Agora (2009)

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

Director:

Alejandro Amenábar

Writers:

Alejandro Amenábar, Mateo Gil

Stars:

Rachel Weisz, Max Minghella, Oscar Isaac

11 wins & 15 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 institutions of learning may crumble along with the governance of slavery. Jump ahead 20 years: Orestes, the city's prefect, has an uneasy peace with the Christians, led by Cyril. A group from the newly empowered Christians has now taken to enforce their cultural hegemony zealously; 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". Although her former slave doesn't see it that way.

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Plot Keywords:

roman empire | 5th century | 4th century | ancient egypt | slave | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Adventure | Biography | Drama | History | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Spain] Official site [France]

Country:

Spain Malta Bulgaria

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 October 2009 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Агора

Filming Locations:

Delimara, Malta

Box Office

Budget:

$70,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$33,262, 30 May 2010

Gross USA:

$619,423

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$39,041,505

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

Some days, shooting had to pause for church bells, which had rung at noon for decades.

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Goofs

In the film, Bishop Synesius condemns Hypatia's works and refuses to support her before severing all ties. In reality, he defended her scientific reputation and maintained his correspondence with her, which remains the only contemporary account of her life and influence. No record exists of him ever trying to convert her .She refused to reply to any of his letters praising her for reasons she never disclosed to him.

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Quotes

Davus: I was forgiven but now I can't forgive.
Ammonius: Forgive? Who the Jews?
Davus: Well Jesus pardoned them on the cross.

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Connections

Edited into Alexandria: The Greatest City (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.