| The Agony and the Ecstasy | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster byHoward Terpning | |
| Directed by | Carol Reed |
| Screenplay by | Philip Dunne |
| Based on | The Agony and the Ecstasy 1961 novel byIrving Stone |
| Produced by | Carol Reed |
| Starring | Charlton Heston Rex Harrison Diane Cilento Harry Andrews Alberto Lupo |
| Cinematography | Leon Shamroy |
| Edited by | Samuel E. Beetley |
| Music by | Jerry Goldsmith Alex North |
Production company | International Classics |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date |
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Running time | 138 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $7 million[1] |
| Box office | $8 million[2] |
The Agony and the Ecstasy is a 1965 Americanhistorical drama film directed byCarol Reed and starringCharlton Heston asMichelangelo andRex Harrison asPope Julius II. The film was partly based onIrving Stone's 1961biographical novel of the same name, and deals with the conflicts of Michelangelo and Pope Julius II during the 1508–1512 painting of theSistine Chapel ceiling. It also features a soundtrack by prolific composersAlex North andJerry Goldsmith.[3]
The film was shot inTodd-AO andCinemascope versions. The Todd-AO version was used for theDVD release because of its superior picture quality.
The film opens in documentary style, chronicling the work ofMichelangelo Buonarroti.It then follows Michelangelo, a renownedCinquecento sculptor of theRepublic of Florence, in the early16th century, and shows him at work on large-scale sculptures nearSt. Peter's Basilica. WhenPope Julius II commissions him to paint the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo resists because he finds the ceiling's paneled layout of theTwelve Apostles uninspiring. Nonetheless, he is forced into taking the job. During the initial attempt, Michelangelo is discontented with the results, and destroys thefrescoes. He flees toCarrara, and then into the mountains where he finds inspiration from nature.
Michelangelo returns and is allowed to paint the entirevault in a variety of newly designed biblical scenes based on theBook of Genesis, which the Pope approves. The work proceeds nonstop, even withMass in session. Michelangelo faces opposition and criticism from the Pope's cardinals, due to its depictons of nudity in the paintings. As months turn to years, Michelangelo's work is threatened when he collapses due to fatigue. He is nursed back to health byContessina de' Medici, daughter of his old friendLorenzo de' Medici. After recovering, Michelangelo returns to work after learning he is at risk of being replaced byRaphael, whom the Pope commissionsto paint the reception rooms ofthe Papal palace.
Meanwhile, thePapal States are threatened during theWar of the League of Cambrai. Preparing for battle and having reached the limits of his patience, the Pope terminates Michelangelo's contract, and has the scaffolding torn down. Raphael, impressed with the work in progress, asks Michelangelo to show humility and finish the ceiling. Michelangelo travels to see the injured and weakened Pope, and pleads for him to restore the patronage. Though the Pope believes an invasion of Rome is inevitable, he raises the money needed to resume work on the ceiling.
One night, Michelangelo finds the ailing Pope inspecting the portrait ofGod inThe Creation of Adam, which the Pope declares "a proof of faith" yet doubts Michelangelo's conception of God as merciful andAdam as innocent, then the Pope collapses and becomes bedridden. Though everyone assumes that the Pope will die, Michelangelo goads him into having the will to live and to finish his work and asks permission to allow him return to Florence, a request the Pope refuses. As Michelangelo leaves, the Pope recovers and upon seeing the cardinals and the monks, as well the choir, he angrily shooes them away. The tide of war turns in favor of the Papal States, as allies (includingEngland andSpain) pledge to assist the Pope.
A Mass is held in which the congregation is shown the completed ceiling, to a positive response. After the ceremony, Michelangelo asks to begin carvingthe Pope's tomb. Realizing he has a short time to live, the Pope agrees but changes his mind when he gives Michelangelo another commission to paint a new fresco behind the altarpiece to replace the dilapidated ones (and gives Michelangelo the choice of subject like thecrucifixion or thelast judgment). The Pope then admits that Michelangelo's conception of God is accurate before goading him to continue his work. As the Pope leaves, Michelangelo turns back to look at the space behind the altarpiece, where he will later paint hisLast Judgement 25 years later.
