Caravaggio

Derek Jarman's classic of European cinema is the film adaptation of the wild life of the Renaissance painter Caravaggio (Nigel Terry). Famous as a creator of dark and erotic works that were not infrequently disgusting to his rich and powerful patrons and clients, Caravaggio was also criticised for his dealings with hustlers and day labourers. He lived in a three-way relationship with the beautiful thief Ranucchio (Sean Bean) and his wife, the prostitute Lena (Tilda Swinton), who also modelled for his most famous paintings. The menage-à-trois ends with Lena's tragic death and Caravaggio has to spend the rest of his life on the run.

Derek Jarman (1942-1994) congenially films the life of the painter and translates his visual language into an exciting film portrait that is now one of the great classics of European cinema. ‘Caravaggio’, which premiered at the Berlinale in 1986 and won an award, is still a milestone in gay film history and one of the few truly adequate films about art and painting. - Salzgeber