Caravaggio (1986)

In this article, we will be looking at 2019’s book “1001 Movies to See Before You Die” and going through each film in a random order that I have chosen. We will be looking at what constitutes this film to be on the list and whether I think this film deserves to be here at all. I want to make perfectly clear that I won’t be revealing details from this book such as analyses by film reporters who have written about the film in question, so if you want the book itself you’ll have to buy it. But I will be covering the book’s suggestions on which films should be your top priority. I wouldn’t doubt for a second that everyone reading this article has probably watched many of these movies anyway. But we are just here to have a bit of fun. We’re going to not just look at whether it should be on this list but we’re also going to look at why the film has such a legacy at all. Remember, this is the 2019 version of the book and so, films like “Joker” will not be featured in this book and any film that came out in 2020 (and if we get there, in 2021). So strap in and if you have your own suggestions then don’t hesitate to email me using the address in my bio. Let’s get on with it then.

Caravaggio (1986) dir. by Derek Jarman

The late, great and absolutely amazing Derek Jarman is a man I have been obsessed with for a great deal of time because of the way he worked. His films are absolutely captivating with the essence of the human soul exposed for judgement. I loved Derek Jarman’s work on his film “Caravaggio” because, like the artwork of Caravaggio himself, the film is darkly shadowed, specks of light and shadow fluttering in hidden places and the entire film actually looks like Caravaggio himself painted it. I thought that was absolutely amazing. The film is an absolute piece of art and by reading Derek Jarman’s books (especially: “Chroma”) you can tell where his style comes from. This strange and shadowy verboseness that is like what a film directed by Oscar Wilde might be. Derek Jarman was, is and will always be a genius.

One thing I love about this film is the way in which Derek Jarman blends his own style with Caravaggio’s. Caravaggio was known for using things that did not fit with his day, including Biblical figures in a painting from his own time. Derek Jarman responds to this by putting in things from our own day into the 16th century setting for the film. These include cars and electrical lights, and I think there’s a calculator at one point. One of the biggest symbols of the film though is not from the 16th century or anywhere near - and that is a typewriter.

Another reason why this film is so incredible is that it uses an entirely non-linear structure. It is constructed as a series of flashbacks and segmented stories. It is like watching someone’s life flash before their eyes as they die. It seems to me like the entire film is told in the moments of Caravaggio dying as he starts to see visions of himself as a child, as a young man, with Lena and Ranuccio etc. But ultimately, Caravaggio must die. At the beginning of the film he is already dying on his deathbed and at the end of the film, we reverse through it at return to Caravaggio, in Caravaggio’s style, refusing the last rites of a priest unto him.

Derek Jarman’s film has since become one of my favourite films of all time and yet not a lot of people have seen it. So, if you have not seen this film then please go and find it. I hear it is available on Prime Video and other services but please watch it if you have some time, you will not be disappointed. It is an incredible attempt at the way in which Caravaggio’s story is told through segmented narrative that covers his last dying moments and truly is an piece of high art in the world of film.