Agora - Die Säulen des Himmels

I’m satisfied. From the smart, witty story and from Amenábar's directorial concept, which does not pander to the taste of the ordinary viewer. Plus, I have a soft spot for strong female characters, which Hypatia undoubtedly was; a wise woman, eager to learn and explore, a strong and independent person. I bet it was a pleasure for Rachel Weisz to play a role like that. The clever script outlines many interesting historical aspects: the twilight of the Roman Empire, religious obscurantism, the beginnings of blood feuds between the early Christians and Jews, and also interestingly outlines contemporary thinking about our solar system – the theory of Ptolemy and the heliocentric view held by Aristarchus. Amenábar has delivered a though-provoking historical movie here. (20.07.2010)

A beautiful historical film set in late antiquity Alexandria, featuring my beloved Rachel Weisz. The quality was a very pleasant surprise and the courage to show certain things full-on was also a shock. The world is still full of lunatics and if I were the godless Amenábar, I’d watch out very carefully for any stone flying in my direction. (22.02.2010)

The course of history sometimes takes sad directions, where in certain situations we have to wait 1,200 years to rediscover things. And yet, even after so many experiences, we are not able to think better of it and learn. This is a producer suicide and one mirror elegantly set to today’s Islam on how faith, so necessary for many, can easily be swept down a path of fanaticism that knows no bounds, nor respect. (15.07.2010)

Quite possibly the best film by Alejandro Amenábar and a great serving of history from ancient Alexandria with the beautiful Rachel Weisz to boot. Very nicely shot, with some gritty scenes of people being stoned alive, nicely narrated, clearly told and rich in religion. There aren't many great historical films and I appreciate every one. Great. 85%. (27.11.2017)

When it comes to historical films of various genres, I usually prefer the most realistic and faithful portrayal of events. Agora does not adhere to a faithful depiction of the presented events, as it condenses and compresses complicated historical events in such a way that processes that lasted for centuries are narrated within a few years. The main protagonist is inevitably portrayed by a charming female star, while the characters are somewhat artificially polarized. And yet, I ultimately lean toward the highest rating because Amenábar directed a magnificent spectacle devoid of cheap action elements, yet one that is still visually appealing thanks to excellent direction, cinematography, and set design. The historical image of the last centuries of the Roman Empire has understandably been thoroughly distorted by the victorious side, namely the Christians. What prevails in history has the right to change the past. And so, the perception of individual figures in Roman politics has been distorted according to their relationship with the Christian religion. Monotheistic religions tend to spread their ideas by any means necessary - in this respect, Christianity did not differ much from Islam during its expansion. Roman emperors intervened against Christians not only because they questioned the divine status of the emperor but also because they needed to ensure peace in an empire where hundreds of cultures, languages, and religions collided, and the Christians systematically disrupted this peace during their propagation of the word of God. I only considered giving the film four stars, but when I watched a recent rerun of Cleopatra and felt how worn out it seems compared to Agora, I leaned toward five stars. Overall impression: 90%. (08.03.2011)

The story is almost timeless and definitely manages to captivate, the setting is grandiose, and the actors, led by the beautiful (Miss Teacher) Rachel Weisz and the fanatical Ashraf Barhom are very good. Amenábar is good at telling stories, and despite sometimes trying too hard to manipulate situations to reflect current problems, he navigates the story with a firm hand. I really appreciated that the sub-plot was devoted to exploring the universe (thanks to that we have breathtaking footage from space) and one of the most remarkable libraries of the ancient world. (22.07.2010)

Einerseits habe ich es satt, dass viele Filme um das Jahr 0 herum spielen, möglichst mit einer Erwähnung Caesars oder Jesus´, nicht wahr. Ich hatte also auf etwas ganz anderes gehofft, als sie es schafften, etwas zu machen, das im Jahr 391 n. Chr. spielt, aber am Ende ist es nur ein weiterer altbekannter Clash zum Thema Quo Vadis - wohin gehst du Christentum, jetzt, da du bereits als Religion erlaubt bist? Leider gibt es viele Parallelen zum dunklen Mittelalter, und die Geschichte der Hypatia ist so hoffnungslos wie Witchhammer. Vielleicht sollte es so sein, aber formal ist es nicht so toll, und abgesehen von Rachel Weisz gibt es keine großartigen Schauspieler, die meine Empathie wecken könnten. (27.03.2012)

As two hours of history, it's okay, with solidly outlined battles both physically and spiritually. As a film, however, it fails. It's only bearable for two hours thanks to the lavish production design and solid philosophy, because it's hard to sympathise with the frigid Rachel Weisz on any level other than scientific, and the other characters are elusive. In addition, there are confusing fight scenes, inconsistent emotions, and an awkward outcome. Maybe, if they had thrown in some allegorical madness or a few sad looks, I would have thought it was directed by the chief philosopher Aronofsky. (26.06.2015)

…und weil sie sich nicht alle erschlagen haben, prügeln sie sich bis heute. Nur mit dem Unterschied, dass Stöcke und Steine nicht mehr angesagt sind und dass sie durch "modernere" Waffen ersetzt wurden. Ach ja. Hut ab vor dem Drehbuchautor Amenábar sowie dem Regisseur Amenábar, weil es ihm gelungen ist, einen Film zu drehen, an dem ich nichts zu bemängeln habe. Über die Aktualität seines Gedankens muss man nicht lange nachdenken. Genauso überflüssig ist das Überlegen, ob Rachel Weisz besser aussieht oder besser spielt (es ist natürlich ein Unentschieden). In Marianellis Soundtrack habe ich mich schon vor langer Zeit verliebt… Das, was mich aber völlig bezaubert hat, war die visuelle Seite des Films. Die atemberaubenden Aufnahmen vom regen Alexandrien hat der Regisseur durch tolle Weltraumblicke auf die Erde ergänzt. Vielleicht möchte er damit andeuten, dass das Chaos dort unten wirklich jemand beobachtet… Na ja… Wenn es wirklich der Fall wäre, würde es mich interessieren, ob er amüsiert grinst oder den Kopf schüttelt und sich verzweifelt seine faltige Stirn reibt. (19.11.2011)

Was die Kostüme und die Ausstattung betrifft, ist es ein makelloses Werk, inhaltlich müsste es jedoch etwas gekürzt werden. Rachel Weisz zu beobachten, wie sie begeistert über das Universum nachdenkt, kann wahrscheinlich nur echte Enthusiasten faszinieren - entweder Bewunderer der Schauspielerin selbst oder Astronomen, Physiker und andere Wissenschaftler. Spannende Szenen wechseln sich mit tauben und langweilen ab, darüber hinaus gebe ich zu, dass ich mich in diesem Teil der Geschichte nicht sonderlich gut auskenne, also war ich fast bis zum Ende verwirrt darüber, wer mit wem und wegen welchem Glauben kämpft. (28.08.2010)

"Agora" is a film that deceives us a little by its appearance. Alejandro Amenábar is a director from whom we expect great things. A bit of artistic films that will captivate you. "Agora" will not disappoint in this sense, because it deals with a subject matter that you won't easily see in a film. After all, there aren't that many historical films that don't revolve around heroic and beautiful characters. Moreover, when we realize that the main character is a philosopher, something will seem a bit suspicious to you. But that says a lot, it really is a philosophical film, as well as a film about philosophy. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2013/02/agora-2009-65.html (09.04.2013)