Caravaggio

Hugely significant to Jarman, his biopic of the Italian Baroque painter with whom he strongly identified was developed over many years. Shot on 35mm film, it looks incredible: the tableaux and sets project rich, painterly depth, brightness and colour. Sean Bean and Tilda Swinton deliver fine performances as the model and partner caught up in a complex love triangle with the famous artist, as Caravaggio struggles to reconcile the demands of authority (in the form of his patrons) with his own artistic and sexual needs – a tension then very close to Jarman’s heart. (William Fowler)

Presented in a new version, digitally remastered at 2K by the BFI National Archive. Available from February 2014.