Directed by:
Alejandro AmenábarCinematography:
Xavi GiménezComposer:
Dario MarianelliCast:
Rachel Weisz, Max Minghella, Oscar Isaac, Ashraf Barhom, Michael Lonsdale, Rupert Evans, Homayoun Ershadi, Richard Durden, Yousef 'Joe' Sweid, George Harris (more)Plots(1)
4th century A.D. Egypt under the Roman Empire… Violent religious upheaval in the streets of Alexandria spills over into the city’s famous Library. Trapped inside its walls, the brilliant astronomer Hypatia and her disciples fight to save the wisdom of the Ancient World… Among them, the two men competing for her heart: the witty, privileged Orestes and Davus, Hypatia’s young slave, who is torn between his secret love for her and the freedom he knows can be his if he chooses to join the unstoppable surge of the Christians. (Transmission Films)
(more)Reviews (11)
Agora is a splendid example of the combination of great technical execution and convincing performances. At the forefront of the plot is a great woman of her time, who lived by philosophy and her own faith, to which she was able to give everything. Another "actor" in this historical story is the timeless theme of religion, which has managed to unite and divide people since ancient times, and which still persists. It pits love, which is stronger than any faith, against fear, which is often even more powerful. Rachel Weisz is great as Hypatia and convincing, as are the other actors. The film is accompanied by an irresistible musical score and we can follow the entire story through amnazing cinematography, which drew me in even deeper as a viewer. In short, Agora is a perfect film in almost every way, one that managed to captivate me with its storyline and execution, which is the most important thing for me.
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As two hours of history, it's okay, with solidly outlined battles both physically and spiritually. As a film, however, it fails. It's only bearable for two hours thanks to the lavish production design and solid philosophy, because it's hard to sympathise with the frigid Rachel Weisz on any level other than scientific, and the other characters are elusive. In addition, there are confusing fight scenes, inconsistent emotions, and an awkward outcome. Maybe, if they had thrown in some allegorical madness or a few sad looks, I would have thought it was directed by the chief philosopher Aronofsky.
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When it comes to historical films of various genres, I usually prefer the most realistic and faithful portrayal of events. Agora does not adhere to a faithful depiction of the presented events, as it condenses and compresses complicated historical events in such a way that processes that lasted for centuries are narrated within a few years. The main protagonist is inevitably portrayed by a charming female star, while the characters are somewhat artificially polarized. And yet, I ultimately lean toward the highest rating because Amenábar directed a magnificent spectacle devoid of cheap action elements, yet one that is still visually appealing thanks to excellent direction, cinematography, and set design. The historical image of the last centuries of the Roman Empire has understandably been thoroughly distorted by the victorious side, namely the Christians. What prevails in history has the right to change the past. And so, the perception of individual figures in Roman politics has been distorted according to their relationship with the Christian religion. Monotheistic religions tend to spread their ideas by any means necessary - in this respect, Christianity did not differ much from Islam during its expansion. Roman emperors intervened against Christians not only because they questioned the divine status of the emperor but also because they needed to ensure peace in an empire where hundreds of cultures, languages, and religions collided, and the Christians systematically disrupted this peace during their propagation of the word of God. I only considered giving the film four stars, but when I watched a recent rerun of Cleopatra and felt how worn out it seems compared to Agora, I leaned toward five stars. Overall impression: 90%.
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Quite possibly the best film by Alejandro Amenábar and a great serving of history from ancient Alexandria with the beautiful Rachel Weisz to boot. Very nicely shot, with some gritty scenes of people being stoned alive, nicely narrated, clearly told and rich in religion. There aren't many great historical films and I appreciate every one. Great. 85%.
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The course of history sometimes takes sad directions, where in certain situations we have to wait 1,200 years to rediscover things. And yet, even after so many experiences, we are not able to think better of it and learn. This is a producer suicide and one mirror elegantly set to today’s Islam on how faith, so necessary for many, can easily be swept down a path of fanaticism that knows no bounds, nor respect.
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