The Agony and the Ecstasy
During the Italian Renaissance, Pope Julius II contracts the influential artist Michelangelo to sculpt 40 statues for his tomb. When the pope changes his mind and asks the sculptor to paint a mural in the Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo doubts his painting skills and abandons the project. Divine inspiration returns Michelangelo to the mural, but his artistic vision clashes with the pope's demanding personality and threatens the success of the historic painting.
- genus: Drama, History
- Studio: DDL Cinematografica, International Classics, 20th Century Fox
- keyword: epic, based on novel or book, vatican, pope, artist, painter, biography, michelangelo, 16th century, italian renaissance, sistine chapel
- cast: Charlton Heston, Rex Harrison, Diane Cilento, Harry Andrews, Alberto Lupo, Adolfo Celi
