Summer Movies 2013: The Agony and the Ecstasy

Summer is in full swing, and life is good. Our son is home from college for five weeks (his lovely girlfriend, E.J., is in Shanghai with her family), and we’re enjoying lazy days and summer block buster movies. I am also watching movies of another kind – those in which plants are the movie stars. The theme of this year's summer movies is historical fiction that sets the stage for historical gardens. You may not see gardens or plants, but you experience the zeitgeist, or spirit of the age, in which the gardens were set.

The Agony and the Ecstasy

The 1965 movie, The Agony and the Ecstasy, is the biography of Michelangelo based on Irving Stone’s book of the same name. The movie is set between 1508 and 1512, during which Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Pope Julius II commissions Michelangelo to “decorate” the massive ceiling at the Vatican, despite Michelangelo’s strong protest that he is “a sculptor, not a painter.” The movie focuses on the strong personalities of Michelangelo and his patron, the Pope. The two clash regularly, but inspire each other to greatness in their respective endeavors.

 

There is only one “garden scene” that I could see. A large banquet is set in a garden – with long tables and milling guests. In the scene, Michelangelo has come to turn down the Pope’s commission because he is accepting one from the Sultan of Turkey to work on a bridge. Contessina de’ Medici, herself a patron of the arts, intervenes – warning Michelangelo that he will not be able to return to Italy if he does so, and challenging him that he is simply afraid. The garden looks like a stage set, but, to the watchful gardener, several elements of the Renaissance garden can be seen. Large yew trees screen the garden, a fountain bubbles in its center,  and many sculptures depict the human form and the forms of ancient gods.

Though lacking gardens and plants, the movie shows the Renaissance in motion. Sculptures have moved out of the churches and into the garden or public places, and their themes harken back to ancient Roman times. Buildings, art, and landscape are emerging, and often used to convey order and power. Beauty and art flourish as wealthy patrons, like the Pope and the Medici’s, enable artists to pursue their talents and vision. Out of this exciting and tumultuous period come beautiful gardens, many of which are still maintained, or have inspired gardens around the world. Take a look at the trailer (select Watch Trailer): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058886/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1