|
4th century A.D. Egypt under the Roman Empire… Violent religious upheaval in the streets of Alexandria spills over into the city's famous Library. Trapped inside its walls, the brilliant astronomer Hypatia and her disciples fight to save the wisdom of the Ancient World… Among them, the two men competing for her heart: the witty, privileged Orestes and Davus, Hypatia's young slave, who is torn between his secret love for her and the freedom he knows can be his if he chooses to join the unstoppable surge of the Christians.
AGORA ACCORDING TO ALEJANDRO AMENÁBAR
"Four years ago, after The Sea Inside, which was such an intimate experience for me, I would never have imagined that my next film would be about Romans and Christians in Ancient Egypt. But that's the beauty of this profession: you can let your curiosity run free and explore worlds as fascinating as 4th century Alexandria; imagine its streets, temples and people. And find the passion - and the money - to bring it all to life." Read more
A CHAPTER OF HISTORY NEVER BROUGHT TO THE SCREEN
"Fernando Bovaira, Mateo Gil and I were plunged, for three years, in history and astronomy books. We became completely immersed in the Egypt of 1700 years ago. It's surprising that such a legendary world - the Library of Alexandria, The Canopic Way, the Lighthouse - seems condemned to oblivion, especially by the cinema."
After his Oscar for The Sea Inside, Alejandro Amenábar now invites the audience to "experience the reality of a remote civilisation." AGORA is a singular journey to the Egypt of two thousand years ago, to the mythical city of Alexandria and to the dramatic destruction of its Library. The film is inspired by real events which have never before been brought to the screen. It is the director's fifth film, a huge scale production fraught with remarkable energy.
The director explores the individual experience of the people of Alexandria, their pleasures and passions, in a period of great turbulence. A revolution has taken root in the streets of the city, further fuelled by the decline of Greco-Roman civilisation and the steady advance of Christianity. A symbol of cross-cultural tolerance, Alexandria seems immersed in the type of convulsion that usually presages the beginning of a new order.
Shot in English, AGORA boasts an international cast. Rachel Weisz, (Oscar for The Constant Gardener), plays Hypatia of Alexandria. Young actor Max Minghella (Syriana) plays Davus, the slave. Around them, a very solid cast: Oscar Isaac (Body of Lies), Rupert Evans (Hellboy), Ashraf Barhom (The Kingdom), Sammy Samir (Nativity) and the veteran French actor Michael Lonsdale (Munich).
"It all began when we started taking an interest in the Theory of Relativity, as a hobby," the director recalls. "We wanted to know more about concepts so closely linked to the cinema as time and space. That initial curiosity was a window that later opened to many other things."
As Mateo Gil recalls: "We got to the story of Hypatia when we were investigating a larger project, about people who managed to rise above the circumstances of the moment of history in which they lived by looking up at the stars and wondering who we are, where we are and what it all means. We found that Hypatia, her story and the society around her - the Alexandria of her time - summed up the project in its entirety."
Alejandro Amenábar and Mateo Gil thoroughly investigated Hypatia and the historical period in which she lived. They were initially surprised by how little is known about her today. The more they learned about the character the more they saw how relevant she is to today's world: a woman, swimming against the tide, defending the values she believes in, risking her life if necessary. The circumstances in which Hypatia died are as extraordinary as the rest of her biography. The climate of violence and confrontation that gripped Alexandria and Hypatia's stance against the socio-political debacle have made her into a myth which contemporary spectators will no doubt identify with.
"One of the things that surprised us most during our research was discovering that there were two libraries in Alexandria. The first was burnt down when Julius Cesar arrived. The film is about the second library, and Hypatia was one of the leading figures in the story of its destruction. It is a period that has not been dealt with in cinema and we thought it could fascinate the audience," says Alejandro Amenábar.
"There is very little documented information on Hypatia," says Mateo Gil. "We read everything we could get our hands on. But all the scientific work she did has been lost. We only know that she was a good mathematician and an even better astronomer, that as an astronomer she surpassed her father, and that she was quite an acclaimed mathematician."
"Alexandria was the hub of all intellectual learning at the time. People came from all corners of the earth to discuss theatre and philosophy and Maths and astronomy and it was a time of incredible learning and a passion for learning. And then towards the end of her life Alexandria became part of the Holy Roman Empire and it went under Christian rule and it was essentially the beginning of the Dark Ages. So she really straddled a very interesting moment in history, from the most enlightened time to perhaps one of the least enlightened times," says Rachel Weisz.
