The Agony and the Ecstasy | Charlton Heston, Rex Harrison

The Agony and the Ecstasy | Charlton Heston, Rex Harrison | Superb History Of The Painting Of The Sistine Chapel Ceiling

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The Agony and the ...

	The Agony and the Ecstasy Charlton Heston, Rex Harrison 20th Century Fox, 2005 average customer review:based on 67 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A Titanic Clash of Wills

It opens with a survey of Michelangelo's works that takes almost ten minutes. These are mostly sculptures and the point is made that the famous artist wanted to sculpt, not to paint. Then the real story begins.

Pope Julius II commands Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling. This is not a commission that the artist wants. He is forced into it by papal fiat. The work does not go smoothly. After making a start of it, the temperamental artist decides upon a much grander scheme. The pope approves but the problem lies in getting the work done in any reasonable amount of time. Deadline after deadline is passed and still the project is not finished. It seems to everyone that it will never be finished but, eventually it is.

This is a story of the battle of wills between a temperamental artist and an autocratic ruler used to having his own way. Each goads the other into acts that would not otherwise have occurred. In the case of the Michelangelo, that is giving up his beloved sculpture to work with paint. In the case of Julius II, it is the military defense of the Papal States against outside invaders.

Charlton Heston does his usual excellent job in his portrayal of the difficult artist. His genuine love of art for art's sake comes through and helps to make the conflict of this film understandable. So too does Rex Harrison do a good job in the Role of Julius II. His stubbornness and force of will sees to it that the chapel is completed. It is for this that he is remembered rather than the preservation of papal autonomy.

A good film that hold the interest.

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Superb History Of The Painting Of The Sistine Chapel Ceiling

No movie no matter how detailed its research and visual scope, would ever be able to properly capture the true magnificence of the ceiling in the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. Having seen the paintings on two occasions in Rome one can't help but be awed by their brilliance and vividness brought to life as they were by the legendary sculptor/painter Michelangelo. Twentieth Century Fox's lavish production of "The Agony and the Ecstasy", which chronicles the trials, tribulations, personality clashes, and sheer back breaking work that went into the realisation of one of the world's greatest art masterpices however does come close in my belief to showing how it would have been during its creation. Attacked by critics for its supposedly florid melodrama, theatrical performances, and unconvincing characters, I think this film is long overdue for a reappraisal as a recent screening revealed to me the many wonderful qualities that this film possesses.

Based on the novel by Irving Stone, "The Agony and the Ecstasy", chronicles the battle of wills that breaks out between Pope Julius II, (Rex Harrison), best known as the warrior Pope and his chief artisan Michelangelo (Charlton Heston) over the Pope's commission to the artist to paint the entire ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. Michelangelo initially refuses the job as he sees himself purely as a sculptor and is in the middle of planning an elaborate tomb for the Pope. Backing down Michelangelo reluctantly begins the huge task with a composition based on the Twelve Apostles however the work goes slowly and is not up to the rigid standards that the artist has set for himself. Harrassed by both Pope Julius and his chief architect Donato Bramante (Harry Andrews), Michelangelo eventually destroys the completed panels and flees Rome. With Pope Julius fighting for his life in the wars in Italy Michelangelo has a change of heart and after receiving a pardon from Julius he begins creating a new scheme dealing with the Old Testament stories. The battle of wills between the two men however never subsides for one minute and Michelangelo's temper is often openly directed towards his Holiness with little of the resepct that Julius is used to in his position. The state of play continues through the long period it takes to complete the huge task of painting the ceiling. The time spent on the commission however produces another unexpected result when a new grudging appreciation of each man's unique qualities begins to develop between Julius and Michelangelo which is only revealed briefly before the men begin fighting against each other over the Pope's next commission for Michelangelo.

