(1986)
4
Lucia Bozzola
Derek Jarman's first 35mm film and one of his most mainstream works, this iconoclastic biopic explores the connections among sex, art, and money in the complicated life of 17th century painter Caravaggio. Deliberately injecting modern anachronisms into his portrait of Renaissance Italy, Jarman eschews traditional biography in favor of key moments in Caravaggio's relationships with his patrons and especially his models Ranuccio and Lena. Through Caravaggio's deathbed memories, Jarman reveals the impact of Caravaggio's taboo sexuality on his church-funded paintings, as hustlers and prostitutes portray saints for a system corrupted by financial imperative. Recreating Caravaggio's most famous works with live actors, and shooting in a style true to Caravaggio's chiaroscuro aesthetic, Jarman creates a seductive yet foreboding visual atmosphere surrounding Nigel Terry's brooding artist. Winner of the Silver Bear at the 1986 Berlin Film Festival, Caravaggio was a critical and art house success, ushering in Jarman's second period of feature filmmaking before his death from AIDS in 1994.
Caravaggio on AllMovie
Caravaggio (1986)
