Saturday, September 25, 2010

Teach like an Egyptian

Saw Agora last night at the Little Theatre.

I'd read a lot about it, and already knew there were some historical inaccuracies (and unfounded plot points, such as crediting her with the discovery of elliptical orbits), but I wasn't much bothered by having the satellite view include the Aswan dam.  It is a story about a leading female intellectual from a time where females where better off staying out of the limelight, blended with religious strife between Christians, Pagans, and Jews.

Hypatia was acted brilliantly, and the movie had quite a few high points.  Overall, I found it dragged in parts, and a few other parts seemed a bit preachy - but I was still impressed and touched.  At the end of the movie, a manly tear welled in the corner of my eye, but I managed to stop it from spilling.

I'd recommend it to anybody fascinated by the subject matter, but not to everybody.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I saw Agora when it first came out in NYC and loved Weisz' performance as Hypatia. You're right about some of the historical inaccuracies, although I missed the Aswan Dam! However, that's what artists do and I love them for it. For people who want to know more about the historical Hypatia, I highly recommend a very readable biography by Maria Dzielska called Hypatia of Alexandria (Harvard Press, 1995.) I also have a series of posts on my blog on the events and characters from the film - not a movie review, just a "reel vs. real" discussion.

Jens Fiederer said...

Oh....I didn't see the Aswan Dam MYSELF, that was just an example of an inaccuracy I had already read about.

I think this is the first time a stranger left a link on my blog that was actually pertinent, thanks!