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{{Short description|1986 film directed by Derek Jarman}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox film
{{Infobox film
| name = Caravaggio
| name = Caravaggio
| image = Caravaggio poster.jpg
| image = Caravaggio poster.jpg
| image_size =
| caption =
| caption =
| director = [[Derek Jarman]]
| director = [[Derek Jarman]]
Line 14: Line 14:
| cinematography = [[Gabriel Beristain]]
| cinematography = [[Gabriel Beristain]]
| editing = [[George Akers]]
| editing = [[George Akers]]
| distributor = Cinevista (USA)<br>Umbrella Entertainment (AUS)
| distributor = Cinevista (USA)<br />Umbrella Entertainment (AUS)
| released = '''United States''':<br/>29 August 1986
| released = {{Film date|1986|08|29|U.S.|df=y}}
| runtime = 93 minutes
| runtime = 93 minutes
| country = United Kingdom
| country = United Kingdom
| language = English
| language = English
| budget = £450,000<ref>"Verging on the respectable." Sunday Times [London, England] 20 Apr. 1986: 45. The Sunday Times Digital Archive. Web. 8 Apr. 2014.</ref>
| budget = £450,000<ref>"Verging on the respectable." Sunday Times [London, England] 20 Apr. 1986: 45. The Sunday Times Digital Archive. Web. 8 Apr. 2014.</ref> or £475,000<ref name="org">{{cite web|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-back-to-the-future-the-fall-and-rise-of-the-british-film-industry-in-the-1980s.pdf|page=20|title=Back to the Future: The Fall and Rise of the British Film Industry in the 1980s - An Information Briefing|website=British Film Institute|date=2005}}</ref>
|gross=£240,000 (UK)<ref name="org"/>
}}
}}


'''''Caravaggio''''' is a 1986 British [[Drama (film and television)|drama film]] directed by [[Derek Jarman]]. The film is a fictionalised re-telling of the life of [[Baroque]] painter [[Caravaggio|Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio]]. It is the film debut of [[Tilda Swinton]] and [[Sean Bean]].
'''''Caravaggio''''' is a 1986 British [[historical drama]] film directed by [[Derek Jarman]]. The film is a fictionalised retelling of the life of [[Baroque]] painter [[Caravaggio|Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio]]. It is [[Tilda Swinton]]'s film debut.


==Plot==
==Plot==
Told in a segmented fashion, the film opens as Caravaggio ([[Nigel Terry]]) dies from lead poisoning while in exile, with only his long-time deaf-dumb companion Jerusaleme ([[Spencer Leigh (actor)|Spencer Leigh]]) (who was given by his family to the artist as a boy) by his side. Caravaggio thinks back to his life as a teenage street ruffian ([[Dexter Fletcher]]) who hustles and paints. While taken ill and in the care of priests, young Caravaggio catches the eye of Cardinal Del Monte ([[Michael Gough]]). Del Monte nurtures Caravaggio's artistic and intellectual development but also appears to molest him.
Told in a segmented fashion, the film opens as Caravaggio dies from [[lead poisoning]] while in exile, with only his long-time, mute companion Jerusaleme, who was given by his family to the artist as a boy, by his side. Caravaggio thinks back to his life as a teenage street ruffian who hustles and paints. While taken ill and in the care of priests, young Caravaggio catches the eye of Cardinal [[Francesco Maria del Monte]]. The Cardinal nurtures Caravaggio's artistic and intellectual development but seems to molest him.


As an adult, Caravaggio still lives under the roof and paints with the funding of Del Monte. Caravaggio is shown employing street people, drunks and prostitutes as models for his intense, usually religious paintings (see the [[carvaggio|article]] on the painter for examples). He is depicted as frequently brawling, gambling, getting drunk and is implied to sleep with both male and female models. In the art world, Caravaggio is regarded as vulgar and entitled due to his Vatican connections.
As an adult, Caravaggio still lives under the roof of, and paints with the funding of, Del Monte. Caravaggio is shown employing street people, drunks and prostitutes as models for his intense, usually religious paintings. He is depicted as frequently brawling, gambling, getting drunk and is implied to sleep with both male and female models. In the art world, Caravaggio is regarded as vulgar and entitled for his Vatican connections.


