Plot

A retelling of the life of the celebrated 17th-century painter through his brilliant, nearly blasphemous paintings and his flirtations with the underworld.

Fictionalized biopic of famed 17th century Italian painter Michelangelo Merisi de Caravaggio. As a young man, he gained the support of Cardinal Del Monte and Caravaggio proceeded to develop a new style of painting giving a more realistic view of the world in which he lived. He also begins love affairs with one of his models, Ranuccio as well as with Ranuccio's girlfriend Lena. Their relationship leads to murder and deceit.—garykmcd

Select semi-fictionalized incidents of the life of Italian Renaissance painter Michelangelo de Caravaggio are presented with a decidedly modern British sensibility. One of those specific incidents is at his deathbed where he is with his long time companion Jerusaleme. Caravaggio demonstrates what is important in his life as he makes a definitive choice in a symbol into his death. The other incidents are largely framed by the other major relationships in his life, including with: Cardinal Del Monte, his main conduit with the Catholic church with which he had a financially lucrative relationship; Ranuccio, a street fighter who was one of his frequent models; and Lena, Ranuccio's lover who also acted as his model. Caravaggio's relationships with these three were also characterized by their sexual ambiguity.—Huggo

The life of famed (and notorious) 17th century Italian artist Michelangelo da Caravaggio. We see his early years, the first signs of his artistic talent and how this was nurtured and his adult life, especially some of the relationships that shaped it.—grantss