Film rights to the novel were bought by20th Century Fox for a reported $125,000. The head of the studio wasPeter Levathes, andBurt Lancaster was linked to the film.[4] In 1962, Fox almost collapsed due to cost over-runs on a number of films, notablyCleopatra. This resulted inDarryl F. Zanuck returning to run the studio. He installed his sonRichard D. Zanuck as head of production.[5]
In January 1963, Richard Zanuck signed Philip Dunne to write the script.[6] Dunne later said he regarded his script as an original "because I used nothing of the book at all. My idea was not one man but two, the Pope and the artist. I called itQuirt and Flagg in the Sistine Chapel."[7]
In October 1963, Zanuck announced the film would be one of six "roadshow" movies the company would make over the next 12 months, worth $42 million all up. The others would beThe Day Custer Fell (turned intoCuster of the West),Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines,Justine,The Sound of Music andThe Sand Pebbles.[8] In October 1963, Charlton Heston signed to play the lead.[9] On October 9 he wrote in his journal:
The Michelangelo script strikes me as possibly the best written that’s ever been submitted to me. It would be a different part for me, and might be a helluva movie, though whether it can work commercially, I don’t know. It seems too good a script for that, frankly.[10]
The role of the Pope was offered toLaurence Olivier who was not available.[11] Fox wanted Rex Harrison to co star and Heston wantedFred Zinnemann to direct.[12] Zinnemann turned down the film and Guy Green was considered.[13] In November Harrison agreed to make the film.[14] The same monnth,Luchino Visconti said he was considering an offer to direct the movie.[15]
The studio then approached Carol Reed, who Heston had considered to directThe War Lord. By January, it was announced Reed would direct.[16] Heston wrote, "This is good, I’m sure. We have a chance for a superior film with him; he confers class on the whole project."[17] He met with Reed and was impressed by the desire of the director to push for rehearsal time writing on January 14, "We have to find a way to keep them from being simply a series of quarrels... So far this one smells ok. At least we have a good script."[18]
The film's production schedule ran from June 1964 to September 1964.[citation needed] When it came time to film the feature, the Sistine Chapel could not be used, and it was recreated on a sound stage atCinecittà Studios in Rome.[19]
In June, Heston wrote in his memoirs "I feel I’m learning a great deal from" Carol Reed but felt Harrison "will not be an easy man to work with. Perhaps he's insecure over who has the best part."[20]
Rex Harrison later wrote in his memoirs:
I don’t think Carol was himself. I think Charlton Heston was absolutely himself, and by the end I didn’t know who I was... Heston very politely and very nicely made me feel that it was extremely kind of me to be supporting him. Carol did little to disabuse him of this notion, so I did everything I could to make myself believe that the picture was about Pope Julius rather than about Michelangelo.[21]
Harrison admitted he wore lifts in his shoes to make himself seem taller than Heston but Heston then started wearing lifts in his shoes.[21] In a later volume of memoirs, Harrison called the movie "an altogether horrendous experience for me" writing that the character he played had potential, "he was a most un-Popelike Pope, a Renaissance bull of a man, fighting duels, siring illegitimate children - but I felt like saying I was a pretty good, naturalistic stage actor, rather than a ham film star, and shouldn't have undertaken so ridiculous a project as this film... I nearly went mad from boredom and frustration."[22]
Harrison felt Reed had greatly changed from when they madeNight Train to Munich together "when he had a great sense of humour and was fun to work with. In this instance I found him doggedly trying to please the front office and Charlton Heston, who, I felt, was altogether too wooden to play this great artist."[23] Heston wrote in his memoirs that he greatly admired Rex's performance, saying "I can't imagine a better performance, not Olivier, not anybody."[24]
According to Heston, filming fell behind schedule because of the time taken by cinematographer Leon Shamroy.[25]
On 26 March Heston attended a preview of the film in Minneapolis which he called "far and away the best sneak preview response of any film I’ve ever been in. The audience stamped and screamed and gave us an ovation at the end... I have absolutely no explanation for this, especially since the film had only a modest commercial success."[26]
The film grossed around $4,000,000 during its US theatrical run in 1965. It later went on to make about $8,166,000 worldwide in rentals.[27]
In September 1970 Fox estimated the film needed to make $17,800,000 in rentals to break even, and had made $8,166,000 world wide and had thus lost the studio $5,281,000.[28] According to Heston, however, the film did eventually go into profit.[29]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 86% of 7 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.6/10.[30]Heston was surprised at the mixed notices the film received, writing "I'm good in the film. If it doesn't register there's something bloody wrong somewhere."[31]
Bosley Crowther ofThe New York Times felt the film was, "not a strong and soaring drama but an illustrated lecture on a slow artist at work." He sympathized with the Pope and his mounting impatience with Michelangelo, criticizing Heston's acting as lacking any warmth to endear him to the audience. Furthermore, he believed the script suffered from being "wordy."[32]
In a 2013 retrospective review inThe Guardian,Alex von Tunzelmann noted that the film's "intent to inform is laudable, but a fictional film should really be able to convey its subject without a lecture," and echoed Crowther's observation that "the screenplay goes heavy on the dialogue, light on the action." She laments that the sex-less film fails to reveal "the real Michelangelo's passions" (particularly his reputed attraction to men), and concluded the film would have been more interesting "if it were told with a lot more humour and a lot less prudishness."[33]
Heston wrote in 1995 "I still likeAgony, I'm still proud of what I did in it. It’s not easy to find your way into a man like Michelangelo."[34]
The film was nominated for fiveAcademy Awards:[35][36]
It was nominated for twoGolden Globe Awards:
It won two awards from theNational Board of Review:
It won the Best Foreign Film at theDavid di Donatello Awards.
Art of theSistine Chapel | |||||||
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| Life ofMoses |  | ||||||
| Life ofChrist | |||||||
| Ceiling9 (Gallery) |
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| Altar wall | |||||||
| Tapestries | |||||||
| Related | |||||||
