Rex: Since you had read "Brunelleschi's Dome", you may have read "Michelangelo & the Pope's Ceiing" by Ross King that just came out this month. Went to his lecture and book promotion the other night, and found him to be very interesting but not a great speaker. Bought his book. If you haven't read this book, I thought you may enjoy it. For all others, it is worth the time to read it before and after visiting the Sistine Chapel.

Thanks for the heads up. You would not believe how many books I start and fail to finish, and Brunelleschi's Dome is one of hundreds. My wife has concluded that is hopeless to try to get me to ead books with her.<BR><BR>But thanks for sharing here.<BR><BR>FWIW, I've never read (nor seen the movie) &quot;The Agony and the Ecstacy&quot;. Is it good? Is it something worth watching with my film school major-daughter sometime? We watched &quot;The Third Man&quot; over Christmas break - - hard to say if it is all that valuable as preparation for our trip to Vienna or not. Hoping to watch again after we get back. And I failed to appreciate it if is somehow some critically imprtant classic for her to watch, from a screenwriting (or directing or acting or otherwise)standpoint for her either.<BR><BR>Still, I like to know about all such things, in print, or on film. You might even consider re-posting this withOUT my name in the message header. It isn't just news &quot;for me&quot;, after all.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>[email protected]<BR>

Rex, the Agony and the Ecstasy is an interesting enough Hollywood production, but I'm not sure I'd watch it with historical accuracy in mind. I thought it was hilarious they way they had Charlton Heston painting 'dirty' frescoes to match the ceiling as it appeared before restoration brought out the true colours.

I've not seen the film version of &quot;The Agony &amp; the Ecstacy&quot;, but found the book both entertaining and educational, and enjoyed it immensely. Having some understanding of what was involved in obtaining the materials for, and the arduous processes involved in the creation of the amazing art I was seeing gave me a much greater appreciation for it. It is also pretty incredible to have a grasp of the fact that all these artists, popes, powerful families, etc. not only lived in the same country at the same time, but actually knew one another and hung out together!<BR><BR>Highly recommended.

I'm with Lesli in that I think the book The Agony and the Ecstacy is fantastic. It was probably made better by the fact that I read it while in Venice and Rome!<BR><BR>Wendy

Rex:<BR>What was the line in the &quot;Third Man&quot; where Harry Lime says something about the Swiss and the cuckoo clock? It's such a great line and I have forgotten it...

In switzerland they had 500 years of brotherly love..and what did that produce? The Cuckoo clock

Thank you, Moonbeam. But there was also something about Italy, having all the wars, etc. and producing the Renaissance.

&quot;In Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love--they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.&quot;

Moonbeam, you're awesome. Thanks.

Yup. Reading the Agony and the Ecstasy was probably the best preparation for our trip last May which included Florence and Rome (where so much of the book takes place). Being familiar with the locations and the artwork and names made all the difference in the world - especially in Florence. The movie doesn't hold a candle to the book.

I heard Ross King interviewed on NPR this week. He and the new book sound very interesting. Here's a bit from the interview.Present day anatomists looked at this drawings for the chapel and were amazed at his precision. They felt he must have had exquisite knowledge of human anatomy. And..his family drove him crazy! So it seems the book provides lots of historical data, some debunking of &quot;The Agony and the Ecstasy&quot; and a bit of family dish. Sounds pretty goood!

I just picked up the King book last week in Bologna, and it's fabulous! Very interesting behind-the-scenes looks at the creation of the Sistine Chapel, including discussions of the sources or inspirations of the people included in the fresco as well as the rivalries that were occuring at the time (for example, the Flood section was painted just before Rapheal completed one of his sections in the Vatican which was considered to be far superior). <BR><BR>It's very interesting and also highly readable, which is a big plus for me in any non-fiction work. King really brings the people and the situation alive.<BR><BR>Highly recommended!

Hi<BR>I thought the book &quot;The Agony etc&quot; was great and I too was very glad I'd read it before going to Rome. The film was ok, they felt it necessary among other silliness to put in a hetero romance for Michelangelo to make sure Charlton/Michelangelo wasn't too &quot;artistic&quot; (in the old stereotypical sense.)<BR>It was nice to see some of the ceiling paintings, even fake ones, close up.

Rex- Before our trip to Vienna (in 2000) Wes Fowler recommended &quot;A Nervous Splendor- Vienna 1888-1889.&quot; It's about Crown Prince Rudolf, and really gives interesting background on Vienna. I really enjoyed it and it's not too long!<BR><BR>Byrd<BR>