Agora (2009)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Alejandro Amenábar

Writers:

Alejandro Amenábar (writer)
Mateo Gil (writer)

Release Date:

9 October 2009 (Spain)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | History | Romance

Tagline:

Alexandria, Egypt. 391 A.D. The World Changed Forever

Plot:

A historical drama set in Roman Egypt, concerning a slave who turns to the rising tide of Christianity in the hopes of pursuing freedom while also falling in love with his master, the famous female philosophy professor and atheist Hypatia of Alexandria. |

Plot Keywords:

Slave | Egypt | Hypatia | Woman Crying | Religious Intolerance

Cast

Rachel Weisz	...	Hypatia
Max Minghella	...	Davus
Oscar Isaac	...	Orestes
Ashraf Barhom	...	Ammonius
Michael Lonsdale	...	Theon
Rupert Evans	...	Synesius
Richard Durden	...	Olympius
Sami Samir	...	Cyril
Manuel Cauchi	...	Theophilus
Homayoun Ershadi	...	Aspasius
Oshri Cohen	...	Medorus
Harry Borg	...	Prefect Evagrius
Charles Thake	...	Hesiquius
Yousef 'Joe' Sweid	...	Peter
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Andre Agius	...	Boy
Paul Barnes	...	Dignitary 2
Christopher Dingli	...	Student 2
Clint Dyer	...	Hierax
Wesley Ellul	...	Guard #1
Angele Galea	...	Charition
Jordan Kiziuk	...	Hypatia's Disciple
Ray Mangion	...	Crier via Canopica
Samuel Montague	...	Theatre Crier
Alan Paris	...	Bodyguard no. 1
Christopher Raikes	...	Hellenistic Man
Amber Rose Revah	...	Sidonia
Charles Sammut	...	Philosopher 1
Nikovich Sammut	...	Romman officer 1
Juan Serrano	...	Dead jew (extra actor)

Also Known As:

Mists of Time (International: English title) (working title)

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

Spain | Malta

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Filming Locations:

Delimara, Malta

Company:

Mod Producciones

Trivia:

The set was built on the exact same spot (Fort Ricasoli, Malta) where the Coliseum was built for Gladiator (2000).

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): At the time of the movie's setting, the Priest wouldn't be facing the congregation but the Altar.

Great re-enactment of 4th century Alexandria

AGORA brings 4th century Alexandria back to life with some expensive, elaborate sets combined with a bit of CGI where necessary. Other than a couple of alterations to historical facts, such as the manner and location of Hypatia's death and the creation of a fictional slave character, the production team obviously did a tremendous amount of research and they stuck closer to the real facts of history closer than your typical Hollywood film does (for whatever that's worth). I'm a bit of a history buff, and I'm always excited when an ancient city is re-created with such attention to detail. But it couldn't have worked without a great cast, and Rachel Weisz was perfect for her role. She had just the right combination of charm, strength and enthusiasm for math & philosophy to convince the audience that she was a legendary intellectual that could elicit loyalty from her male students and slaves too.

This film recreates the religious struggles of the late Roman Empire, the destruction of the Library of Alexandria, the ensuing ignorance and the relegation of women to 2nd class status in society. I greatly enjoyed watching this and I hope that many more such films are created in the future.