After all the reading came the verification stage, when all the facts gathered by the two writers were checked with experts. The services of different external advisors were enlisted. Recognised specialists in their respective fields helped Alejandro Amenábar and Mateo Gil towards even more precision in their depiction of their historical adventure.
"The consulting process took several phases and focused on different things," explains Fernando Bovaira. "Elisa Garrido, a recognised specialist in the history of women in the ancient classical world, consulted on historical aspects during script development. Later on, Justin Pollard, who also consulted on films such as Atonement and Elizabeth: The Golden Age and himself wrote The Rise and Fall of Alexandria: Birthplace of the Modern Mind, became involved during the final phase of pre-production. He came to Malta, met all the heads of the different departments and spoke with Alejandro about the details for the art direction."
Justin Pollard certified the authenticity of everything that was being done, and its coherence with the era the director wanted to reflect.
"I think authenticity has to be the goal. You can't claim to be completely accurate when there's so much we can't know. The important thing isn't whether or not you agree with every single academic detail; the question is whether or not the audience believes the world they're seeing is real. They suspend disbelief and really think they're walking through the streets of Alexandria, a spectacular city on a spectacular scale. It's a great, ancient, sweeping city. It's where Alexander the Great was buried. It was one of the centres of the ancient world, the greatest port in the Mediterranean. It has a physically huge scale and the story mentally and emotionally has a huge scale," says Pollard.
Apart from experts on the Ancient World, Fernando Bovaira, Alejandro Amenábar and Mateo Gil also spoke to two researchers and scientists, Javier Ordóñez and Antonio Mampaso.
"Javier Ordóñez offered us a brilliant geometric solution to the mystery Hypatia is trying to solve, through the Apollonian cone," Mateo Gil recalls.
Antonio Mampaso was present in the entire process of development of the film, from the script to the shoot, where he supervised the use of the astronomic instruments that appear on screen, and served as scientific coach for Rachel Weisz. He also took a trip with producer, director and co-writer that proved decisive for the shaping of many of the details of the film.
"I always think it is absolutely necessary to visit the places where my stories take place. It's very stimulating to explore a place you know was actually familiar to the character your film is about," says the director. "Antonio Mampaso is an eclipse hunter and he suggested we go with him to see one in Egypt. We eventually decided not to include any unusual phenomenon in the story, but it was a wonderful experience. The trip allowed us to find certain elements that later helped in the visual pitch of the film, such as the amazing Al Fayum portraits, and, most of all, the mixture of Egyptian, Greco-Roman and Christian elements. That combination is very present in AGORA."
THE SCIENCE OF CINEMA: ALEXANDRIA AND THE SKY ABOVE
AGORA is one of the most ambitious European film productions of all time. It is an undertaking that has been possible thanks to the human capital brought together for this production. It required an assembly of the very best professionals for the achievement of excellence.
The logistics necessary for that entire complex machinery to work depend to a large extent on the line producer, Jose Luis Escolar who has vast experience in international productions, (Kingdom of Heaven, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen).
