Caravaggio 1986

Caravaggio Nigel Terry dies from lead poisoning while in exile, accompanied by his long-time, mute companion Jerusaleme Spencer Leigh, who was given by his family to the artist as a boy. Caravaggio thinks back to his life as a teenage street ruffian who hustles and paints. While taken ill and in the care of priests, the young Caravaggio catches the eye of Cardinal Francesco Maria del Monte [Michael Gough], who nurtures his artistic and intellectual development but seems to molest him.

As an adult, Caravaggio still lives under the roof of, and paints with the funding of, del Monte. He employs street people, drunks and prostitutes as models for his intense, usually religious paintings. He is depicted as frequently brawling, gambling, getting drunk and is implied to sleep with both male and female models. In the art world, Caravaggio is regarded as vulgar and entitled for his Vatican connections.

One day, Ranuccio [Sean Bean] introduces Caravaggio to his girlfriend Lena [Tilda Swinton], who also becomes a model to the artist. When both Ranuccio and Lena are separately caught kissing Caravaggio, each displays jealousy over the artist’s attentions. Lena announces she is pregnant without stating who the father is and will become a mistress to the wealthy Scipione Borghese [Robbie Coltrane]. Soon, she is found murdered by drowning. Ranuccio weeps as Caravaggio and Jerusaleme clean Lena’s body. Caravaggio is shown painting Lena after she dies and mournfully writhing with her body. Ranuccio is arrested for Lena’s murder, but he claims to be innocent. Caravaggio pulls strings and goes to the pope [Jack Birkett] to free Ranuccio. When Ranuccio is freed, he tells Caravaggio he killed Lena so they could be together. In response, Caravaggio cuts Ranuccio’s throat, killing him. Back on his deathbed, Caravaggio is shown having visions of himself as a boy and trying to refuse the last rites offered him by the priests.