The Burnt Orange Heresy

I enjoyed The Burnt Orange Heresy film it looks very pretty and has some nice dialogue. All the cast were good and Mick Jagger was a surprise in that he played his part very well. Claes Bang seemed quite old for the part of a young and up and coming critic though.

The plot at times seemed a little strained. I read the Charles Willeford book a few years ago which possibly helped in following what was going on so far as what the characters motivations were. The film itself seems closer to something from the Tom Ripley novels than in does the book it is supposedly based on. It left out a key thing about Debney's career which everything should really hinge on, seems the script writer wanted to turn this into amost a European film noir than anything to do with the book. But it was an enjoyable hour and fourty minutes all the same.

"The Burnt Orange Heresy" (2019 release from Italy; 98 min.) brings the story of art critic James Figueras. As the movie opens, James is in Milan, Italy, giving an art critic presentation about some painting. In the audience is Berenice, an American from Duluth. Afterwards, these two hook up. James mentions that he has been invited by art dealer Joseph Cassidy to his summer estate at Lake Como, and would she like to come along? Berenice agrees, and out to Lake Como they drive. It's not long after when Cassidy reveals his reasons for inviting James to his lakeside estate... At this point we are 10 min. into the movie but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience , you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this movie is the latest from Italian director Giuseppe Capotondi. Here he brings the big screen adaptation of the book of the same name by Charles Willeford. I haven't read the book and hence can't comment how closely the film sticks to the book. Also, this movie is super-plot heavy, so I can't say anything more about how it all unfolds. Instead, I will simply say this: the movie's built-up takes a long time (pretty much the first hour), and all is then revealed in the last half hour, so just make sure you wait out the first hour... Tce acting performances are tops: Danish actor Claas Bang (wjo looks just like Pierce Brosnan) as James, Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki as Berenice, Donald Sutherland as he recluse painter Jerome Debney, and last but not least, Mick Jagger as the art dealer Cassidy. Now a crisp 77 years young, this is Jagger's first feature film role out of the Stones since 2001's "The Man from Elysian Fields", if you can believe it. Much of the movie plays out at Lake Como, and the lush photography really helps the film. Kudos also for the nice orchestral score from Scottish composer Craig Armstrong.

"The Orange Burnt Heresy" premiered at last year's Venice film festival to good acclaim, and it was supposed to be released in US theaters in March. Then a little thing called COVID-19 happened. The film finally opened this weekend at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati and I could wait to see it. (The theater strictly abides by all COVID-19 measures including social distancing and face masks.) The early Sunday evening screening where I saw this at was attended poorly (3 people including myself). If you are interested in an arts-focuses thriller that delivers in the last half hour, I'd readily suggest you check this out, be it in the theater, on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.

The Burnt Orange Heresy isn't a film for the masses, but it's enjoyable enough. It's recommended viewing for those who enjoy independent cinema and who aren't offended by a little on-screen rumpy pumpy.

The negative criticisms are understandable, if you are only looking for a drama that spoon feeds you an explanation each step of the way. There are only 4 characters and each is developed brilliantly. The best part is the development of what each character represents with their virtues and vices. Greed is demonstrated as a vice that comes in many forms, whether emotional, physical, mentally or monetarily, and it is clearly pervasive in three of the main characters. Like art, the characters are individually perceived differently by the viewer, as well as by each other. Like art, the movie "moves" the viewers to make a emotional connection to the characters and their motives. And finally, like art, every critic can be equally full of %^#.

This was an intelligent little number that challenged the viewer to decipher it's intricacies and work out the relationship of the characters.

I thought it did a good job of revealing the characters slowly over the first half and slowly their cracks started to show. Greed, perception and the lengths one will go to achieve his desire and the other will go to provide it.

As someone commented it won't suit all viewers because there is no spoon feeding or a tidy ending. The viewer must determine the motivation of each character. The addition of Mick Jagger (or should I say Sir Michael) was an interesting choice. At first I thought his lines were delivered in stilted uneven manner. But the way he fit his character like a well worn high street suit I thought this is his world. The world of high end art, servants and connections we can only dream of is where he is most comfortable. And it showed. His larger than life facial features and consistent delivery was disarming at times. I wish he'd made more movies. The main characters were a joy to watch and Donald Sutherland is a most underrated actor. What a terrific ensemble.

The ending felt a bit rushed and wasn't revealed as artfully as the start of the movie but enjoyable none the less. A second watch is guaranteed.

A 7 because it's a wonderful movie to trip over in a sea of banality that is coming out of Hollywood at the moment. More please.