THE BLOOD ORANGES

THE BLOOD ORANGES Charles Dance, Sheryl Lee (1997, Trimark, 105 mins., R, also on DVD)Based on John Hawkes' novel, this lurid yet tedious drama, little more than soft-core porn with artsy aspirations, shows swinging spouses Cyril (Dance) and Fiona (Lee) tasting what he calls ''the love lunch'' with another couple, Hugh and Catherine (Colin Lane and Laila Robins). The liaison ends badly, of course, as the film's central mystery shifts from ''Why won't Hugh sleep with Fiona?'' to ''Why on earth did these actors do this film?'' REEL GOODIES (1:22) The first query is answered: We learn Hugh prefers autoerotic asphyxiation, using skin pix and a secret noose. THE LAST DETAIL Jeered by audiences at the 1997 Toronto film festival, Blood Oranges, by the director of the art-house hit Angels & Insects, never made it into theaters south of the border. D --Caren Weiner Campbell

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