Sword and Sandals movie update: The Agora

[delalluvia]

The most anticipated Ancient World movie: "Agora", from director Alejandro Amenábar (The Others; The Sea Inside) starring Rachel Weitz as Hypatia, the scientist-scholar who ran afoul of the Christians in Alexandria in 415 A.D. It’s said to be the most expensive Spanish production ever, with an extraordinary recreation of ancient Alexandria (a city seldom depicted in movies).

Trailer for the movie The Agora is out.

Looks great!  Very pro-science, pro-learning and anti-religious fanaticism.

[delalluvia]

Here is author Steven Saylor's review of the movie Agora


After a very long wait, I finally got to see the movie AGORA last night.

It was magnificent. Beyond my expectations. One of the best Ancient World movies ever made.

If you've ever visited the New Movie page at stevensaylor.com, you'll know I've been anticipating the U.S. release of AGORA for a long time. Rachel Weitz stars as Hypatia, the scientist-scholar who ran afoul of the Christians amid the turbulent death-throes of paganism at the end of the 4th century A.D. Directed by Alejandro Amenábar, the film features an extraordinary recreation of Alexandria—this may be the most meticulously crafted vision of the Ancient World ever put on screen. AGORA is a visually haunting film, one of the most beautiful I've ever seen.

AGORA was a huge hit across Europe when it was released last year. It took a long time to reach the U.S., and is showing only at Landmark Theatres. You can check the theater nearest you at the Landmark site (link below).

You can guess why the movie had such a hard time finding a U.S. distributor—a story about early Christian fanatics slaughtering pagans and Jews sounds like a hard sell in Tea Party country. But the film is far more subtle than that. I was reminded of the highbrow costume dramas that were Oscar-bait when I was young, movies like BECKET and A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS, stories about men of conscience struggling to maintain their self-respect and stay alive surrounded by treachery and hypocrisy. In this case, the story is not about a man, but a woman for all seasons, Hypatia.

AGORA is a film of profound ideas, beautifully told. In the long cycle of Ancient World movies kicked off by GLADIATOR, we've endured so many bad films—ostensibly set in the Ancient World, but made by people who don't give a damn about history or myth and just want to deliver a Hollywood formula (and can't even do that competently)—and when we're finally rewarded with a work of consummate artistry and integrity like AGORA, it's rolled out with zero fanfare. I urge you to see this movie on a big screen, if you can.


I haven't seen the movie yet - it's now showing but I won't be able to get to the theater until Saturday, I hope it's still showing - so I don't know the movie plot, just the basic story of Hypatia, but this picture just moves me.  You're a supporter of education, knowledge and science.  The ancient version of the Taliban is coming with torches to burn down your school and library.  What do you do?

[Front-Ranger]

Agora just came across my radar screen today and...I like! I want!!

[Marina]

I had wanted to see this also but missed it  - sounds really good. 

[delalluvia]

Went and saw this Saturday night.

8/10

SO glad I got to see this before it went away.

Excellent movie, great production values, super acting from the entire cast, superb special effects that don't detract from the movie itself. The story is - sadly - something that could have been ripped from today's headlines.

I'm not familiar with Alejandro Amenábar's movies, so the only thing that really irritated me was the strange very contemporary shots of the earth from outer space and local-news-like satellite zoom-ins. Does he mean to indicate that things haven't changed? That the universe is bigger than us and vastly uncaring? Not sure. It was pretty distracting. But other than that, a Greek tragedy-like story with the plotlines of growing fundamentalism and contempt for knowledge and monumental discoveries and freedom of religion running parallel throughout, the ending striking and heartbreaking, small and big, poignant and brutal all at once.

A must see.

[Front-Ranger]

Very high on my agenda, thank you for the review, friend!

[Front-Ranger]

I liked it. I don't know how historically accurate it was. But, who cares? It was a great story. I admire the director and writer for tackling this great tumult of a time in the early years of Christianity in Alexandria, Egypt. Rupert Evans, the actor who played Synesius, a bishop and pupil of Hypatia, reminded me eerily of Heath. The supporting actors were very good, and Rachel Weisz was transcendent as Hypatia. A couple of her scenes were breathtaking to me. I also liked the music by Dario Marianelli. It was not the discordant music that I've heard in so many movies lately (I didn't like the music in The Kids are All Right).

I especially liked the views from space of the earth and Africa. Recently I saw Hubble, an IMAX film, so these views really connected the two for me and gave me a window into the mind of an astronomer/scientist/philosopher like Hypatia.

[delalluvia]

I liked it. I don't know how historically accurate it was. But, who cares? It was a great story. I admire the director and writer for tackling this great tumult of a time in the early years of Christianity in Alexandria, Egypt. Rupert Evans, the actor who played Synesius, a bishop and pupil of Hypatia, reminded me eerily of Heath. The supporting actors were very good, and Rachel Weisz was transcendent as Hypatia. A couple of her scenes were breathtaking to me. I also liked the music by Dario Marianelli. It was not the discordant music that I've heard in so many movies lately (I didn't like the music in The Kids are All Right).

I especially liked the views from space of the earth and Africa. Recently I saw Hubble, an IMAX film, so these views really connected the two for me and gave me a window into the mind of an astronomer/scientist/philosopher like Hypatia.

He reminded me of a very young Brad Pitt.    From everything I read, it's very accurate - as far as we can tell.  Obviously, all her records were destroyed or not kept, and basically we only have what other people wrote about her and even the history of the time is iffy.  No one knows what happened to Orestes.  After her death, he just up and vanished - did he leave?  Get murdered?  No one knows.