Gibson unleashedBy John DeSando, "It's Movie Time," "Cinema Classics," and "On the Marquee
Hypatia: "Synesius, you don't question what you believe, or cannot. I must."
Although I like sword and sandals epics as much as the next moviegoer with its admixture of history and melodrama (Spartacus and Ben Hur, the twin gold standard), Agora misses greatness by a wide margin as heroine Hypatia (Rachel Weitz) discovers in the elliptical path of the earth around the son, acclaimed astronomer as she was in 5th century, AD, Alexandria. She is a teacher and philosopher preaching equality at a time when Christians are rebelling against pagans and Jews, as if the inner Mel Gibson had been unleashed.
This melodramatic historical piece, both in characterization and manipulative music, has moments of clarity as when Hypatia lectures on the spheres, finally discovering what Kepler centuries later would about the orbit of our solar system. Conveniently her dogged addiction to solving the circle/ellipse conundrum parallels the fanaticism of the Christians, who brook no opposition to their beliefs.
In that honesty about Christians (who would have thought of them as murderous anarchists?) rests the film's singular merit, for the rest is bloody and sometimes overwrought, especially as students Orestes (Oscar Isaac) and Davus (Max Minghella) foolishly pursue Hypatia's affection.
The other honesty is the consistent way Hypatia avoids the attentions of the attractive young men. Rare it is today when a heroine avoids romantic entanglements.
My disappointment is the film's lack of depth on the principles of equality and tolerance, so much a part of this contemporary world centuries later. Alejandro Amenabar has done much better.
John DeSando co-hosts It's Movie Time, Cinema Classics, and On the Marquee for WCBE 90.5. The shows can be heard streaming at http://publicbroadcasting.net/wcbe/ppr/index.shtml and on demand at http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wcbe/arts.artsmain Contact him at JDeSando@Columbus.RR.com