Caravaggio (1986) YIFY - Download Movie TORRENT

Standing before a painting by Caravaggio is an experience, particularly when the emotion of a dramatic scene is heightened by his intense lighting, attention to detail, and chiaroscuro technique. It's a style that's instantly recognizable, and was influential far beyond Caravaggio's life (1571-1610). Aside from a wide range of artists who followed, like Rembrandt, Velazquez, and David, Martin Scorsese said that there were scenes in Mean Streets (1973) that were framed and lit like direct homages to Caravaggio.Derek Jarman's historical drama succeeds in giving a taste of the man behind the paintings, capturing a certain sense of the sordid way he lived his life, which was often among "low" people and violent. At its best, we feel Caravaggio's earthy background and the uneasy bargain he struck with the Church and wealthy patrons. I smiled over his meeting with the Pope, who in this fictional telling, confided his desire simply to keep the "quo in the status" and didn't care about finding the truth about a prostitute's murder. The prostitute was Fillide Melandroni ("Lena" here, played by 26-year-old Tilda Swinton in her very first film) who appeared in several of Caravaggio's works, and who was probably murdered by him. I also loved the occasions when we see paintings recreated by those posing for them with an astonishing likeness, like the one of Saint Jerome in his study.Quite a bit of what was shown seems to have been more of a reflection of the director than Caravaggio, however. Jarman didn't seem to have a problem freely bending history, saying among other things that "people tend to think that history is immutable, that there is something called reality." He didn't sugarcoat Caravaggio as others might, but downplayed his brawling and violence, and decided against actual evidence that Caravaggio was bisexual. Among other things, he infers that he molested a child servant that he purchases from a poor family, and that he himself was molested by a priest, his patron. There are elements that could fall under artistic license as interpretation, and there are elements that simply aren't accurate historically, which is a shame.Jarman also occasionally used modern items from the present, like calculators or radios, I believe as an homage to Caravaggio, who sometimes employed modern dress on his Biblical figures. In the paintings this brings the legends to life, giving them an immediacy in what was then the present; in this film, it just seems disjointed and odd. I have other quibbles, such as the amount of time spent on the deathbed scene spread out through the film, while there was very little on the artist's craftsmanship. He was wise to keep it to 93 minutes and to avoid trying to be comprehensive though, and I'm glad he cared enough about Caravaggio to make this film.

Caravaggio (1986) was co-written and directed by Derek Jarman. As a biography of the great Baroque painter, this movie falls short. However, it's full of exciting events, color, and--yes--actual scenes where a painter is working at his art. Most films about artists show everything but the art. This movie brings us into the artist's studio. We see the models, we see him creating his paintings, and we see the finished results. Caravaggio was the most gifted of the Italian Baroque painters. His artistic style influenced artists in all of Europe for generations. However, his personal life was a disaster--duels, brawls, murder, and imprisonment. He died on a barren beach, although his talent was recognized and he could have been wealthy and famous. (Because he was so talented, his patrons managed to keep him out of prison most of the time, but, after the murder, he had to leave Rome. He wandered all over Italy, and died in Naples, far from his home near Milan.)Several caveats about the film. It's bloody, although not as gruesome as Longoni's film-- also called Caravaggio, and also reviewed by me for IMDb. There's a good deal of suggested sex, both homosexual and heterosexual. The director has chosen to add anachronisms, for reasons best know to himself. Not only are these jarring, but they are strange. If you're going to show a typewriter, why make it an old Royal manual? Bizarre.The acting is uniformly excellent. The celebrated actor Nigel Terry plays Caravaggio, and the equally celebrated Sean Bean is his lover Ranuccio. Tilda Swinton plays Caravaggio's muse, Lena. This was Swinton's first acting role, and she is superb. Even in 1986, her androgynous persona was in place. However, in one breathtaking scene, she has been given an elegant gown. She holds it up in front of her body, and then suddenly lets down her lovely long hair. The androgynous look vanishes instantly, and we see the extremely attractive woman emerge. That scene alone makes the film worth seeing.I saw the movie on DVD, where it worked well enough. However, this is a film I think would do better on the large screen. Caravaggio is a brilliant, but flawed, movie. It's worth seeing if you love Caravaggio's art, as I do. It's interesting and it has flashes of brilliance. However, if you want to get a better sense of Caravaggio's life and of the milieu in which he lived, I would opt for Longoni's film. Bloodier and more violent, but without typewriters, automobiles, and cigarettes.

Caravaggio

1986

Action / Biography / Drama / History / Romance

Caravaggio

1986

Action / Biography / Drama / History / Romance

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Movie Reviews

Uneven, but captures the earthiness of the artist

Not great history, but intense with flashes of brilliance

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