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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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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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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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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On the one hand, I'm tired of a lot of movies taking place around the year 0, and Caesar or Jesus is at least mentioned everywhere. I was hoping for something completely different when they managed to make something set in 391 A.D., but in the end, it's just another old familiar clash on the theme of Quo Vadis - where do you go with Christianity now that religion is allowed? Unfortunately, the parallels with medieval obscurantism are many, and the story of Hypatia is as hopeless as Witchhammer. Maybe this is the way it was meant to be, but formally it's not that great, and aside from Rachel Weisz, there aren't any great actors to attract my empathy.
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