|
The title "A Season of Giants" refers to the age of High Italian Renaissance when three great men of the
arts all lived and produced their timeless works --
Leonardo da Vinci,
Raphael, and
Michelangelo Buonarroti.
This film portrays the years during which Michelangelo
and da Vinci were rivals in the arts and collaborators in the sciences. It is based on a novel of the
same name by Vincenzo Labella and stars well known actors such as F. Murray Abraham, John Glover,
Ian Holm, and Italian actress Ornella Muti, best known to US audiences for her role as the feisty Princess
Aura in "Flash Gordon."
A Season of Giants follows Michelangelo from his years with
Lorenzo de Medici through his
labors on the giant statue David, to his
commission for the
Sistine Chapel.
Mark Frankel does an excellent
job of portraying Michelangelo's increasing introverted struggle to bring his visions to fruition. Throughout
his labors on the marble, he often labored against demanding patrons, inept assistants, and his own
high standards for himself. Frankel brings the artist's impatience forward in numerous ways -- sometimes
Michelangelo heeds advice; other times, he storms away. The essence of the artist lay in the
strength of his convictions and the demands of his character. He lived within his work, sculpting out his
life as he sculpted his masterpieces.
The TNT original movie is not available to the public on video tape. It is through a
private collection that this site brings a bit of A Season of Giants to you.
Season of Giants is ©1991 RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana
|
