Several harsh themes are discussed in The Burnt Orange Heresy. But like the story itself, this movie is akin to a painting that took 50 years to finish.
The Burnt Orange Heresy Synopsis
Art critic James Figueras is elated when given the opportunity to interview Jerome Debney, a reclusive art legend who has not released any new work for 50 years. The interview comes with shady conditions though, which Figueras resists but soon agrees to. He is quickly also seduced by the profits involved, to the extent of becoming a monster.
Snappy Review
This was a difficult watch for me. Correspondingly, hard for me to give a rating to as well.
It’s slow-moving, though not to the extent of being dreary, to be clear. The sleek monologues and dialogues infuse the earlier chapters with a certain intellectual appeal, after which Jagger and Sutherland effortlessly seduce with their natural magnetism.
But like a lazy afternoon boat ride, one undertaken half-heartedly, the story drifts and stalls, taking like forever before getting anywhere. When the true horror hits, it does still do so with grim impact. But by then you’re simply too dulled by the earlier inaction to really care. Or to evaluate the impossibilities involved.
Frankly, I’d have given this a lower rating in my snippet if not for the attractiveness of the leads, and the brutal but realistic take on modern art. Or should I say, modern commercial art.
As a lover of Lombardy, I have to say too I felt the complex beauty of the region was rather wasted. I thought the decadent beauty aplenty there could have been better used to exemplify the symbiotic relationship between perceived poignancy and intent. Between deceit and naivety too.
Read my other Snappy Movie Reviews
