![]() Only Michelangelo, and a few other geniuses, could create the kind of magnificent art that Julius demanded only Julius had the money and the patience to let Michelangelo create his masterpieces. The two men needed each other as much as they frustrated each other. A historical drama about the creation of one of the worlds most famous artefacts, The Agony And The Ecstasy lacks subtlety but overflows with admirable passion. ![]() (Michelangelo's relationship with another great Tuscan, Leonardo Da Vinci, was even worse, for similar reasons.)Īfter near-endless arguments, Michelangelo was paid 10,000 ducats to design and carve statues for Julius' tomb, including the famous Moses. Too long and limited in subject matter to score at the box office, The Agony and the Ecstacy holds up pretty well when seen today, especially when viewed in a wide-screen print. ![]() But even the fierce old soldier had to admit that Michelangelo was "un uomo terribile" - a terrible man, meaning fearsome, proud, and hard to get along with. The film also gingerly approaches the subject of Michelangelos sexual orientation vis-a-vis his relationship with the Contessina de Medici (Diane Cilento). I recently saw the 1965 movie based on the 1961 book. While one is the leader of the Christian world, the other means. Their working relationship is documented as the struggle between two powerful and egocentric men. The story shows how people with divergent interests can work together and accomplish great feats without compromising their principles. The film The Agony and the Ecstasy, 1965, is the epic portrayal of Michelangelo and Pope Julius II based on the historical novel of the same name, by Irving Stone, published in 1961. Julius, called the Warrior Pope for leading troops in war, had firm ideas about what he wanted from the artists he hired (via Britannica). The Agony and Ecstasy tells an interesting and historical story of the painting and also of the strong wills of the protagonists. Art historian Kenneth Clark put it neatly in his famous BBC series "Civilisation" (posted on YouTube): "Heroes do not easily tolerate the company of other heroes."īoth men were larger than life.
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