vince’s ear

The Agony and the Ecstasy ***½
Just a few days ago I posted about Films About Painters and how you can use movies to learn. I don’t need to tell you movies are the most fun way to go about this. I mentioned the movie The Agony and the Ecstasy about the 16th century Italian artist Michelangelo Buonarotti.

It was made in 1965, you know, when Hollywood actually put effort into their movies, and aimed to educate and entertain at the same time. Not only will you walk away entertained, but you will learn something. The movie even starts out with a good twelve minute introduction showing some of Michelangelo’s sculptures from different periods of his career.

The main premise of the film is Michelangelo painting the ceiling of the Sistene Chapel, and dealing with the abusive Pope Julius II. Julius was a military man, and constantly at battle attempting to reclaim the Papal states for the Vatican. I found it humorous hearing the line, “ATTACK,” to which was replied “Yes, your holiness.”

The best parts of this movie really get into the tension between Pope and artist. Keep in mind that the Florentine artist considered himself a sculptor and not a painter, but the Pope cared not about what Michelangelo wanted and would not take “no” for an answer.

Some of the problems between the two were due the Pope skimping on the payments while attempting to fund his never ending wars. The Pope tells Michelangelo he will be paid, “Three…uh, two thousand ducats- less the rent, of course.” At one point Michelangelo is ecstatic that a message comes from the Vatican treasury, thinking he finally got paid. But when he opens it, he almost falls off the scaffolding when he reads it is a bill for two months rent. One humorous scene shows Julius making a cardinal out of an obviously young and inexperienced priest for payment to pay for the ceiling.

Meanwhile the Pope constantly asks when the ceiling will be completed (it took four years), and claims it an endless “purgatory of a ceiling.” The Holy Father and the feisty artist constantly clash. Michelangelo several times attempts to give up on the ceiling, once when he collapses of exhaustion. The Pope at this point releases Michelangelo, saying that he has already hired Raphael to finish it. This of course won’t do, and the sick Michelangelo agrees to get back to work at once. Later, when the Pope has retreated his armies and almost loses his fight for Rome, Michelangelo tells the sick Pontiff he will not finish his ceiling, if the Holy Pope will not finish his own work.

I gave this movie three and a half stars for its entertaining value, excellent acting, excellent dialogue, and plenty of artwork including numerous closeups of the ceiling’s themes and subjects, such as the Creation of Adam. Charleton Heston as usual acted well, and I was particularly pleased with Rex Harrison as Julius II. Much of the movie’s humor came from Harrison, and he made a very convincing 16th century Pope/ military commander. Very good/excellent film, giving the viewers a glimpse of what it must have been like in 16th century Rome, and an idea of the life and hardships of one of the most important Renaissance artists, Michelangelo Bounarotti.