Hacker Cinema
Caravaggio
1986 · Film · 93 min
Directed by Derek Jarman
A retelling of the life of the celebrated 17th-century Baroque painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio through his brilliant, nearly blasphemous paintings and his flirtations with the underworld.
2 positive1 neutralfrom 3 commenters
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3 comments on Hacker News
So... Derek Jarman had a studio in one of the old warehouses alongside the thames before it became the yupified, soulless nonsence it is now. I was an artist but also modelled frequently for other artists and art schools (not unusual for a young artist).
DJ was in the process of producing Caravaggio, and I heard through a freind that DJ was looking for models not shy about being 'au naturel' in front of the camera. The shoot required that I dance naked, together with many other guys, at night around a large fire, located in an empty lot next to his studio.
I know that his Caravagio movie was in production (or development) and being openly discussed at the time and this was part of my motivation behind accepting the (unpaid) gig. However, from my single viewing of the movie, I cannot recal seeing any such scene.
There are plenty of similar scenes in his movie Sebastian, but the dates don't work out. It's concievable that he was just shooting one of his off the cuf experimental works... who knows.
The shoot itself was a bit chaotic. Most of the other guys there were gay and up for a party..., Very frisky. As a young straight lad, I was a bit freaked out, but Derik himself was a complete gentleman, and also very protective of me. Needless to say I did not return. However, I maintain very fond memories of DJ. He had a wiked sence if humour and was evidently a man a great humanity.
I do recal towards the end of the evening seeing him cry. Maybe it was because of the stress of the shoot, or maybe because of health issues (he was diagnosed HIV+ around that time but my memory of the dates is fuzzy).
He was part of a London that no longer exists... Punk, alternative, pre-yuppy. Much missed.
My favorite painter! I highly recommend Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane by Andrew Graham-Dixon. That and the Derek Jarman film (as referenced by others) provide valuable insight into his grandiose and self-destructive behavior, along with the patronage system that allowed him countless second chances until he managed to burn every bridge available to him. Michelangelo Merisi teaches us a great lesson on the precariousness of talent mixed with recklessness.
There is a decent film by Derik Jarman, Caravaggio (1986) with Sean Bean and Tilda Swinton.