One day, Ranuccio ([[Sean Bean]]), a street fighter for pay, catches Caravaggio's eye as a subject and potential lover. Ranuccio also introduces Caravaggio to his girlfriend Lena ([[Tilda Swinton]]), who also becomes an object of attraction and a model to the artist. When both Ranuccio and Lena are separately caught kissing Caravaggio, each displays jealousy over the artist's attentions. One day, Lena announces she is pregnant (although she does not state who the father is) and will become a mistress to the wealthy [[Scipione Borghese]] ([[Robbie Coltrane]]). Soon, she is found murdered by drowning. As the weeping Ranuccio looks on, Caravaggio and Jerusaleme clean Lena's body. Caravaggio is shown painting Lena after she dies and mournfully writhing with her nude body. Ranuccio is arrested for Lena's murder, although he claims to be innocent. Caravaggio pulls strings and goes to the Pope himself to free Ranuccio. When Ranuccio is freed, he tells Caravaggio he killed Lena so they could be together. In response, Caravaggio cuts Ranuccio's throat, killing him. Back on his deathbed, Caravaggio is shown having visions of himself as a boy and trying to refuse the last rites offered him by the priests.
One day, Ranuccio, a street fighter for pay, catches Caravaggio's eye as a subject and potential lover. Ranuccio also introduces Caravaggio to his girlfriend Lena, who also becomes an object of attraction and a model to the artist. When both Ranuccio and Lena are separately caught kissing Caravaggio, each displays jealousy over the artist's attentions. One day, Lena announces she is pregnant without stating who the father is and will become a mistress to the wealthy [[Scipione Borghese]]. Soon, she is found murdered by drowning. Ranuccio weeps as Caravaggio and Jerusaleme clean Lena's body. Caravaggio is shown painting Lena after she dies and mournfully writhing with her body. Ranuccio is arrested for Lena's murder, but he claims to be innocent. Caravaggio pulls strings and goes to the pope to free Ranuccio. When Ranuccio is freed, he tells Caravaggio he killed Lena so they could be together. In response, Caravaggio cuts Ranuccio's throat, killing him. Back on his deathbed, Caravaggio is shown having visions of himself as a boy and trying to refuse the last rites offered him by the priests.


== Cast ==
In keeping with Caravaggio's use of contemporary dress for his Biblical figures, Jarman intentionally includes several [[anachronisms]] in the film that do not fit with Caravaggio's life in the 16th century. In one scene, Caravaggio is in a bar lit with electric lights. Another character is seen using an electronic [[calculator]]. Car horns are heard honking outside Caravaggio's studio and in one scene Caravaggio is seen leaning on a green truck. Cigarette smoking, a motorbike, and the use of a manual [[typewriter]] also featured in the film.
{{Cast listing|

==Details and awards==
''Caravaggio'' was Jarman's first project with [[Tilda Swinton]] and was also her first film role. The cook [[Jennifer Paterson]] was an extra. The production designer was [[Christopher hobbs production designer|Christopher Hobbs production designer]] who was also responsible for the copies of Caravaggio paintings seen in the film. The film was entered into the [[36th Berlin International Film Festival]] where it won the [[Silver Bear]] for an outstanding single achievement.<ref name="Berlinale">{{cite web |url=http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1986/03_preistr_ger_1986/03_Preistraeger_1986.html |title=Berlinale: 1986 Prize Winners |accessdate=15 January 2011 |work=berlinale.de}}</ref>

==Home media==
''Caravaggio'' was released on DVD by Umbrella Entertainment in July 2008. The DVD is compatible with all region codes and includes special features such as the trailer, a gallery of production designs and storyboards, feature commentary by Gabriel Berestain, an interview with Christopher Hobbs titled ''Italy of the Memory'', and interviews with Tilda Swinton, Derek Jarman, Nigel Terry.<ref name="Umbrella Entertainment">{{cite web|title=Umbrella Entertainment|url=http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/p-2366-break-of-day.aspx|accessdate=17 May 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518000515/http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/p-2366-break-of-day.aspx|archivedate=18 May 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

==Cast==
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Noam Almaz]] as Boy Caravaggio
* [[Noam Almaz]] as Boy Caravaggio
* [[Dawn Archibald]] as Pipo
* [[Dawn Archibald]] as Pipo
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* [[Terry Downes]] as Bodyguard
* [[Terry Downes]] as Bodyguard
* [[Dexter Fletcher]] as Young Caravaggio
* [[Dexter Fletcher]] as Young Caravaggio
* [[Michael Gough]] as Cardinal Del Monte
* [[Michael Gough]] as Cardinal [[Francesco Maria del Monte|Del Monte]]
* [[Jonathan Hyde]] as Baglione
* [[Jonathan Hyde]] as Baglione
* [[Spencer Leigh (actor)|Spencer Leigh]] as Jerusaleme
* [[Spencer Leigh (actor)|Spencer Leigh]] as Jerusaleme
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* [[Nigel Terry]] as Caravaggio
* [[Nigel Terry]] as Caravaggio
* [[Simon Fisher Turner]] as Fra Filippo (as Simon Turner)
* [[Simon Fisher Turner]] as Fra Filippo (as Simon Turner)
}}
{{div col end}}

