The Agony and the Ecstasy (film)

Infobox Film
name = The Agony and the Ecstasy

---

caption = 1965 film poster by Howard Terpning
director = Carol Reed
producer = Carol Reed
writer = screenplay by
Philip Dunne
Carol Reed
from the novel by
Irving Stone
starring = Charlton Heston
Rex Harrison
Diane Cilento
Harry Andrews
Alberto Lupo
music = Jerry Goldsmith
Alex North
cinematography = Leon Shamroy
editing = Samuel E. Beetley
distributor = 20th Century Fox
released = October 7, 1965
runtime = 138 min
country = USA
awards =
language = English
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
amg_id = 1:1241
imdb_id = 0058886

"The Agony and the Ecstasy" is a 1965 film directed by Carol Reed, starring Charlton Heston as Michelangelo and Rex Harrison as Pope Julius II. The film was partly based on Irving Stone's biographical novel of the same name; see "The Agony and the Ecstasy".

The film was shot in Todd-AO and Cinemascope versions. The Todd-AO version was used for the DVD release because of its superior picture quality.

The movie is centered around Michelangelo's painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling for Julius II. In that respect it differs from the book, which covered the grand scope of Michelangelo's life.

The film shows Michelangelo arguing often with the Pope, as well as with Donato Bramante, the Pope's architect. It also depicts the painter Raphael painting the School of Athens fresco, and the film features many classic exchanges between Michelangelo and Julius II. At one point the Pope has to pretend to hire Raphael to finish working on the ceiling to get Michelangelo to finish it when he has become ill. Michelangelo makes a similar gesture to the Pope when enemy armies are approaching Rome; the Pope is in bed, having given up, when Michelangelo tells the Pope that he won't complete the Sistine chapel ceiling because the Pope has not completed his work.

Michelangelo is shown painting the original commission of the 12 Apostles for the Sistine Chapel, but then destroys the work he has done after seeing a barman throw away sour wine saying, "If the wine is sour, throw it out!" Michelangelo then goes into hiding at Carrara. During this time, Michelangelo has a divine vision of The Creation of Adam, which inspires him to finish the work, and he returns to see the Pope with his new ideas for the ceiling.

The recreation of the Sistine Chapel ceiling for the film was largely by the Irish painter Niccolo d'Ardia Caracciolo.

Cast

* Charlton Heston - Michelangelo
* Rex Harrison - Pope Julius II
* Diane Cilento - Contessina de'Medici
* Harry Andrews - Bramante
* Alberto Lupo - Duke of Urbino
* Adolfo Celi - Giovanni de' Medici
* Venantino Venantini - Paris De Grassis
* John Stacy - Sangallo
* Fausto Tozzi - Foreman
* Maxine Audley - Woman
* Tomas Milian - Raphael

External links

*imdb title|id=0058886|title=The Agony and the Ecstasy
*amg title | id=1:1241 | title=The Agony and the Ecstasy
*tcmdb title | id=66918 | title=The Agony and the Ecstasy