![]() ![]() Of course, the side effect of turning the story into a two-person affair is that some of the other characters get marginalized. (Even when the two are yelling at each other.) His Pope Julius comes off as a paranoid zealot when he’s discussing affairs of the state, but becomes visibly more engaged and relaxed when he’s discussing art with Michelangelo. Harrison plays the more playful character, but is still able to effortlessly command the screen. The actor had a credible enough presence to stand up to a king, and he had the riveting oratorical skills to articulate Michelangelo’s fanatical artistic drive. (Pope Julius knows exactly what to say to a frail Michelangelo to get him back on track, while Michelangelo pushes an ailing Julius to live long enough to see the ceiling’s completion.) On top of that, Michelangelo is mostly able to get away with his blatant defiance of Pope Julius, who is considered “a better warrior than pope.” Of course, the reason the Pope gives Michelangelo so much leeway is because he recognizes and admires the artist’s singular talent and drive to achieve perfection.īesides looking like a marble figure himself, Heston was an ideal to choice to bring that aspect of Michelangelo’s passionate personality to life. The film versions of these historical figures are basically treated as equals who know how to push each other’s buttons. Besides the comical, recurring exchange between the artist and the pope - Pope Julius: “When will you make an end?” Michelangelo: “When I am finished!” - there’s a terrific sequence when Michelangelo is pitching new ideas for the ceiling to an enthralled Pope even as cannon fire explodes around them. But it turns out the movie is also pretty darn funny. The Agony and the Ecstasy certainly lives up to its title by showing us the physical toll Michelangelo’s project takes on both men (not to mention the invading French and German forces at the Pope’s doorstep). This one is partly based on Irving Stone’s 1961 Michelangelo biographical novel of the same name, but the screen version - despite the impressive, larger-than-life scale employed by director Carol Reed ( The Third Man) - is largely a duet between Oscar winners Heston and Harrison. The film is right in line with the grand, popular historical/biblical epics of their time, several of which starred Heston. (The stroke of inspiration actually leads into the movie’s “Intermission” at about the one-hour mark.) The pope, however, orders Michelangelo to stop work on the tomb and paint frescoes depicting the 12 apostles on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, which is described as having the architecture of a “cow barn.” Michelangelo naturally bristles at the request, but eventually agrees to take on the project after experiencing a stroke of divine inspiration. In The Agony and the Ecstasy, the Florentine artist is living in Rome after being commissioned to craft the tomb of Pope Julius II (Rex Harrison). The 1965 film - which earned Oscar nominations for Best Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design, Score and Sound - is making its Blu-ray debut, but we’ll get to the dazzling new transfer in due time.Ĭharlton Heston stars as Michelangelo, which is funny because, according to Hollywood legend, a big part of the reason the actor was cast in his iconic role of Moses in The Ten Commandments was because of his strong resemblance to the sculpture by Michelangelo. The Agony and the Ecstasy chronicles and dramatizes the four-year creation of one of the world’s most famous and revered works of art. The artistic equivalent of that was Michelangelo - one of the most significant figures of the Italian Renaissance, but a sculptor by trade - painting the frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. 375/50 HR/50 SB mark on his way to winning the American League Rookie of the Year/MVP awards, along with a World Series ring. Remember when Michael Jordan quit basketball, tried his hand at baseball, and then returned to the NBA less than two years later? Well, imagine if Jordan had actually made it to the majors with the Chicago White Sox and put up a. The masterpiece of a sculptor who did not want to paint.” ![]()
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