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

Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon centres on the British painter Francis Bacon and his relationship with George Dyer, a small-time thief who breaks into Bacon's studio in the mid-1960s. Rather than turning him in, Bacon takes an interest in him and draws him into his life. Dyer, who comes from a very different background, is absorbed into the artist's circle of friends, a bohemian set of painters, writers and drinkers, while his drinking and drug use put increasing strain on the couple. The film moves between this period and a later moment when Bacon is being celebrated in Paris and Dyer is in crisis.

John Maybury wrote and directed the film, his first feature, followed by The Jacket and The Edge of Love. Derek Jacobi plays Bacon, with Daniel Craig as Dyer, and Tilda Swinton, Anne Lambton, Adrian Scarborough and Karl Johnson among the supporting cast. It was produced by Chiara Menage, with backing from BBC Film, the BFI, the Arts Council of England and Première Heure, and runs 92 minutes.

Released in September 1998, the film drew a modest audience: on IMDb it holds 6.5 out of 10 from around 4,400 votes, and on TMDB 6.1 from a much smaller pool of 74. A critics' rating of 6.5 from 21 reviews places it level with the IMDb figure, suggesting broadly comparable reactions from reviewers and viewers.