Alan Yentob - Leonardo Da Vinci (2003)

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This is a 3 part BBC documentary on Da Vinci with dramatic representations as well as fascinating segments where modern experts use Leonardo's schematics to recreate and test some of his proposed inventions.

From an IMDB review:

Quote:

This is a documentary of the kind the BBC (or British tv) is rightly praised: knowledge combined with drama. The series depicts the life of Leonardo from early boyhood to his death (and even after). And for once, Leonardo is not shown as the old man with a beard as we all seem to know him. After all, even Leonardo must have been young. We see him, travelling through Italy, fighting against sometimes mighty opponents and against ignorance. Although the acting is bordering on the dramatic at times, the overall atmosphere is very good, giving you a true feeling of a society rising from the middle ages.

The dramatic scenes are interwoven with academic commentary. What's more, in each of the three 60-minute parts the crew tries to recreate and/or analyse one of Leonardo's marvels. Why are his drawings and paintings so special? Would his underwater-suit have worked? Or his tank, or his hang-glider?

This is one of those documentaries of which one can only hope it will appear on dvd. In the meantime, you might want to check out the BBC web site dedicated to the series.

Episode 1: "The Man Who Wanted to Know Everything"
Alan Yentob presents a biography of Leonardo da Vinci, revealing the extraordinary story, vision and unfulfilled dreams of the Renaissance genius. He begins by chronicling the artist's early years, from his illegitimate birth in 1452 to his apprenticeship in Florence to master craftsman Andrea del Verrocchio. In his twenties, he made a name for himself by painting an angel and later moved to Milan where he won the patronage of the powerful Duke. During this period he painted masterpieces including The Last Supper and the Madonna of the Rocks, and designed a parachute, which leading skydiver Adrian Nicholas has built using Leonardo's original designs. Featuring a series of performances by actor Mark Rylance as the artist.

Episode 2: "Dangerous Liaisons"
In the second part of Alan Yentob's dramatised documentary, Leonardo da Vinci proposes revolutionary ideas on submarine warfare to the Venetians and works on military projects for Cesare Borgia before returning to Florence, where he designs his first flying machine. It is against this backdrop that he paints the Mona Lisa, arguably the most famous portrait of all time, and becomes locked in a bitter rivalry with sculptor Michaelangelo.

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Saturday, June 19, 2010

Alan Yentob - Leonardo Da Vinci (2003)

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