By Daniel Bellot
There is a scene in the The Burnt Orange Heresy where Debney (Donald Sutherland), an enigmatic artist with a sudden inability to create, and Berenice Hollis (Elizabeth Debicki), a mysterious femme fatale with a long-existing need to capture the truth in herself, sit by a lake, engrossed in a conversation about “masks” and personas. Debney asks Berenice what lies behind her mask. Is she just precisely what she seems to be, or is she entirely new being waiting to be discovered? It seems to me that the character of Berenice Hollis has a lot in common with the film.
The Burnt Orange Heresy, directed by Italian director Giuseppe Capotondi, is based on a novel of the same title by author Charles Willeford. At the center of this neo-noir slow-burner is James Figueras (Claes Bang), our sinister hero and charismatic art critic who wastes no time in testing people’s culture, knowledge, and their understanding of art as a dangerous medium that is as capable of revealing the truth, as well as hiding it. It is only natural that Berenice finds herself attracted to James and intrigued by his ideas. James invites Berenice to go with him to Lake Como, where they are to meet a wealthy art collector, and she quickly accepts. As soon as James has a moment alone with the art collector, Cassidy (Mick Jagger), he makes his intentions clear; he has invited James to steal a painting from artist Jerome Debney, who is staying in Cassidy’s guest cottage supposedly working on a new masterpiece, in exchange for a once in a lifetime interview with Debney. An interview that will surely open many doors for James.
The acting in the film is fantastic, as it has come to be expected from the talent associated with the film. Still, it is difficult to come to terms with a film that makes the argument that art can mean everything and nothing, and perhaps that is precisely the point. Who’s critique of a work of art can be taken seriously if art is subjective? In a conversation between James and Cassidy, Cassidy tells James to “never let a thing’s worth obscure its value.” But what is the value of art if it means nothing? It would have to depend on the individual. Can they see the blue? Can they see the fingerprint? You won’t know until you have seen the film.
In an experiment at the beginning of the film, James lies to a crowd by telling them that the painting he is standing in front of is one made by a famous artist and represents the love for his deceased sister, and asks them if they desire a print, to which they all answer in the affirmative by raising their hands. James then reveals he made up the story and painted the canvas himself, and it means absolutely nothing. He asks them again if they desire a print, and this time, only Berenice raises her hand. I suspect that many in a crowd will dismiss The Burnt Orange Heresy as pretentious and unrewarding, but if one individual raises their hand, then the film has succeeded; it is art.
MIAMI FILM FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE 