A historical dramatization of the murder of philosophy in the ancient world. Set in Rome's Egypt, this is the story of Hypatia of Alexandria, a woman of philosophy and science. The rise of the Christian horde turns a quiet life of teaching and study into a struggle to stay ahead of the narrowing tolerance for those not adhering to the dictates of the growing influence of a charismatic and power hungry priest. Now before anyone's panties get in a wad, this is just a movie and the destruction of the great library is still a mystery. Man has been corrupting the word of God since the first 3 pages of Genesis so don't get lost in minutia. This movie is not a documentary, although I would say this is not an unreasonable interpretation. Be that as it may, thats only part of the movie, the other part deals with the main character, a woman so steeped in the desire to understand what her eyes tell her about celestial movement that it consumes her life. This may be nothing more than a retelling of Lilith, but whatever the facts are it was an enjoyable and entertaining watch. It is presented in a very serious manner though, so quell the urge to 'go do something' when the end credits roll. Recommended.
I saw the film when it first came out in NYC and loved Weisz' performance as Hypatia. Amenabar distorts some history in service to his art (the Library didn't end that way and Synesius wasn't a jerk), but that's what artists do. I don't go to the movies for history. For people who want to know more about the historical Hypatia, I highly recommend a very readable biography Hypatia of Alexandria by Maria Dzielska (Harvard University Press, 1995). I also have a series of posts on the historical events and characters in the film at my blog - not a movie review, just a "reel vs. real" discussion.
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