Derek Jarmam struggled for seven years to bring his portrait of the seventeenth-century Italian artist Michelangelo de Caravaggio (Nigel Terry / Dexter Fletcher) to the screen. The result was well worth the wait, and was greeted with critical acclaim: a freely dramatised portrait of the controversial artist and a powerful mediation on sexuality, criminality and art - a new refreshing take on the usual biopic. The film centres on an imagined love-triangle between Caravaggio, his friend and model Ranuccio (Sean Bean), and Ranuccio's low-life partner Lena (Tilda Swinton). Conjuring some of the artist's most famous paintings through elaborate and beautifully photographed tableaux vivants, those works are woven into the fabric of the story, providing a starting point for its characters and narrative episodes.
Specially commissioned interviews with Tilda Swinton, Nigel Terry, and production designer Christopher Hobbs
Feature commentary by cinematographer Gabriel Beristain
Filmed and audio interviews with Derek Jarman
Gallery of storyboards, production sketches, and Derek Jarman's notebooks
BBFC:
Release Date:
17/06/2019
Run Time:
93 minutes
Languages:
English LPCM Mono
Subtitles:
English Hard of Hearing
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.66:1
Colour:
Colour
BLU-RAY Regions:
B
Bonus:
Caravaggio in Docklands (1985, 15 mins): shot on VHS by director Ron Peck (Nighthawks), this footage was recorded at Limehouse Studios in east London where Derek was about to shoot 'Caravaggio'
Kind Blasphemy: Nigel Terry on Derek Jarman and 'Caravaggio' (2007, 7 mins): the actor and star of Caravaggio shares his memories of meeting and working with Derek Jarman
Tilda Swinton on 'Caravaggio' and Derek Jarman (2007, 9 mins)
Italy of the Memory: Christopher Hobbs on 'Caravaggio' (2007, 8 mins): archive interview with the film's production designer
Dexter Fletcher on 'Caravaggio' (2014, 10 mins): the actor and director recalls his first meeting with Derek Jarman
Christopher Hobbs Remembers 'Caravaggio' (2018, 6 mins)
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