The Agony and the Ecstasy

The Agony and the Ecstasy is a 1965 film directed by Carol Reed, starring Charlton Heston as Michelangelo and Rex Harrison as Pope Julius II. The film was partly based on Irving Stone's biographical novel of the same name; see The Agony and the Ecstasy. The film was shot in Todd-AO and Cinemascope versions. The Todd-AO version was used for the DVD release because of its superior picture quality. The movie is centered around Michelangelo's painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling for Julius II. In that respect it differs from the book, which covered the grand scope of Michelangelo's life. The film shows Michelangelo arguing often with the Pope, as well as with Donato Bramante, the Pope's architect. It also depicts the painter Raphael painting the School of Athens fresco, and the film features many classic exchanges between Michelangelo and Julius II. At one point the Pope has to pretend to hire Raphael to finish working on the ceiling to get Michelangelo to finish it when he has... full article at wikipedia