Agora (2009)

A historical drama set in Roman Egypt, concerning a slave who turns to the rising tide of Christianity in the hopes of pursuing freedom while also falling in love with his master, the famous female philosophy and mathematics professor Hypatia of Alexandria.

Director:

Alejandro Amenábar

Writers:

Alejandro Amenábar, Mateo Gil

Stars:

Rachel Weisz, Max Minghella, Oscar Isaac

9 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rachel Weisz	...	Hypatia
Max Minghella	...	Davus
Oscar Isaac	...	Orestes
Ashraf Barhom	...	Ammonius
Michael Lonsdale	...	Theon
Rupert Evans	...	Synesius
Homayoun Ershadi	...	Aspasius
Sami Samir	...	Cyril (as Sammy Samir)
Richard Durden	...	Olympius
Omar Mostafa	...	Isidorus
Manuel Cauchi	...	Theophilus
Oshri Cohen	...	Medorus
Charles Thake	...	Hesiquius
Harry Borg	...	Prefect Evragius
Yousef 'Joe' Sweid	...	Peter (as Yousef Sweid)

Storyline

Alexandria, 391 AD: Hypatia teaches astronomy, mathematics, and philosophy. Her student Orestes is in love with her, as is Davus, her personal slave. As the city's Christians, led by Ammonius and Cyril, gain political power, the great institutions of learning and governance may not survive. Jump ahead 20 years: Orestes, the city's prefect, has an uneasy peace with Christians, led by Cyril. The Christians enforce public morality; first they see the Jews as their obstacle, then nonbelievers. Hypatia has no interest in faith; she's concerned about the movement of celestial bodies and the brotherhood of all. What place is there for her?

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Plot Keywords:

christian | love | slave | philosophy | christianity | 

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Taglines:

Alexandria, Egypt. 391 A.D. The World Changed Forever

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [es]

Country:

Spain

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 October 2009 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Mists of Time

Filming Locations:

Delimara, Malta

Box Office

Budget:

$70,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$44,313 (USA) (28 May 2010)

Gross:

$617,840 (USA) (15 October 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mod Producciones, Himenóptero, Telecinco Cinema

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min 141 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The visual effects team designed the night skies accurately for the time period of the movie using a star chart software.

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Goofs

The military outfit of roman soldiers in the movie is anachronistic. In those years Roman soldiers looked quite different.

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Quotes

Hypatia: Synesius, you don't question what you believe, or cannot. I must.

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Connections

Featured in The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Episode #18.92 (2010)

User Reviews

Extraordinary movie-making at its best.

Alejandro Amenábar's masterpiece is a breathtaking excursion into religious fascism and misogynistic tyranny made special by Rachel Weisz, who probably give one of the best female acting performances in years as a scientist who was light years beyond her generation. Weisz is amazing and her performance is the show and then some. She's back up by Max Minghella, who is a great actor in his own right and Oscar Isaac, who is just as good. The triangle between them in believable and touch by their struggles to find their destinies. Its a moving cinematic piece of art and Alejandro does the story proud in his way of capturing the time of struggles of that time. Far and away, the best film I have seen all year.