Agora: Historical Accuracy

1546 Words7 Pages
Agora (2009) is a historical drama starring Rachel Weisz as Hypatia, Max Minghella as Davus, and Oscar Isaac as Orestes. It was written by Spanish film-makers Alejandro Amenábar (who was also the director of the film) and Mateo Gil. It was distributed by Focus Features, Newmarket Films, and Telecinco Cinema – both American and Spanish film industries. The movie was primarily filmed on various areas of the island of Malta, which included the following locations: Delimara, Fort Ricasoli, Marsaxlokk, Mdina, and Valletta. In total, the length of the film is 126 minutes long. The film takes place in Alexandria, 391 AD – a time in which there was a great deal of religious conflict between the Christians, the Jews, and the pagans. The story begins with an introduction of Hypatia – a female philosopher, astronomer, mathematician, and teacher – who struggles to understand the make up of the universe; specifically in regards to the rotation path of the sun, the moon, and the planets. As she discusses this topic with her class, some tension arrises when one of her students – Orestes, future prefect of Alexandria – confesses his love for her and it is unreciprocated. Meanwhile, outside of the classroom, conflict arrises between the pagans and the Christians after the Christians defile several statues of the pagan gods in the Serapeum of Alexandria. The pagans retaliate by ambushing the Christians, but the Christians outnumber the pagans. The pagans confine themselves within the Serapeum until the Roman Emperor pardons them, however, the pagans were also ordered to vacate the Serapeum for the Christians to do with as they please. Hypatia, her father, her students, and the rest of the pagans flee, but Davus – once Hypatia's personal slave, who is also in love with her – decides to stay behind and join in on desecrating the Serapeum, as he has now converted to Christianity.
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