Review of The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965) by John K — 11 May 2011

I wish I could give it a higher rating, but it just wasn't that fantastic to me. The novel that it's partly based on is detailed and accurate, and I can understand the need to condense and use dramatic license when translating it to the screen, but there isn't much consistency and a lot of it leaves the actors with not enough to do but stand around looking stiff.

Charlton Heston was fine as Michelangelo and took the role very seriously, which there was never a more serious and ingenious artist. Rex Harrison was okay as Pope Julius II, but he wasn't really ideal for the part.

The best parts of the movie give some insight into Michelangelo's yet to be matched talent and his whole philosophy of art. He certainly suffered for it, but his reward is eternal in what he has left for the world.