"Since when were there so many Christians?"

[Rii]

Probably my favourite line from the 2009 Spanish film Agora; a solid flick that I wanted to like more than I actually did.

The film has been characterised by some (no prizes for guessing who) as anti-Christian. I don't accept that; the behaviour of Christians in the film is little different from that of pagans or Jews, the difference lies merely in their relative numbers: who wields the power? What the film is is a celebration of scientific rationalism. I don't think I've seen 'the wonder of discovery' done nearly as well before, thanks in no small part to Rachel Weisz' superb performance as Hypatia.

But that's not what most interested me about the film either. What most stuck with me was its use of orbital and stellar imagery, which I suspect is probably unique amongst sword-and-sandal flicks. Or maybe not, perhaps those with broader filmic experience than I can tell me.

The technique is not uncommon - The Thin Red Line, for example, is renowned for its heavy-handed use of starkly contrasting imagery - and nor does it manage to elevate the film to the level it so clearly aspires to, but it is nonetheless both effective and memorable.

It's my good fortune that the trailer for the film happens to illustrate precisely what I'm talking about both near the beginning, and again at the end:

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-xH0lHUs9c[/yt]

What are some other films that make consistent/extensive use of starkly contrasting imagery in this way?

 

[Captain Craig]

I wanted to see Agora. It was released in 2 theaters its opening weekend and 'expanded' to 17 in the US. That means it only really hit NY, LA, Chicago Miami and perhaps another city or two.

You better hope for more global BBSers to chime in cause not many in the US got a shot at the film.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Netflix already has Agora available to save in your queue. I hope it's not a preachy bore, but my predicted score is 3.5 out of 5, which is generally the threshold for movies that are worth watching.

 

[Captain Craig]

^^^
I almost mentioned I've had it my queue for about a month now when I first posted. When I realized it wasn't going to get a wide release I put it in there. My projected rating is 3.5 also.

 

[iguana_tonante]

I really, really wanted to see Agora, but after a long battle the producers only managed to distributed it in a handful of theatres here in Italy, and it was out only for a week or two. The trailers almost never passed on tv. Given the argument, I was even ready to pay the ticket for any friends that would come with me, just to support the movie. However, I couldn't find it within a 100 km radius. I am very disappointed. I tell this story every time people tell me we live in a modern secular republic and not still in the fucking Papal States.

 

[Rii]

Netflix already has Agora available to save in your queue. I hope it's not a preachy bore, but my predicted score is 3.5 out of 5, which is generally the threshold for movies that are worth watching.

3.5/5 sounds about right. I think it's the awkward pacing which holds it back from a higher rating. For what it's worth, the trailer makes rather more out of Hypatia being a woman than the film does.