Back when Papal Authority meant Worldly Authority
Not particularly familiar with Michaelangelo? The mini-documentary preceding the TV showing of The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965) provides a useful and interesting introduction to the legendary sculptor, exploring a number of his objects in close detail.
And then it’s on to the movie. A dramatization of Julius’ decision to force Michaelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel, we get to follow Michaelangelo around as he starts, stops, restarts, and has the usual emotional artist problems with his subject, all the while mistreating his patron as well as the woman in love with him. I suppose, having done no research, a glib assessment of the good artist would suggest the man was OCD, or perhaps autistic.
But that is neither here nor there. As a classic movie from a classic era starring classic stars (Heston & Harrison), I was disappointed; it all rang a trifle false. Perhaps it felt like it was ticking all the boxes – artistic agony, spots of humor, irrational behavior, artistic purity. A problem in Belated Movie Reviews is that I’m looking at movies out of context, meaning that other movies viewed since then inadvertently color my assessment of these movies, an anachronistic twist in the time continuum which may not be remedied.
Another problem is that I’m sick and may simply misperceive what is, in reality, a brilliant movie.
But I couldn’t help feeling that Harrison was mostly smirking his way through the movie, even as he returns from the Papal war campaigns with severe wounds and ends up in his deathbed, only to be rescued by Michaelangelo (Heston) with a magnificently subtle bit of snark.
It’s hard for me to say. My Arts Editor says all the musical accompaniment is an anachronism, music not composed until centuries later in a form not invented until after the time portrayed in this movie. But undeniably this is a professionally made movie and won’t kill you to watch. So if you’re looking at a rainy afternoon, this might fit the bill for the lazy.
Oh, and I enjoyed the marble quarry scene. I had never thought about the process. Good to know.
