Caravaggio (1987)
Directed by Derek Jarman
*The short film “Depuis le Jour (fragment from “Aria”) (1987) by Derek Jarman will be screened before the film "Caravaggio".
The life and work of the painter whose death in 1610 followed years on the run as a murderer. The film links the characters in Caravaggio’s art with the violent events of his career.
Derek Jarman’s unique biopic of the 17th-century Italian artist Michelangelo da Caravaggio is a powerful meditation on sexuality, criminality, and art. Derek Jarman struggled for seven years to bring his portrait of the 17th-century Italian artist Michelangelo da Caravaggio to the screen. The result was well worth the wait. It's a freely dramatized portrait, which conjures several of the controversial artist’s most famous paintings through elaborate and beautifully photographed tableaux vivants, and boasts wonderful performances from Nigel Terry, Sean Bean, and, in her first role, Tilda Swinton.
Credits
Director
Derek Jarman
Production Company
BFI Production Board
In Association with
Channel Four
Producer
Sarah Radclyffe
Executive Producer
Colin MacCabe
Screenplay
Derek Jarman
Cinematography
Gabriel Beristain
Music
Simon Fisher Turner
Cast
Nigel Terry (Michelangelo Caravaggio), Sean Bean (Ranuccio Thomasoni), Garry Cooper (Davide), Dexter Fletcher (Young Caravaggio), Spencer Leigh (Jerusaleme), Tilda Swinton (Lena), Nigel Davenport (Giustiniani), Robbie Coltrane (Cardinal Scipione Borghese), Michael Gough (Cardinal Del Monte)
