Ealasaid

Has anyone seen the film "Agora"? It's about the a female mathematician, philosopher and astronomer in late 4th century Roman Egypt named Hypatia.

There is not many records of her and her findings but the film is beautifully done. I'm sure its not very accurate as well but I really enjoyed it.

Mosquito

I like the movie for being one of the few in the history of cinema showing truth about early christianity and christians who were wild, fanatic, illiterate barbarians compared to the pagan Greeks and Romans

i_am_the_walrus

Good movie indeed. Not great, but it shows quite successfully the atmosphere of Alexandria in 4th century. Hypatia herself looks like a very interesting historical character.

Petyo

Not all Christians were illiterate barbarians and not all pagan Romans were sophisticated.
Apart from that generalization I agree - the movie depicts the brutality of the clash quite well (can't comment on how historically accurate it was). I really like the scenery and atmosphere accomplished by the producers!

Omar Giggle

Agora is a suprisingly good movie. I really, really liked the antireligious message it had. And what was suprising and refreshing was the lack of any romance.

Spartacuss

I liked this film overall. Her demise is a bit romanticized, but the production was well crafted and acted. Determining the accuracy of this movie would be difficult. Contemporary accounts- one from a secular view, one from religion -give differing views and motivations of her and her death.

okamido

Especially compared to how history records it.

Zarin

I loved Agora and was most impressed by the specificity surrounding this period in time. Many of the actual historical details around this tumultuous period were omitted or overlooked. Probably for storytelling or film purposes. It is very much a "feminist" film. Mainly about how one of the great women in history was rudely diminished by the political and religious pressures of her times. Not much is commonly known about the emergence of Christianity in Egypt.
This film was most revealing.
One of the several destructions that occurred to the Great Library of Alexandria is very accurately pictured here. What is most sad is that we will never know what those proto Christian fanatics actually ended up destroying. So much lost because of religious fervor and ignorance.

Bart Dale

I did not care for the movie as much, because I found its historical accuracy seriously flawed. For one thing, in the accounts we have of Hypatia, the violent conflicts between groups that were recorded were between Christians and Jews, or groups of Christians, ::not between Christians and pagans. While many of the aristicrats per still pagan, the bulk of the ordinary people seem to have Christian.

Second, an upper class citizen like Theron, Hypatia's father would not have sanctioned mob action to avenge the insult to the gods, as the movie showed. He would have done what was suggested in the movie, and seek redress from the officials. Nor would upper class citizens like Orestes been involved in such illegal mob action.

While I can see an out of control rioting mob burning down the library, I find it highly unbelievable that Roman officials would essentially sanction the act as the movie portrayed.

And I would think that in the bath scene, Hypatia would have a female servant attend her, not the male slave shown in the movie. The inaccuracies, both big and small, caused me to dislike the movie.

Belloc

I haven't seen the film, but I have heard about the anti-religious message of the film.

Concerning historical accuracy, I found this review helpful:
Armarium Magnum: "Agora" and Hypatia - Hollywood Strikes Again