The Burnt Orange Heresy

The Burnt Orange Heresy is a 2019 crime thriller film directed by Giuseppe Capotondi and with a screenplay by Scott Smith. The film is based on the book of the same name by Charles Willeford and stars Claes Bang, Elizabeth Debicki, Mick Jagger, and Donald Sutherland.

The Burnt Orange Heresy
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Giuseppe Capotondi
Screenplay by	Scott Smith
Based on	The Burnt Orange Heresy by Charles Willeford
Produced by	William Horberg David Lancaster David Zander
Starring	Claes Bang Elizabeth Debicki Mick Jagger Donald Sutherland
Cinematography	David Ungaro
Edited by	Guido Notari
Music by	Craig Armstrong
Production companies	Indiana Production MJZ Rumble Films Wonderful Films Carte Blanche Cinema HanWay Films Ingenious
Distributed by	Sony Pictures Classics
Release dates	September 7, 2019 (2019-09-07) (Venice) March 6, 2020 (2020-03-06) (United States)
Running time	98 minutes
Countries	United States Italy
Language	English
Box office	$711,691[1][2]

The Burnt Orange Heresy was selected as the closing film at the 76th Venice International Film Festival and was released on March 6, 2020, by Sony Pictures Classics.

Synopsis

Art critic James Figueras is enlisted by a wealthy art dealer to steal a painting from reclusive painter Jerome Debney.^[3]

Cast

• Claes Bang as James Figueras
• Elizabeth Debicki as Berenice Hollis
• Mick Jagger as Joseph Cassidy
• Donald Sutherland as Jerome Debney
• Rosalind Halstead as Evelina Macri
• Alessandro Fabrizi as Rodolfo

Production

In February 2018, Elizabeth Debicki and Christopher Walken were cast in the film adaptation of Charles Willeford's book The Burnt Orange Heresy, to play Berenice Hollis and artist Jerome Debney, respectively.^[4] In April 2018, Claes Bang joined the film to play the lead role of James Figueras, a fiercely ambitious art critic and thief.^[5] In early September 2018, Mick Jagger was cast to play Joseph Cassidy, an art dealer.^[6] In late September 2018, Donald Sutherland was cast in the film, replacing Walken, to play an enigmatic painter who becomes the target of an art-world heist.^[7]

Principal photography on the film began late September 2018 at Lake Como, Italy.^[7]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival on September 7, 2019.^[8] A week later, Sony Pictures Classics acquired distribution rights in all media excluding airlines to the film for North and Latin America, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Germany, Switzerland and Thailand.^[9][10] It was released on March 6, 2020.^[11] Following the closure of theaters a week later due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sony Pictures Classics opted to hold the film for when theaters re-open instead of putting the film on digital platforms.^[12] It was re-released on August 7, 2020.^[3]

Critical reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 66% approval rating based on 119 reviews, with an average rating of 6.1/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "The Burnt Orange Heresy has a certain stylish charm, even if -- much like the art world it depicts -- it'll strike some viewers as pretentious."^[13] On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 57 out of 100, based on reviews from 26 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".^[14]

The Boston Herald notes that the fraudulent artist adds the image of a fly to each of his paintings, "a metaphor for sin and evil"; the image recurs throughout "this dark fable".^[15]