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Cartesius

  • TV Movie
  • 19741974
  • 2h 30m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
416
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • IMDbPro
Cartesius (1974)
  • Biography
  • History
This made for television film chronicles the illustrious life of French philosopher René Descartes (1596-1650)This made for television film chronicles the illustrious life of French philosopher René Descartes (1596-1650)This made for television film chronicles the illustrious life of French philosopher René Descartes (1596-1650)
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
416
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Roberto Rossellini
  • Writers
    • Marcella Mariani(dialogue)
    • Renzo Rossellini
    • Roberto Rossellini(dialogue)
  • Stars
    • Ugo Cardea
    • Anne Pouchie
    • Claude Berthy
Top credits
  • Director
    • Roberto Rossellini
  • Writers
    • Marcella Mariani(dialogue)
    • Renzo Rossellini
    • Roberto Rossellini(dialogue)
  • Stars
    • Ugo Cardea
    • Anne Pouchie
    • Claude Berthy
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 9User reviews
    • 10Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos

    Cartesius (1974)
    Charles Borromel and Ugo Cardea in Cartesius (1974)
    Add photo

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ugo Cardea
    • René Descartesas René Descartes
    Anne Pouchie
    • Elezacas Elezac
    Claude Berthy
    • Guez de Balzacas Guez de Balzac
    Gabriele Banchero
    • Servo Bretagneas Servo Bretagne
    Charles Borromel
    Charles Borromel
    • Abate Marin Mersenneas Abate Marin Mersenne
    Kenneth Belton
    • Isaak Beeckmanas Isaak Beeckman
    Renato Montalbano
    • Constantin Huygensas Constantin Huygens
    Bruno Corazzari
    Bruno Corazzari
    • Ufficiale olandeseas Ufficiale olandese
    Vernon Dobtcheff
    Vernon Dobtcheff
    • Astronomo Ciprusas Astronomo Ciprus
    John Stacy
    John Stacy
    • Levasseur d'Etoilesas Levasseur d'Etoiles
    Joshua Sinclair
    Joshua Sinclair
    • Brandaccioas Brandaccio
    Matilde Antonelli
    Penny Ashton
    Camillo Autore
    Angelo Bassi
    Dante Biagioni
    Achille Brugnini
      Franco Calogero
      • Director
        • Roberto Rossellini
      • Writers
        • Marcella Mariani(dialogue) (screenplay)
        • Renzo Rossellini
        • Roberto Rossellini(dialogue) (screenplay)
      • All cast & crew
      • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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      Storyline

      Edit
      This made for television film chronicles the illustrious life of French philosopher René Descartes (1596-1650)
      • philosophy
      • long take
      • cult director
      • Plot summary
      • Add synopsis
      • Genres
        • Biography
        • History
      • Parents guide

      Did you know

      Edit
      • Connections
        Featured in Roberto Rossellini: Il mestiere di uomo (1997)

      User reviews9

      Review
      Top review
      Fascinating, and you will probably never have a chance to see it
      Part of Roberto Rossellini's Italian TV series on philosophers in history (other titles: Socrates, Blaise Pascal), this three hour chunk of television is, like the other titles, riveting in its own unique way. Granted it is a talk fest, but imagine listening to the leading lights of Renaissance Italy, Holland, and France talking for three hours on the subject dearest to their hearts: scientific investigation and its relation to the Church (which meant only one thing at the time, of course: the Roman Catholic church). It is an edifying three hours, but, this may surprise you, a very entertaining three hours as well. Negative points, however, to the rather annoying Mario Nascimbene score (though annoying in a way that doesn't really distract from the action). Rossellini's attention to quotidian detail is always fascinating. (In "Socrates," for example, Socrates goes to market, and his fish is wrapped to go -- in a piece of lettuce!) Shown at the Cinematheque Francaise in a Rossellini complete retrospective, in a print that was, unfortunately, badly faded. But that's videotape for you. FOLLOW-UP, summer 2009: My title is no longer valid, now that the Criterion Eclipse series has released this in a pristine print. The score (now that I have recognized that all the Nascimbene scores for Rossellini are rather interesting wallpaper) annoyed me not at all. While less well-sustained than "Blaise Pascal" (a major masterpiece), "Cartesius" is still quite interesting, though maybe not exactly riveting, for Descartes, it would seem, was not as fully integrated a personality as was Pascal. This is nicely summed up in a scene where Descartes is about to abandon (for work) his child and her mother. "She is beautiful because she is perfect," he says. "For me she is a miracle," says Helene, the mother. "No, she is not a miracle. She is a perfect machine of nature."
      helpful•17
      3
      • tentender
      • Feb 23, 2006

      Details

      Edit
      • Release date
        • February 20, 1974 (Italy)
      • Countries of origin
        • Italy
        • France
      • Language
        • Italian
      • Also known as
        • Descartes
      • Production companies
        • Orizzonte 2000
        • RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana
        • Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française (ORTF)
      • See more company credits at IMDbPro

      Technical specs

      Edit
      • Runtime
        2 hours 30 minutes
      • Color
        • Color
      • Sound mix
        • Mono
      • Aspect ratio
        • 1.33 : 1

      Related news

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      Mar 29CriterionCast
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      May 25CriterionCast

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