Leonardo da Vinci was one of the most fascinating men who ever lived, but this film fails to do him justice.
Quirkily animated (part puppetry, part cartoon) it centres on the last years of da Vinci's life, when he joined the court of the French King Francis I. His most famous paintings (the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper) are referenced, as are his plans for eccentric machines of war, but we see nothing of their creation.
Instead, the film concentrates on da Vinci's plan for an ideal city (which never got beyond the planning stage) and preparations for an important royal summit.
The latter is presumably meant to be the Field of Cloth of Gold, at which Francis and Henry VIII of England tried to out-do each other in ostentation. For some reason, a third potentate is added - the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, who was not present. Worse, the film ignores the fact that da Vinci had died the previous year.
There's much to like here. The voice performances are excellent, especially Stephen Fry as da Vinci; and there's a decent amount of humour amidst the philosophising.
Unfortunately, however, the film can't quite make up its mind what it's trying to do. This may be because of the extraordinary number of production companies involved in making it, resulting in a hodge-podge of compromises from a dysfunctional committee.
An interesting film, but ultimately a disappointing one.
Quirkily animated (part puppetry, part cartoon) it centres on the last years of da Vinci's life, when he joined the court of the French King Francis I. His most famous paintings (the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper) are referenced, as are his plans for eccentric machines of war, but we see nothing of their creation.
Instead, the film concentrates on da Vinci's plan for an ideal city (which never got beyond the planning stage) and preparations for an important royal summit.
The latter is presumably meant to be the Field of Cloth of Gold, at which Francis and Henry VIII of England tried to out-do each other in ostentation. For some reason, a third potentate is added - the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, who was not present. Worse, the film ignores the fact that da Vinci had died the previous year.
There's much to like here. The voice performances are excellent, especially Stephen Fry as da Vinci; and there's a decent amount of humour amidst the philosophising.
Unfortunately, however, the film can't quite make up its mind what it's trying to do. This may be because of the extraordinary number of production companies involved in making it, resulting in a hodge-podge of compromises from a dysfunctional committee.
An interesting film, but ultimately a disappointing one.