The movie was Hollywood's reaction to Irving Stone's successful biography which was written in 1961. The book, as I recall, dives deeper into the life of Michelangelo, the sculptor from Florence who was steadfast in his ways and always eager for work. As a man of the time, it seems like Michelangelo was about as famous as one could be. The film wisely closes in on his most ambitious work: the Sistine Chapel, and the period of time from Pope Julius II (Rex Harrison) commissioning the work to it's debut 4 years later.
We know that Michelangelo was renowned for his marble sculptures. The film opens with a 10-minute summary of his work: a quaint narrated piece that shows us the master's style, his vision. Nude bodies that are twisted with muscle, emotional faces that seem perfectly lifelike. The feature film devotes barely a scene to the man chiseling away at stone. This prologue of sorts helps us see who the artist was. As if to further drive home the point - we learn nothing about Michelangelo's history with fresco paintings and oil panels. He painted several throughout his life, but the film might have us believe that the ceiling was the first time he laid down paint with brush.
Our director is Carol Reed, the man probably most known for films like "The Third Man," "Oliver!," and "The Fallen Idol." Here is a more impressive undertaking for any filmmaker. For a Hollywood project, the film immerses itself in the history of Italy, and it's clear that locations were indeed in the real deal (apparently they filmed on the same marble quarries where Michelangelo really worked). Vatican City is depicted mostly through matte paintings and stages, and we see the slow development of the Church as visually indicated by St Peters in the background, slowly being built up brick by brick throughout the film.
Charlton Heston was allegedly cast in the film due to his crooked nose that was shared with the real man. Perhaps it's just a small coincidence that Heston was also cast as Moses in "The Ten Commandments" based on his uncanny resemblance to Michelangelo's carving of the biblical figure. He plays the role with a lack of humor and steadfast dedication to his work. We believe him as the artist, though his presence in the film is nothing more than a requirement. Much of his personal life is glossed over, save for a few scenes of required romantic frustrations with Contessina (Diane Cilento), the daughter of one of his Medici patrons. The controversy of Michelangelo's homosexuality (as explored more in the novel) is reduced to a few longing glances by one of Michelangelo's apprentices. At the film's conclusion when the crowd is looking at the ceiling, we see Michelangelo's assistant only looking at him.
The highlight of this film is the performance of Rex Harrison, fresh off his Oscar-winning role in"My Fair Lady." Playing the man known as the Warrior Pope, he is introduced first as a general that slashes at the enemy with sword in hand. After a grueling battle, he dons the papal robes and offers a blessing. Julius is a man who is both vein and yet understanding of the importance of art. Like Michelangelo, he too seemed to believe a divine intervention in the creation of the ceiling. No one but Michelangelo was meant to paint it. It would be the Pope's claim to fame that he was the one who initially commissioned it. When these two men bicker, we laugh at the strength in the writing. No one is wrong, but we see where each is coming from. Of course we remember the film's most famous exchange when Julius pesters Michelangelo about his slow progress. "When will you make an end?" "When I am finished!"
Another remarkable feat is the production team, laboriously recreating the Sistine Chapel to size on a studio set. It has got to be one of the most impressive feats of movie-making, all the more impressive in that I had assumed they filmed in a real chapel somewhere. When the ceiling is done, set decorators took life-sized photographs of the ceiling and attached them to the roof. The illusion is somewhat ruined when the climax shows his finished work as dark, cracked, and faded from hundreds of years of wear. Of course the ceiling was later restored to it's original glory in the 1990's. Nonetheless, an impressive camera tilt slowly rises as Pope Julius blesses the painting, slowly tilting up and up until we see the entire painting in one continuous shot.
The movie has aged slightly, some performances are now a bit over the top. What remains is the power of two actors in their prime going toe to toe, recreating a period in history that most wouldn't think about. When you walk through the Sistine Chapel today, it's an awe-inspiring thing to behold, but even then we are detached from history and the 500-year old saga that occurred to bring it to being. There's something special about watching a movie about creation and the process that goes into a man's work. For that, this is still a very special film.
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