5/5 Utterly Fascinating View of Francis Bacon
  by Charles Johnson (Los Angeles)
I can't praise this film enough. It is all Bacon being interviewed, very very perceptively by Melvin Bragg, thoroughly laced with images of his paintings and those of other artists. It gives an excellent portrait of Bacon - by Bacon - in 4 different locales, including his studio, which is of itself a stunning work of art. His incisive comments on his work, that of other artists (Velazquez, Van Gogh, Ingres and a few he doesn't care for), his working methods and inspirations, as well views on art in general are something I've not seen regarding any other artist, period. As a plus, Bacon comes off as a totally honest, open and extremely likable person. I think that even those who don't like Bacon's art will find the film fascinating. Bottom line: the only flaw I can see is that it only runs about 55 minutes, I wish it were 10 hours or more.