"My first aim when I read the script was to find a place where we could reconstruct Alexandria, ancient Alexandria today," recalls Escolar. "We visited locations in Spain, Turkey, Tunisia and Morocco, but Malta had a higher percentage of what we needed in terms of light and space. Fort Ricasoli proved inspiring for the film. Furthermore, the faces of the people who were potential extras were magnificent. And since big productions such as Troy and Gladiator had been shot there, it also had craftsmen that are very technically and artistically prepared to build the sets, as well as people very experienced in shoots." Read more
A MYTHICAL CITY, AN EXTRAORDINARY PRODUCTION
The city of Alexandria undoubtedly plays a crucial role in AGORA. The mythical city was, (Alexander the Great ordered it built and it was later named after him), from its very beginning, completely devoted to the pursuit of knowledge, and determined to attract the most reputable men of wisdom of its time. Strategically situated in the north of Africa, its commercial wealth quickly grew, along with its cultural wealth. It was famous throughout the empire for the great diversity of its citizens, for its majestic lighthouse, for the singularity of its port, for the length of its Canopic Way and for the energy and vitality of its market. Quite a challenge for the art department of the film… Read more
ALEXANDRIA: THE CENTER OF THE WORLD
"During that period, Alexandria was a colourful place, as we might say nowadays about cities like New York, London or any other large European capital. People wanted to go there, that fed the mix. Not all the consequences were positive, but the miscellany worked. Back then, in ancient times, people didn't travel like they do now. The overwhelming majority probably only travelled a few kilometres from where they were born. So visiting a city with people from everywhere (Africans, northern Europeans, Latinos, Indians, people from the Near East) probably made it one of the most cosmopolitan places on Earth. A city with a lot of nightlife, a place to try new things and meet different sorts of people. It's no surprise different philosophies coexisted in Alexandria because people went there to exchange ideas." Justin Pollard.Read more
TRAVELLING THROUGH TIME: THE 4TH CENTURY WITH 21ST CENTURY TECHNOLOGY
AGORA offers the audience a unique visual experience after 35 weeks of sophisticated post-production work. Felix Bergés is responsible for the digital effects. A digital effects designer of international fame, he has been behind recent films such as The Oxford Murders. He worked with a team of professionals that at times reached as many as 60 people, as is commonplace in a production of this magnitude. Part of that team, an entire department dedicated to the development of designing a digital model of ancient Alexandria, a key piece for the many panoramic shots of the city and the zoom angles used in AGORA. Magoga Piñas coordinated the digital reconstruction of the city, a job that began inevitably with her reading many books on ancient architecture due to the total lack of any graphic testimony. This process began with the recreation of the geography of the area in the 4th century, drastically changed today due to several earthquakes, floods, draughts and wars. Read more
THE CHARACTERS
HYPATIA OF ALEXANDRIA: Daughter of Theon, the last director of the legendary Library of Alexandria, Hypatia lived in the 4th century A.D., when the decadence of the Roman Empire set in and the world began its change towards a new order. Astronomer, mathematician and philosopher, Hypatia was a noted scientist and a symbol of tolerance in her native Alexandria. Although her scientific works have been lost, the image of her that lingers in history is that of a strong woman who devoted her life to the search for truth. British actress Rachel Weisz, Oscar winner for The Constant Gardener and well known for films such as The Mummy, plays Hypatia, the brilliant astronomer. Read more
DAVUS - MAX MINGHELLA: Davus was one of a dozen slaves a family of privilege like Hypatia's could afford. He helps the philosopher not only in the most intimate aspects of her daily routine, but also accompanies her to her classes. His presence in the classroom allows him to incorporate the teachings of his mistress into his own education.Read more
ORESTES - OSCAR ISAAC: Orestes represents another axis in the privileged city of Alexandria: that of political power. He comes from a wealthy family that can afford to educate its children among the most prestigious wise men (and women) of the time. Orestes stands out for his impulsive dedication to both knowledge and physical experiences. He's a born leader who is cast immediately into that role, shortly after the civil uprising in the city. Read more
THEON - MICHAEL LONSDALE: The last director of Alexandria's second library also happened to be Hypatia's father. A philosopher and mathematician, Theon educated his daughter as a talented student, without regard for her gender. She even co-wrote some of his most important scientific works. Very little is known about Hypatia's mother, except that she was a prestigious musicologist in Alexandria where music was considered an important form of knowledge tied to philosophy and science.Read more
SYNESIUS - RUPERT EVANS: The presence of Synesius in Hypatia's classes confirms that the philosopher didn't discriminate against students for belonging to one religion or another. Synesius was one of Hypatia's most brilliant pupils and he was a firm believer in Christianity. Once he became the influential Bishop of Cyrene, he maintained an extensive friendship with his teacher through hundreds of letters. In them he always referred to the other pupils who shared her classroom as his "brothers." Read more
CYRIL - SAMMY SAMIR: When his uncle Pope Theophilus dies, Cyril takes over as Bishop of Alexandria and the city enters a new stage characterized by intensified civil confrontation. Like Hypatia and Orestes, Cyril comes from a family firmly anchored in power, in his case religious power. The bishop's post was commonly handed down to members of the same family.Read more
AMMONIUS - ASHRAF BARHOM: Ammonius the monk performs a variety of functions for the Church of Alexandria, accompanied by the Parabolani. He casts a profound influence over Davus and the decisions he makes.Read more
THE ART OF ADAPTATION
HOME
|
|
