Streaming The Agony and the Ecstasy Online
Mercredi, septembre 15th, 2010 |
Streaming The Agony and the Ecstasy Online.
Movie Title: The Agony and the Ecstasy The Agony and the Ecstasy is available for streaming or downloading. |
There is no other film on the subject of art that is better than this one in my opinion. Irving Stone’s best-seller was a great read, but in this case the film is better than the book. It centers on the creation of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, and the contentious but invigorating relationship between Michelangelo and Pope Julius II; one drove the other “to complete his work”, and even their verbal battles were productive. It is about the courage of putting one’s vision into reality, the hard work, and the faith in one’s self and in God.
The script by Irving Stone and Philip Dunne is fabulous; the words flow like sweet wine and there is not a single unnecessary scene, or rarely one that is not meaningful. The direction by Carol Reed is meticulous, the cinematography by Leon Shamroy a marvel, and the score by Alex North adds much to the film. The costuming and sets are lavish for the papal quarters and the Medici household, and give one a sense of 16th century Rome, and the depictions of the fresco painting technique is interesting and educational.
Charlton Heston, gaunt and bearded, is brilliant as Michelangelo, as is Rex Harrison as the warrior pope. The interactions of these two actors is riveting, and the dialogue between them worth hearing repeatedly. Others of note in the cast include Diane Cilento as the Contessina de Medici, Harry Andrews as Bramante, and Tomas Milian as Raphael (the most famous papal portrait I know of is by Raphael, of Pope Julian II).
Though Stone’s book and script take much artistic license, there is also a good deal of accuracy. This period of 16th century Italy was one of the most fascinating in all world history, and Pope Julius II was not only one of its greatest art patrons, but also an extraordinary man.
This is a film that moves me to tears with its beauty, and brightens my mind with its words. If you are interested in the artistic process, don’t miss this magnificent film.
The film includes a Prologue, a mini-documentary of modern-day Rome and Florence, which traces Michelangelo’s life, from his birth in Tuscany in 1475, showing his many wondrous works, including an early sculpture he did at the age of 15, through his death in 1564. Total running time is 139 minutes.
I’ll leave the artistic merits of this movie for others to argue over. Suffice it to say that it moves at a leisurely pace, and that the two main actors (Heston and Harrison) take turns mugging, gnashing their teeth and chewing the gorgeous scenery. However, since Amazon’s product listing doesn’t list the technical specs, here they are:
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This DVD release of THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY was made from the original 65mm Todd-AO negative, digitally restored. Aspect ratio is correct at 2.20:1, anamorphically enhanced for widescreen TVs. The colors are deeply saturated, and the picture looks quite sharp, with little grain on my high-end Sony HDTV CRT.
The available soundtracks (all Dolby Digital) are 1.0 mono English, 2.0 stereo English, 1.0 mono French and 1.0 mono Spanish. (Contrary to what another reviewer here says, there is NO 5.1 surround soundtrack — a sorry deficiency for a film originally released in 6-track.) IMPORTANT: On my copy of the disc, the DEFAULT soundtrack is the 1.0 mono English. There is no separate menu for selecting the audio you want, so you must press the AUDIO button on your DVD remote ONCE to get the 2.0 stereo English soundtrack. You’d think Fox would want people to hear the stereo track by default!
Buy,Download, Or Stream The Agony and the Ecstasy! Click Here
The good news is that the 2.0 stereo track is very clean, with the original 5-channel screen spread and directional dialogue faithfully preserved. It’s not as full and crisp as a modern soundtrack, but remember that this was recorded forty years ago. If you listen with headphones, it’s easy to hear how much of the dialog was re-recorded on a dubbing stage. In a few intimate scenes, though, the whirring of the camera is faintly audible.
Alex North’s score has some nifty stereo effects, even if the title theme is disturbingly reminiscent of Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra.
The disc includes the complete roadshow presentation: modern-day introduction (with beautiful aerial photography and closeups of Michelangelo masterpieces), intermission music, entr’acte music and exit music. There is also a demonstration of the 65mm restoration process, and some trailers of other Fox epics from the 50s and 60s, including THE ROBE and THE BIBLE. (None of these extras are mentioned anywhere on the packaging.)
If you’re hoping to savor the grandeur of the 60s widescreen epics, this disc will not disappoint.
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