==Production==
===Set design===
In keeping with Caravaggio's use of contemporary dress for his Biblical figures, Jarman intentionally includes several anachronisms in the film that do not fit with Caravaggio's life in the 16th century. In one scene, Caravaggio is in a bar lit with electric lights. Another character is seen using an electronic calculator. Car horns are heard honking outside Caravaggio's studio, and in one scene, Caravaggio is seen leaning on a green truck. Cigarette smoking, a motorbike, and the use of a manual typewriter also featured in the film.{{Citation needed|date=February 2022}}

===Production design===
The production designer was [[Christopher Hobbs (production designer)|Christopher Hobbs]] who was also responsible for the copies of Caravaggio paintings seen in the film.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/mar/19/christopher-hobbs-obituary|title=Christopher Hobbs obituary|website=[[The Guardian]]|date=19 March 2024|access-date=19 March 2024}}</ref>

==Details and awards==
''Caravaggio'' was Jarman's first project with [[Tilda Swinton]], and it was her first film role. The cook [[Jennifer Paterson]] was an extra. The film was entered into the [[36th Berlin International Film Festival]] where it won the [[Silver Bear]] for an outstanding single achievement.<ref name="Berlinale">{{cite web |url=http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1986/03_preistr_ger_1986/03_Preistraeger_1986.html |title=Berlinale: 1986 Prize Winners |access-date=15 January 2011 |work=berlinale.de |archive-date=22 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322210210/https://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1986/03_preistr_ger_1986/03_Preistraeger_1986.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Home media==
''Caravaggio'' was released on DVD by Umbrella Entertainment in July 2008. The DVD is compatible with all region codes and includes special features such as the trailer, a gallery of production designs and storyboards, feature commentary by Gabriel Berestain, an interview with Christopher Hobbs titled ''Italy of the Memory'', and interviews with Tilda Swinton, Derek Jarman, Nigel Terry.<ref name="Umbrella Entertainment">{{cite web|title=Umbrella Entertainment|url=http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/p-2366-break-of-day.aspx|access-date=17 May 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140518000515/http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/p-2366-break-of-day.aspx|archive-date=18 May 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[BFI Top 100 British films]]


==References==
==References==
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==External links==
==External links==
* {{IMDb title|id=0090798|title=Caravaggio}}
* {{IMDb title|id=0090798|title=Caravaggio}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|caravaggio}}


{{Derek Jarman|state=expanded}}
{{Derek Jarman|state=expanded}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Caravaggio (Film)}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caravaggio (Film)}}
[[Category:1986 films]]
[[Category:1986 films]]
[[Category:1980s drama films]]
[[Category:1980s biographical drama films]]
[[Category:1980s biographical films]]
[[Category:1986 LGBTQ-related films]]
[[Category:1980s LGBT-related films]]
[[Category:British films]]
[[Category:British biographical drama films]]
[[Category:British biographical drama films]]
[[Category:British LGBT-related films]]
[[Category:British LGBTQ-related films]]
[[Category:British independent films]]
[[Category:British independent films]]
[[Category:English-language films]]
[[Category:1980s avant-garde and experimental films]]
[[Category:1980s avant-garde and experimental films]]
[[Category:British avant-garde and experimental films]]
[[Category:Biographical films about painters]]
[[Category:Biographical films about artists]]
[[Category:Caravaggio]]
[[Category:Caravaggio]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1590s]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1590s]]
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[[Category:Films directed by Derek Jarman]]
[[Category:Films directed by Derek Jarman]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Suso Cecchi d'Amico]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Suso Cecchi d'Amico]]
[[Category:1986 drama films]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Italian people]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of 17th-century painters]]
[[Category:1980s English-language films]]
[[Category:1980s British films]]
[[Category:Biographical films about LGBTQ people]]
[[Category:English-language biographical drama films]]

