Line #8 Film/TheAgonyAndTheEcstasy


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tumblr_mdze8pXf0Y1qgpddwo1_500_3943.jpg]]
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3	''The Agony and the Ecstasy'' is a 1965 CostumeDrama directed by Creator/CarolReed.
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5	It tells the story of the creation of the ceiling fresco paintings for the UsefulNotes/{{Vatican\|City}}'s Art/SistineChapel in UsefulNotes/{{Rome}}. The film is also the story of the trails and tribulations of the artist Creator/MichelangeloBuonarroti (Creator/CharltonHeston) and his patron, UsefulNotes/PopeJuliusII (Creator/RexHarrison), as they spar over money, Michelangelo's art, inspiration and a bit of the politics of the time.
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7	See also ''Film/Sin2019'', another film exploring Michelangelo's tribulations at the time.
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9	!!The film has examples of:
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11	* AgeLift: Cardinal Giovanni de' Medici is portrayed as being a bit older than his actual age - mid 30s - that he was when the ceiling was painted.[[note]]de' Medici was only 37 when he was elected Pope Leo X[[/note]]
12	* BerserkButton: Michelangelo and Julius II both manage to hit each other's pretty hard.
13	** Early in the movie, Julius forces Michelangelo to abandon his sculptures and paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, a move that almost causes the artist to flee Italy and take up work in Turkey. Fortunately, for all concerned, he reconsiders.
14	** Near the end of the movie, when Julius is bedridden and apparently near death, Michelangelo comes to see him. He then manages to enrage the Pope through sheer insolence, spurring Julius to rise from his bed and return to his post.
15	* CelibateHero: Michelangelo's love is not women, but art, as Contessa D'Amici learns by the end of the film. Legend has it this was done as an alternative to examining Michelangelo's alleged homosexuality.
16	* ChurchMilitant: The goal of Julius II is to expand control of the papal states, in his belief that a more independent church shall better be able to create peace through Europe.
17	%% * ThatCloudLooksLike: God creating Adam, the inspiration for the famous fresco "Creation of Adam".
18	* CorruptChurch: Receiving "donations" in order to create cardinals.
19	* DeadpanSnarker: Julius II has his moments. For example, after reading a TakeThat sonnet that Michelangelo wrote early on in the film:
20	-->I have been compared to Lucifer, Beelzebub, the Antichrist... ''[[ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne but never before Medusa!]]'' [...] This "presumptious Florentine" has been described as the master artist of the world... ''certainly a better artist than he is a poet.''
21	%% * {{Determinator}}: Michelangelo and Julius II are both this, even when they need a little encouragement.
22	* {{Deuteragonist}}: Pope Julius. He and Michelangelo might antagonize often each other but ultimately they want the same goal, a great painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
23	%% * TheFilmOfTheBook
24	* {{Intermission}}: A rather short film to have one. This occurs when Michelangelo finds inspiration from the clouds.
25	%% * LargeHam: Heston and Harrison both - so much so that they're practically doing HamToHamCombat in most of their scenes together.
26	* LastNameBasis: Julius II usually calls Michelangelo "Buonarroti", and rarely uses his first name.
27	* NoSocialSkills: For all his artistic greatness Michelangelo has little to no understanding of what makes people tick.
28	* TheNounAndTheNoun: In this case, "agony" and "ecstasy"
29	* ProlongedPrologue: The film starts with a 12-minute mini-documentary showcasing Michelangelo's greatest works. It was slightly abridged in general release and on the initial videocassette release to remove a dating comment about the then-whereabouts of the Pietà of St. Peter's.
30	%% * RunningGag: Some version of "When can I/you make an end?" "When you're/I'm finished."
31	%% * SensitiveArtist: Michelangelo, much to the consternation of Julius, Cardinals, and even other artists.
32	* [[UnflinchingWalk Unflinching Examination]]: Michelangelo and Julius II meet as the pope prepares to invade a city so they can discuss Michelangelo's new ideas for the chapel ceiling. As they go over the sketches, enemy artillery goes off around them.
33	* WarriorMonk: Julius II is introduced in the movie as a knight first and as the pope second.

Context Film / TheAgonyAndTheEcstasy