BBB
(out of 5)
After decades of dry, corny epics that purport to bring Biblical times to life, an atheist’s dream has been put on the big screen: the presentation of the point in ancient history when Christianity spread like a cancer and destroyed everything good about life in the Mediterranean basin. The story is a highly emotional one as it centers around the greatest philosopher of her time, Hypatia (Rachel Weisz in a regal performance) whose skills and abilities become more and more controversial as religious fanaticism sweeps Alexandria and the pursuit of knowledge becomes suspect in the face of the solidification of faith through fear. It’s fascinating how well Alejandro Amenabar makes the story appropriate to our time so many centuries later, but (dare I speak against my godless people), he should be admonished for not presenting a more accurate picture: the fellows that destroyed the library of Alexandria in the name of Jesus Christ were among the least privileged and educated in their society. No one is going to care about an ancient scroll if they cannot read it, particularly when it is housed in a building that only a small percentage of the population is privileged enough to make use of. Amenabar’s plotting is more than a bit uneven, seeming to want to let Weisz go on forever about her theories of the universe, and who can blame him considering she does such a beautiful job with all her dialogue, but he also wants to make sure that action film lovers enjoy the scenes of massive crowd onslaught as well. The film really should have been about one or the other, and trying to include both dilutes the intensity it could have, particularly as the director is usually an expert at stories that concentrate on lone, isolated individuals—witness the paranoia of Open Your Eyes‘ topsy-turveyed hero, the terror of a ghost-plagued Nicole Kidman in The Others or Javier Bardem begging for death in The Sea Inside. What Amenabar does do extremely well, though, is recreate the ancient world with beautiful detail, relying less on computer generated imagery than his contemporaries normally do and getting a real feel for the period.
Directed by Alejandro Amenabar
Screenplay by Alejandro Amenabar, Mateo Gil
Cinematography by Xavi Gimenez
Produced by Fernando Bovaira
Music by Dario Marianelli
Production Design by Guy Hendrix Dyas
Costume Design by Gabriella Pescucci
Film Editing by Nacho Ruiz Capillas
Film Festivals: TIFF 2009
Cast Tags: Alan Azzopardi,Alan Meadows, Alan Paris, Amber Rose Revah, Andre Agius,Angele Galea, Anthony Ellul, Ashraf Barhom,Charles Sammut, Charles Thake, Christopher Dingli,Christopher Raikes, Clare Agius, Clint Dyer, David Ellul-Mercer, Edward Caruana Galizia, Francis Ghersci, Frank Tanti, Frederick Testa, George Harris, Harry Borg,Homayoun Ershadi, Jean-Pierre Agius, Joe Pace,Joe Quattromani, John Marinelli, John Montanaro,John Suda, Jonathan Grima, Jordan Kiziuk,Joseph Camilleri, Malcolm Ellul, Malcolm Galea,Manuel Cauchi, Mario Camilleri, Mary Rose Bonello, Max Minghella, Michael Lonsdale, Michael Sciortino, Michael Tabone, Nikovich Sammut, Omar Mostafa, Oscar Isaac,Oshri Cohen, Paul Barnes,Paul Celia, Peter Borg,Peter Galea, Philip Mizzi,Pierre Stafrace, Polly March, Portelli Paul,Rachel Weisz, Ray Mangion, Richard Durden,Robert Ricards, Ronnie Galea, Rupert Evans, Sam Cox, Sami Samir, Samuel Montague, Sean Buhagiar, Simon Cormi,Stephen Buhagiar,Sylvester Morand,Theresa Celia, Wesley Ellul, Yousef ‘Joe’ Sweid
European Film Award Nomination
Audience Award
Goya Awards
Best Screenplay – Original
Best Cinematography
Best Costume Design
Best Special Effects
Best Production Design
Best Production Supervision
Best Makeup and Hairstyles
Nominations
Best Film
Best Lead Actress (Rachel Weisz)
Best Director (Alejandro Amenabar)
Best Sound
Best Editing
Best Original Score