Latest revision as of 00:08, 4 December 2024

Caravaggio
Directed byDerek Jarman
Screenplay byDerek Jarman
Suso Cecchi d'Amico
Nicholas Ward-Jackson
Story byNicholas Ward-Jackson
Produced bySarah Radclyffe
StarringNigel Terry
Sean Bean
Tilda Swinton
CinematographyGabriel Beristain
Edited byGeorge Akers
Music bySimon Fisher-Turner
Distributed byCinevista (USA)
Umbrella Entertainment (AUS)
Release date
  • 29 August 1986 (1986-08-29) (U.S.)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£450,000[1] or £475,000[2]
Box office£240,000 (UK)[2]

Caravaggio is a 1986 British historical drama film directed by Derek Jarman. The film is a fictionalised retelling of the life of Baroque painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio. It is Tilda Swinton's film debut.

Plot

[edit]

Told in a segmented fashion, the film opens as Caravaggio dies from lead poisoning while in exile, with only his long-time, mute companion Jerusaleme, who was given by his family to the artist as a boy, by his side. Caravaggio thinks back to his life as a teenage street ruffian who hustles and paints. While taken ill and in the care of priests, young Caravaggio catches the eye of Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte. The Cardinal nurtures Caravaggio's artistic and intellectual development but seems to molest him.

As an adult, Caravaggio still lives under the roof of, and paints with the funding of, Del Monte. Caravaggio is shown employing street people, drunks and prostitutes as models for his intense, usually religious paintings. He is depicted as frequently brawling, gambling, getting drunk and is implied to sleep with both male and female models. In the art world, Caravaggio is regarded as vulgar and entitled for his Vatican connections.

One day, Ranuccio, a street fighter for pay, catches Caravaggio's eye as a subject and potential lover. Ranuccio also introduces Caravaggio to his girlfriend Lena, who also becomes an object of attraction and a model to the artist. When both Ranuccio and Lena are separately caught kissing Caravaggio, each displays jealousy over the artist's attentions. One day, Lena announces she is pregnant without stating who the father is and will become a mistress to the wealthy Scipione Borghese. Soon, she is found murdered by drowning. Ranuccio weeps as Caravaggio and Jerusaleme clean Lena's body. Caravaggio is shown painting Lena after she dies and mournfully writhing with her body. Ranuccio is arrested for Lena's murder, but he claims to be innocent. Caravaggio pulls strings and goes to the pope to free Ranuccio. When Ranuccio is freed, he tells Caravaggio he killed Lena so they could be together. In response, Caravaggio cuts Ranuccio's throat, killing him. Back on his deathbed, Caravaggio is shown having visions of himself as a boy and trying to refuse the last rites offered him by the priests.

Cast

[edit]

Production

[edit]

Set design

[edit]

In keeping with Caravaggio's use of contemporary dress for his Biblical figures, Jarman intentionally includes several anachronisms in the film that do not fit with Caravaggio's life in the 16th century. In one scene, Caravaggio is in a bar lit with electric lights. Another character is seen using an electronic calculator. Car horns are heard honking outside Caravaggio's studio, and in one scene, Caravaggio is seen leaning on a green truck. Cigarette smoking, a motorbike, and the use of a manual typewriter also featured in the film.[citation needed]

Production design

[edit]

The production designer was Christopher Hobbs who was also responsible for the copies of Caravaggio paintings seen in the film.[3]

Details and awards

[edit]

Caravaggio was Jarman's first project with Tilda Swinton, and it was her first film role. The cook Jennifer Paterson was an extra. The film was entered into the 36th Berlin International Film Festival where it won the Silver Bear for an outstanding single achievement.[4]

Home media

[edit]

Caravaggio was released on DVD by Umbrella Entertainment in July 2008. The DVD is compatible with all region codes and includes special features such as the trailer, a gallery of production designs and storyboards, feature commentary by Gabriel Berestain, an interview with Christopher Hobbs titled Italy of the Memory, and interviews with Tilda Swinton, Derek Jarman, Nigel Terry.[5]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Verging on the respectable." Sunday Times [London, England] 20 Apr. 1986: 45. The Sunday Times Digital Archive. Web. 8 Apr. 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Back to the Future: The Fall and Rise of the British Film Industry in the 1980s - An Information Briefing" (PDF). British Film Institute. 2005. p. 20.
  3. ^ "Christopher Hobbs obituary". The Guardian. 19 March 2024. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  4. ^ "Berlinale: 1986 Prize Winners". berlinale.de. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
  5. ^ "Umbrella Entertainment". Archived from the original on 18 May 2014. Retrieved 17 May 2013.
[edit]