The Agony and the Ecstasy ** (1965, Charlton Heston, Rex Harrison, Diane Cilento, Harry Andrews, Alberto Lupo, Adolfo Celi) – Classic Movie Review 10,320

Carol Reed’s lavish, lovely looking 1965 biographical historical drama film The Agony and the Ecstasy is based on part of Irving Stone’s 1961 doorstopper novel, and stars Charlton Heston as Michelangelo and Rex Harrison as the Pope.

Producer- director Carol Reed’s 1965 biographical historical drama film The Agony and the Ecstasy is based on part of Irving Stone’s 1961 doorstopper novel, and stars Charlton Heston as Michelangelo and Rex Harrison as the Pope, along with Diane Cilento, Harry Andrews, Alberto Lupo and Adolfo Celi. It was nominated for five Oscars, but failed to win any.

On balance there is more agony than ecstasy, perhaps, as Heston’s Florentine painter Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) clashes with Harrison’s Pope Julius II (1443-1513) over the painting of the Vatican Sistine Chapel ceiling, which took between 1508 and 1512 to complete.

When it needed fireworks, we get merely modest acting, though Heston and Harrison are welcome presences, and there is a blunted, listless screen story and screenplay by Philip Dunne that seems to struggle to make sense of the Renaissance world of art, power, patronage and religion.

But producer Reed’s production is a treat for the eyes, with lovely art direction, set decoration and costume designs, and there is distinguished CinemaScope and colour cinematography from Leon Shamroy and a striking music score from Alex North. Both Shamroy and North were Oscar nominated.

In original prints we could learn a little about the artist’s work in a short opening documentary.

Michelangelo did it on his own, but it needed 60 movie artists to re-create the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

Also in the cast are Venantino Venantini, John Stacy, Fausto Tozzi, Maxine Audley, Tomas Milian, Richard Pearson and Alec McCowen.

Despite all the lavish spending, and a full-scale mock-up of the Sistine Chapel in the Dino De Laurentiis Cinematografica Studios, Rome, plus Italian location shooting, the production came in under its $10 million budget. But the film grossed around $4 million in the US and went on to make about $8,166,000 worldwide. It added to 20th Century Fox’s financial troubles. In September 1970 Fox estimated the film had lost the studio $5,281,000.

Julius II wore a beard but Harrison prefers to be clean shaven through the movie.

Heston unwittingly finds himself playing a gay character, as he did in Ben-Hur. The movie is of course discreet about Michelangelo’s homosexuality but Contessina de Medici (Diane Cilento) says: ‘What can I say? I think there’s more love here than could ever exist between a man and a woman. That’s what you meant.’

Reportedly Harrison and Heston fell out, and 12 years later Harrison completely avoided Heston while filming The Prince and the Pauper.

The Sistine Chapel ceiling (Soffitto della Cappella Sistina).

The Agony and the Ecstasy is directed by Carol Reed, runs 138 minutes, is made by International Classics, is released by 20th Century Fox, is written by Philip Dunne, based on Irving Stone’s novel, is shot in CinemaScope and colour by Leon Shamroy, is produced by Carol Reed, Darryl F Zanuck (executive producer) and Elmo Williams (executive producer), is scored by Alex North and designed by John DeCuir.

It was shot from June 1964 to September 1964 and released on October 7, 1965.

The film was nominated for five Academy Awards: Best Art Direction, colour (John DeCuir, Jack Martin Smith, and Dario Simoni), Best Cinematography, colour (Leon Shamroy), Best Costume Design, colour (Vittorio Nino Novarese), Best Original Score (Alex North), and Best Sound (James Corcoran).

It was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards: Best Actor (Rex Harrison) and Best Screenplay (Philip Dunne) , but failed to win.

It did have a couple of wins. It won two awards from the National Board of Review: Best Supporting Actor (Harry Andrews) and One of the Year’s 10 Best. And it also won the Best Foreign Film at the David di Donatello Awards.

The cast are Charlton Heston as Michelangelo Buonarroti, Rex Harrison as Pope Julius II, Diane Cilento as Contessina Antonia Romola de’ Medici, Harry Andrews as Donato Bramante, Alberto Lupo as Duke of Urbino, Adolfo Celi as Giovanni de’ Medici, Venantino Venantini as Paris De Grassis, John Stacy as Giuliano da Sangallo, Fausto Tozzi as Foreman, Maxine Audley as Woman, Tomas Milian as Raphael, Richard Pearson and Alec McCowen.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 10,320

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