Caravaggio

Derek Jarman's visionary film examines the love triangle of Caravaggio (Nigel Terry), his mistress Lena (Tilda Swinton, in her debut feature role) and his model Ranuccio (Sean Bean) and dwells upon Caravaggio's use of street people, drunks and prostitutes as models for his intense, usually religious paintings. As with Caravaggio's own use of contemporary dress for his Biblical figures, Jarman depicts his Caravaggio with anachronistic and modernist flourishes. The film is notable for its texture and attention to detail, intense performances, and idiosyncratic humor. By presenting Caravaggio as one of the founders of the chiaroscuro technique, it helped give expression to the legend that was beginning to form around him. Jarman's film also suggests that Caravaggio's legend ultimately eclipsed his enormous talent.