Despite its scope, drama and large supporting cast "The Agony and the Ecstasy", is essentially a two character study and I personally was very impressed by both lead actors performances here despite the critics at the time being divided as to their merits. Rex Harrison was at this time enjoying a boom in his career having just completed his Oscar winning role in "My Fair Lady", and having also picked up another nomination as Best Actor the year before that for "Cleopatra". He makes a most convincing Pope Julius II, all bombastic wind and possessing that arrogant quality that Harrison was so expert at conveying on screen which was just right for the part here. He looks every inch a Pope and he is excellent in those many scenes when he is squaring off against his rebellious chief artist Michelangelo who refuses to be either awed or bullied by him. One of the chief delights of Harrison's performance is shown in the growing frustration that Pope Julius experiences in trying to hurry Michelangelo along to complete his work with their encounters taking on an almost comic tone with his repeated frantic query of "when will you finish?" being regularly answered with a vague "when I'm finished" by an unfazed Michelangelo. The brunt of the criticism on the casting has always been directed at Charlton Heston's choice as the famed Italian painter. I in fact find him perfectly cast as the dedicated painter who reluctantly took on the task of creating one of the world's enduring masterpices. Despite being American somehow he is perfect for the role and conveys beautifully the frustration that Michelanglo felt when this unwelcome commission took him away from his beloved sculpturing. Harrison and Heston have a perfect chemistry as the two antagonists in "The Agony and the Ecstasy", and without that this story would have most definately fallen flat. Supporting performances are very much background decoration here however Diane Cilento as Michelangelo's frustrated love interest the Contessina de Medici, and Adolfo Celi as her brother, and Michelangelo's mentor Cardinal Giovanni de Medici, manage to convey the right Renaissance feel in their parts and visually their costumes combined with the sumptuous interiors of their Palace are some of the richest elements in the overall films. This rich look is the thing that overwhelms me each time I see this movie. Nominated for a stunning five Academy Awards including a much deserved one for cinematography, more than anything else in this production it is the use of especially rich colours that are a real stand out and are of course totally appropriate since the story deals with the realisation of a major painting project. The incredible rich blues employed by Michelanglo in his scenes painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and especially the blood red colour frequently employed in the interior decoration of the Papal Palace and in the Papal robes worn by Rex Harrison gives the film a breathtakingly opulent and regal feel. Certainly the rich look and feel of "The Agony and the Ecstasy", are some of its strong points and make it essential viewing for any lover of lavish historical interiors and costuming.

Recreating history on film always seems to be a risky undertaking given many film maker's habit of attempting to "improve", on the actual facts however I feel that with "The Agony and the Ecstasy",that we have a fairly accurate examination of the real agony and ecstasy that went into the creation of the paintings on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. The famous line from the script uttered by Michelangelo "I planned a ceiling, he planned a miracle", beautifully illustrates the two very often conflicting viewpoints of the two very different and quite extraordinary men who by some miracle in their stormy relationship with each managed to create one of the world's greatest masterpieces. Art lovers couldn't help but appreciate the turmoil and indeed agony that went into creating such a thing of beauty as the Sistine Chapel ceiling and this film pays great tribute to that artistic process. Unfairly dismmissed by critics at the time I feel this effort is one of the better biographical films from this mid 1960's period and deserves to be better remembered than it currently is. Enjoy.

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A Good Shot at the Impossible

This is a film of rather universal appeal that should be seen more than once, even if it is not a perfect film. This telling of the painting of the Sistine Chapel has a unified, realistic aura handled expertly by Reed with a sound cast. The always professional Rex Harrison delivers bite and verve in his incredible incarnation of a Renaissance warrior-pope. Heston as Michelangelo is, of course, Heston -- he was bound to be plugged into any major bible epic or historical religious drama of his day, so why not do Michelangelo? The Hollywood star machine dictated nothing less, anyway. People of Heston's own era may thus well continue to have a problem with him in all these grand roles for awhile -- he is simply too recognizable at this point of his career to allow you to imagine Michelangelo. The trade off is how well he does it. And certain scenes, like the stone quarry scene, are magnicent and magical.

Reed's direction surmounts a lot of the usual glitches of the "epic" genre and moves along briskly. You of course have to write a certain amount of impossible dialogue for a venture of this sort, otherwise not do it at all. It has been done much more badly, ie., The Ten Commandments. Then you have the impossible task of dealing with one of the best known artists in history and not falling into cliche. You would call the "when will it be done?" mantra of the pope cliched, the hero-artist versus the mean worldly patron, except for the fact that it simply and elegantly works, as a plot engine if nothing else. The film finally avoids either preachiness or pretention; it wisely opts just to tell a story of the relationship of two men. It does certainly have something to say about how great classic art was created, and this is something most important for the modern viewer not only to know, but also to experience.

Overall, one cannot be sorry that the whole Renaissance is not here, or be troubled by some obvious invention. For the film is not a documentary. What it is is a brave, good shot at the impossible. And it at least cracks the door open for the imagination to wander into a major historical moment, which is no small feat.

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Great Photography

I thought the only good parts about this film besides showing the Sistine Chapel for the glorious work of art and civilisation that it is. Was that of Mr. Heston and to Mr. Harrison battling each other over the project. Otherwise it was a wooden movie, Julius has a lot more to offer than "When will you be finished?"
(The man as Pontiff led armies in person and went on Cavalry charges while hurling excommunications at his opponnets.)

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