The agony and the ecstasy a lot of people have probably heard of this film uh 1965 directed by carol reed who's best known probably for um the third man a film i must confess i have not seen but a classic noir film with orson welles um jagging the ecstasy stars charlton heston as michelangelo and rex harrison who i have always loved as pope julius ii um and it's sort of about their contentious relationship in the commissioning and execution of the sistine chapel and sort of all of the politics and the money that gets mixed into it

sin um from 2019 is directed by andre koncholovsky and koncholovsky is this sort of old guard russian film director he's kind of a national treasure in fact uh putin last time he met with pope francis which i might have been i guess it must have been like 2019 or 2020 um he gave pope francis a dvd of this film and recommended that he he screened it

and then the rest of the movie it deals with kind of this tension between the two the two rival families that the de la rivera family of uh pope julius ii and the uh medici family of poplius popplio the 10th uh and they're both trying to get michelangelo to work on projects in particular michelangelo is supposed to be working on the tomb of julius ii

he just wanted it to be like part of the thing you know so this is a very realistic gritty rome in florence and and carrara you know that we're that we're seeing uh in this movie um you know tonally it it it also reminded me of andre rublev and it's sort of like there's like a bleakness to the to the the landscape and to these uh the atmosphere you know that hangs over these villages and taverns and everybody's just kind of a little uh down in the dumps but gorgeous gorgeous photography gorgeous landscape definitely the photography was beautiful

it is two totally different color schemes so you have remember they're different periods so you have this right sort of excitement of being able to have these huge pans when they're making um agony in the exit there's like a whole different moment happening in cinema where they're like look how wide we can get our camera and filling up the space with color it's really the possibilities and what can do with color they're very excited about that and that comes out in the film and it's very exuberant it's very happy

the character of michelangelo in sin is it should be less likable but i actually found the performance more endearing than charlton heston's performance strangely rex harrison was more made me like him more as the corrupt pope julius ii than charlton heston you know endeared me as michelangelo and the agony of the ecstasy i don't know if you felt that way but

this film makes a lot of uh sin makes a lot of michelangelo's connection that he felt with dante as being sort of the only artist that he could relate to um which was very interesting uh because they have this whole scene where he's going sleeping in the room where dante slept and then he goes uh climbs up the mountain at night he's reciting the inferno which he apparently had memorized

but the the director correctly really correctly identified what where michelangelo's real sins are as a matter of fact it's sort of interesting that the the two moments of like sex that take place around him he's just he's indifferent he's not he's not interested but his his what calls to him his two problems are avarice and pride and they both just say them very clearly you know everest is a sin god by this sin and and that um the final scene shows him you know wearing basically a franciscan sort of penitence outfit

the construct of the giant piece of marble which is clearly i mean that's the external manifestation of his ego right like this is like the there's a moment there when he's in ferrara where he talks about how he would like to carve the mountain face into giant into sculptures of giants

The relationship between Michelangelo and his patrons, particularly the Medicis, is a complex one. The film Sin shows how this relationship can be both creative and destructive, with Michelangelo's passion and talent often at odds with the expectations of his patrons.

The film Sin provides a rich cultural context for Michelangelo's art, drawing on references to Italian literature and history. The film's portrayal of Michelangelo's fascination with Dante and his use of classical motifs adds depth to our understanding of his artistic vision.

The portrayal of Michelangelo in film is often glamorized or romanticized, with Charlton Heston's portrayal in The Agony and the Ecstasy being a notable example. However, the film Sin offers a more nuanced and complex portrayal of the artist, highlighting his passionate and often difficult personality.

Alberto Testone's performance as Michelangelo in the film Sin is notable for its physicality and intensity. Testone brings a sense of passion and energy to the role, capturing the artist's creative struggles and personal demons.

The two films differ in their approach to depicting the life and work of their respective artists, with 'Agony and the Ecstasy' focusing on the dramatic and sensational aspects of Michelangelo's life, while 'Andre Rublev' takes a more contemplative and introspective approach. The film's ending, with its montage of Michelangelo's works, is compared to the ending of 'Andre Rublev', with the former being seen as less effective.

Michelangelo is depicted as a person on a journey, much like Dante's own journey in 'The Divine Comedy'. The film shows Michelangelo walking and thinking, and the audience is invited to reflect on his journey and the themes of the film. This narrative device allows the audience to connect with Michelangelo on a more personal level and understand his artistic and personal struggles.

Michelangelo was frightened for his life and was paranoid about being assassinated or poisoned. This paranoia was reflected in the film, where the director took creative liberties to make it more sensational. However, in reality, Michelangelo did accuse someone of trying to poison him, and he was known to be perennially angry with his family members.

The film shows Michelangelo's sheer physical exertion and toll that painting the Sistine Chapel had on him. It also depicts the process of taking a block of marble and creating a masterpiece, which is an art form in itself. This attention to detail gives the audience a sense of the craftsmanship and skill that went into creating these iconic works of art.

The Sistine Chapel and other great works of art didn't spring up from one person, but rather from a whole ecosystem of artists, patrons, and craftsmen. The film highlights the importance of patronage in enabling artists to create their masterpieces, and the role of the Catholic Church in supporting the arts during the Renaissance.

and i think it's like why is there so much nudity so much so much more uh like random nudity in movies in the 70s and the 80s than than now even though now is probably morally worse time like it's because they they could they just got the ability to do it

it was it was it was that was long that was long no it was great it was really really fun and it was um actually conveniently i'm about to start teaching a course on the sistine chapel so it's very it was really really helpful in research for me

thanks everybody for listening if you're watching on youtube please subscribe uh and if you if you like this podcast i'm gonna ask you this time to please share it with someone email it to someone post it on facebook whatever but uh just just help more people find this show