Lust and Revenge

Lust and Revenge is a caustic satire and criticism of the world of contemporary artists, an irreverent and bitterly ironic movie in which Paul Cox uncompromisingly exposes the behind-the-scenes secrets of the world of art, business and cultural institutions. The main character of the movie is a pharmaceutical magnate, George Oliphant. As he badly needs a tax write-off, he decides to sponsor an artist, with a brilliant scene being a wry parody of a casting for selecting an appropriate sculptor. He commissions a sculpture which he wants to donate to a museum in order to have his money returned. Lust and Revenge constitutes a kind of break in the output of the Australian filmmaker. This is the only comedy made by Paul Cox, it lacks any stylistic references to his artistic movies. However, throughout the whole movie one can clearly feel the presence of an independent artist following his own path, who expressly attacks the Australian system of art financing, but also acts as a vehement critic of Hollywood and artistic commerce, new fashionable trends and vogues. The action takes place in Australia but it could be set everywhere inside any circles related to art and artists. This is a universal picture full of realism, every scene is permeated with temperament and passion and under the veneer of comism the director has hidden a unique aptitude for polemic.

Monika Kocbuch