Francis Bacon: Fragments of a Portrait
FRANCIS BACON AT THE BBC | Celebrating the life and work of a great British artist
Francis Bacon: Fragments of a Portrait
David Sylvester presents the first TV documentary about Francis Bacon.
Synopsis
David Sylvester was one of the first critics to recognise the worth of Francis Bacon's paintings. Here, he speaks to Bacon about the recurring themes in his work, his influences and his life. The programme features examples of Bacon's painting and is accompanied by a haunting score by Edwin Astley that was specially composed for the production. Minor edits have been made to this programme for rights reasons. It also contains graphic images of butchery that some may find disturbing.
Did you know?
Composer Edwin Astley was also responsible for the themes of a number of TV adventure shows, the most famous being 'The Saint', 'The Champions' and 'Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased)'. Like the producer of this Francis Bacon documentary, Michael Gill, Astley also went on to work on the historical documentary series 'Civilisation' (1969), for which he composed a majestic theme.
Contributors
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Documents
LETTER FROM MICHAEL GILL TO FRANCIS BACON
Producer Michael Gill updates Francis Bacon on his forthcoming television programme.
RADIO TIMES ARTICLE: Francis Bacon
A preview of 'Fragments of a Portrait' from the 'Radio Times'.
RADIO TIMES ENTRY: 'Fragments of a Portrait'
How the 'Radio Times' presented 'Fragments of a Portrait' in its listings.
AUDIENCE RESPONSE REPORT
The BBC finds out what the viewers thought of 'Fragments of a Portrait' on its original broadcast.
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