I have wanted to see The Agony And The Ecstasy for a long time. This dramatic recreation of Michelangelo’s painting of the Sistine Chapel from 1965 is based on the biographical novel from a few years earlier. As a fan of art, especially having seen the Sistine Chapel, this is one of those films that has constantly been a second choice for viewing, with other films taking a more prominent place in my player. Now on Blu-ray I had the opportunity to finally visit the film. It is possible I have seen it on television some 40 years ago, but after having watched this Blu-ray I don’t recall anything, so this viewing was as if it were my first, which I suspect it was.
The film opens with a narrator providing a bit of biography on Michelangelo, how he trained at an early age to be a sculptor. It takes 13 minutes for the film to actually begin, but that introduction is very much worth sitting through, and even then it winds up glossing over or skipping outright many of Michelangelo’s achievements.
Rex Harrison (My Fair Lady, Dr. Doolittle, Cleopatra) is Pope Julius II who is in the middle of reforming and unifying the Church, which includes having St. Peter’s Cathederal redesigned. Charleston Heston (Ben Hur, The Ten Commandments, Soylent Green) is Michelangelo, famed sculptor. Tasked with painting the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo initially refuses but is persuaded (or coerced) to do the task. In the process of painting the 12 apostles he becomes dissatisfied further and walks away from the project.
This brings use the intermission and doesn’t do the story justice. What we have in The Agony And The Ecstasy is a sort of conflict between two larger than life figures who ultimately want the same thing but have very different ideas about how to achieve the goal. Solid performances by the two leads make this a dynamic film to watch, and that’s besides the fascinating story behind this monumental work of art.
My one complaint about the film is the lack of motivation we have on the part of Pope Julius II. The Agony And The Ecstasy is a decent film and a look at what went into creating an inarguable landmark in art history. It’s just a shame it comes on a bare bones Blu-ray. I know a number of art historians would have loved to have provided an audio commentary to help provide context or religious scholars to provide historical background on the people depicted here.