Art dealer sues 'Savage Grace' filmmakers

NEW YORK, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- A U.S. art dealer is suing the makers of "Savage Grace," claiming the film's portrayal of him has exposed him to "disgrace" and "ridicule."

Sam Green is seeking unspecified damages from Cablevision Systems Corp. and IFC, its programming arm, based on his assertions the movie exposed him "to disgrace, hatred, ridicule and contempt," "deprived him of friendly intercourse in society" and is making it difficult for him to raise money for his charitable organization, the Landmarks Foundation, the New York Post said.

A character based on Green is shown in the movie having sex with both his ex-girlfriend Barbara Baekeland and her son Tony, a schizophrenic who eventually stabbed her to death in 1972. Co-starring Julianne Moore as Baekeland and Hugh Dancy as Green, the film was released in theaters this year.

While Green, 77, admitted in the lawsuit he filed in State Supreme Court that he had "a brief romantic relationship with Barbara Baekeland in the late 1960s," he insisted it ended "long before the tragic events that led to Mrs. Baekeland's death," the Post said.

"At no time during the duration of said romantic relationship, or any other time, did Sam Green engage in menage a trois or have sexual intercourse with both Tony Baekeland and Barbara Baekeland at the same time," the lawsuit said.

Green also said in the lawsuit he objected to the suggestion he had been someone who preyed on wealthy older women, the Post reported.

Cablevision's Rainbow Media unit, which produced the film, told Newsday it hadn't been served with the complaint and declined to comment.