Rachel Weisz - Ancient Librarian

[Ingsoc]

Just finished seeing it and it's was excellent! pretty good depiction of late antiquity Alexandria and the religious conflicts that led to Hypatia death.

[DecimusCaesar]

Here's some reviews courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes:

 

Agora reviews

 

Currently the film has a 50% Rotten rating at the site. There aren't that much reviews, so this is a sign that the film has sunk. I honestly hope it gets a good release.

[Melvadius]

I happened to pick up 'Total film' the other day and found the opening section of their review instructive but not for the reason they would have thought:

 

'Missing and 'n', surely.....

 

Out 23 April In case you didn't know 'Agora' means market place or public square. But Latin vocab lessons insn't the only thing you'll get.....

 

As the book is set in Roman period Egypt possibly the reviewer didn't realise that 'Agora' is the Greek word for market place rather than the Latin one.

[Ursus]

.... did this film ever open up in the US?

[Viggen]

looks like in Canada it did...

http://www.torontosun.com/entertainment/mo...0/14336661.html

 

cheers

viggen

[DecimusCaesar]

The DVD is scheduled for release sometime around late August this year if Amazon is anything to go by.

[guy]

DecimusCaesar said:

The DVD is scheduled for release sometime around late August this year if Amazon is anything to go by.

 

I look forward to the movie...but with great trepidation:

 

 

It is easy and important to condemn religious intolerance of any sort. Unfortunately, it now has become too fashionable to criticize the excesses of Christianity of many years ago.

 

 

guy also known as gaius

Edited March 14, 2021 by guy

[Maty]

Re the remark by Ursus -'The movie will probably be as historically accurate as "Gladiator."

 

I recall that someone worked out that Hypatia was at least in her late fifties at the time of her death, and may have been even older. Ms Weiss' version appears to have aged remarkably well.

 

And the church might call Cyril a saint, but if that murderous bigot is in heaven, I'm not going ...

[Guest ImperialQueen]

I enjoyed the film despite all of its inaccuracies, Alejandro Amen

Edited September 5, 2010 by ImperialQueen

[DecimusCaesar]

I saw this a few days ago. I remember reading some reviews a while back that stated that the film was emotionally empty and uninvolving. I personally found it rather moving, even with all the inaccuracies. A good drama film, and one of the few intelligent Ancient History epics ever made. In a lot of ways it harks back to the slower paced cerebral epics like Quo Vadis.

 

On another note I was surprised to see film critic Roger Ebert give Agora a thumbs up. He's stated a few times that he hates ancient epics and historical films in general (I think he once stated that his favourite genre was the film noir and his least favourite the ancient war epic). I suppose that's a good recommendation.

[Viggen]

...after watching it yesterday day, i must say i was moved, it was such a depressing moment when the christian mob destroyed the serapium, and somehow this whole religious fantastism and intolerance reminds me of Marx... "Religion is the opiate of the people" For me it was a very good movie, especially as it raised my awareness of a time period i am usually not so familiar with...

 

cheers

viggen