of Bacon the artist.
There isn’t much of a plot as such, instead the film focuses on the ‘relationship’ between Bacon and Dyer – the former appointing the latter as muse and lover after an attempt to burgle the artist’s residence. Although Dyer, who comes from a rough working class background and stands in sharp contrast to Bacon’s eccentric and blasé circle of artist friends seems like a true misfit in Bacon’s company, a loving relationship evolves between the two men which quickly descends into a power struggle including sexual and psychological sadism/masochism. The fact that Bacon the artist triumphantly wanders from one of his gallery openings to another while squandering money in casinos, dens of ill-repute and on smart suits for his lover-boy cannot conceal the increasing unhappiness, insecurity but also dependency which Dyer begins to display. All along, Bacon’s friends make no secret of the fact that they think precious little of the working class lad who will never truly belong to their ‘inner sanctum’ – resulting in Dyer’s increasing alcohol and drug consummation. The film ends with Dyer’s suicide while Bacon celebrates yet another triumph at an opening Paris.

Love is the Devil is an apt title for this 1999 film which won several international awards, including Best British Performance for both Jacobi and Craig at the Edinburgh Film Festival. Jacobi’s performance makes it easy for us to get sucked into his equally haunted and disturbed world spiked with decadence and glitz, while Craig’s ‘George Dyer’ exudes the necessary raw intensity to make his character believable. Of course, it is interesting to see what the decadent artist scene in 1960’s London was like and once again it’s easy to get seduced by this fascinating and often grotesque world.

This Blu-ray release contains the following SPECIAL FEATURES:

• New full feature commentary by John Maybury and Derek Jacobi.
* 'The Colony' Exclusive feature documentary preview (16 minutes)
* New interview with producers Ben Gibson and Chiara Menage.
* Booklet with essays by Michael OPray and Sir Christopher Frayling.