AGORA
- Directed by Alejandro Amenabar
- Written by Alejandro Amenabar and Mateo Gil
- Starring Rachel Weisz, Max Minghella and Oscar Isaac
- Classification: PG
The fourth-century Hellenistic scholar Hypatia had a beautiful mind. And, according to ancient reports, the rest of her wasn’t too bad either. If Helen of Troy was, as Marlowe wrote, “the face that launch’d a thousand ships,” then Hypatia of Alexandria, as some have surmised, was the intellect whose murder by a mob of Christian monks launched the beginning of the end of Greco-Roman antiquity.
But in Spanish director Alejandro Amenabar’s cerebral Agora, Hypatia (played with somewhat pinched elegance by Rachel Weisz) is not the librarian-siren some might hope to see in a modern sword-and-sandal spectacle set in a tinderbox of religion-fuelled political conflict (with the library – not the Great one, but one of its successors – the perfect symbolic spot to fan the flames).
For those not up on their notable ancient females, Agora is a revelation. It is pure speculation that the “pagan” Hypatia worked on prescient theories about the movement of celestial bodies, a central thread in the film; but it works well as a thematic counterpoint to the notions of Alexandria’s Christian leadership. Otherwise, a quick scan through available online resources reveals the filmmakers stick pretty close to the scant reliable information about the virginal Hypatia, her contemporaries and her times. While this is commendable, it is also one reason why this lavish Spanish production begins to plod after a brisk, lively first half.
The only daughter of Theon (Michael Lonsdale), a senior fellow at the Museum of Alexandria (a combo temple and home for the study and appreciation of arts, philosophy and science), Hypatia was a gifted mathematician, who also mused on astronomy and philosophy. She had unique independence for a woman of her day. Pupils from all over the Mediterranean world flocked to the great centre of learning, and Hypatia was a renowned teacher. It was said she drove her own chariot, which is pretty rad. This is a Hypatia factoid not exploited in Agora, a shame as the film offers no arresting visual representations of her stature.
Nevertheless, the first part of the film depicting Hypatia in full academic swing draws us in. Amenabar (The Others, Open Your Eyes) employs an array of experts – scholarly and technical – to create a vibrant Alexandria. The city has rarely “starred” in a major motion picture and Amenabar does it proud. Agora was shot in Malta, and the smooth blending of location, sets and CGI, as well as the intimate “on the street” shooting style, gives us a bustling melting pot where Rome’s political elite are about to lose ground to the gnarly, recently legalized Christians.
On the story side, the film establishes a chaste love triangle between Hypatia and two admirers, but there are never real emotional sparks. Hypatia’s handsome slave Davus, a fictional character played by Max Minghella, is also a gifted student. After converting to Christianity, he pretty much fades into the scenery as a sullen member of the Parabolani cult led by the charismatic Ammonius (Ashraf Barhom). Bachelor No. 2 is Orestes (Oscar Isaac). An historical figure who was a Roman prelate of Alexandria, Orestes converted to Christianity and, controversially, had Hypatia as a confidante. For dramatic purposes, the film introduces Orestes as Hypatia’s student and a spurned suitor.
After Christians destroy the library halfway through the film, Hypatia becomes cloistered in ivory-tower pursuits, losing touch with what’s happening in the city (basically, the Christians want to eliminate the Jews and convert everybody else). As we move between her world and the male world, Agora moves toward Hypatia’s inevitable end, the nature of which is altered for the film and, unfortunately, makes for a disappointingly maudlin finish.
While its second half gets bogged down by repetitive pacing, Agora is genuinely engaged with ideas and creating an authentic portrait of ancient life – a refreshing break from the tyranny of silly costume epics hitting the multiplex these days.
Special to The Globe and Mail
