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| MICHELANGELO: SELF-PORTRAIT |
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| Director: Robert Snyder |
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Distributor: Microcinema |
| DVD release: 27 April 2010 |
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Runtime: 85 min. (1 disc) |
| Format: Color, DVD, NTSC |
| DVD Features: Aspect ratio 1.33:1, Audio tracks (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono - English), The Titan: Story of Michelangelo (Oscar® Winner - 1950 best documentary feature), Interview w/ Robert Snyder, Excerpts of films from Robert Snyder (on Willem De Kooning, Buckminster Fuller, Henry Miller, Pablo Casald, and Anais Nin), Filmography
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Oscar-winning director Robert Snyder dedicated ten years to filming Michelangelo: Self-Portrait. Determined to honor the great master in this intricately detailed biography, Snyder and his team needed that decade to traverse mounds of information, film numerous works of art, and battle many obstacles in their search of Michelangelo's legacy to the world. The efforts were obviously worth it. Michelangelo: Self-Portrait is a fulfilling account of the iconic artist's awe-inspiring contributions during his lifetime and ever after.
Michael Sonnabend was recruited to meticulously research - and reconstruct into a solid script for narration - the written works of Michelangelo's diaries and poems, biographies about Michelangelo, Vasari and Condivi, and Dante's Divine Comedy. Sonnabend masterfully utilized this eclectic range of both private and public knowledge to craft an enlightening rendition of the legendary icon's life.
The coordinated filmography and narration allows viewers to embrace a deeper, more personal understanding of the man behind the breathtaking artworks, and the life experiences that molded his artistic path - for good or ill, we will never know. Because much of Michelangelo's work is associated with the church and kept within, Snyder and crew - after being given a rare pass behind the bulletproof glass protecting the Vatican's Pieta - were able to film the majority of Michelangelo's work in its entire glorious splendor.
Michelangelo was passed from pope to pope for the majority of his career, creating commissioned works meant to honor the current religious leader and pay tribute to those whose lives were spent in service to God. With each succession, new demands and precedence were made of the prized artist regardless of the tasks previously assigned. His soul would become weary, as the joy in his art was lost to his position in life.
The beautiful artworks, as the primary focus of the film's visuals, are enhanced by the additional landscapes and footage used to bring the life and times of the past to life. The narrated references to simple activities and events in Michelangelo's life, and involving others, bring the personality of the master alive, along with an idea of his possible mindset when approaching the creation of certain masterpieces. This mesmerizing tribute to Michelangelo is a masterpiece itself.
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