Once again I have been bowled over by the multitude of facts presented in these two BBC series, each comprising two hour-long documentaries. You get four hours of information and historical recreation on the life and works of Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti, and an additional hour-long documentary about Leonardo?s insanely famous portrait; the ?Mona Lisa?. These men were amazing, there?s no doubt. Their fame precedes them. True ?Renaissance? men. This whole period of exploration in Europe, centred very definitely in Italy, was an incredible time for advances in so many fields ? science, art, medicine, philosophy ? in the midst of political and religious upheaval. All thanks to an overriding drive toward experimentation. Certainly the field of art was revolutionized. Other notable men of the period were Niccolo Machiavelli and Galileo Galilee, born in the year of Michelangelo?s death in 1564. Rich and powerful families like the Medici?s and Borgia?s ruled their domains, and all manner of artists sought favour to create works in exchange for payment. Leonardo and Michelangelo were no exception.

It is recorded that Leonardo (1452 ? 1519) and Michelangelo (1475 ? 1564) literally crossed paths on the streets of Florence on one occasion, although, by all accounts, it was a rather frosty encounter for both. Apparently they were considered rivals; Leonardo was 23 when Michelangelo was born. Still, they had about 40 years of ?creative crossover? before Leonardo died in France, as the guest of the King Francis I, in 1519. A painting of this imagined scene, featuring a dying Leonardo cradled in the arms of the King, was created in 1818 by French Romantic painter Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres.

This is a great DVD if you want an overview of the life and times of these great men. It?s interesting to think that each were apparently quite opposite in character. Leonardo is touted as being organized, clean, orderly and stable of temperament, and largely uninterested in religion. Michelangelo is reported to have been hot-tempered, arrogant, unkempt, mean-spirited and a devout Catholic. Michelangelo himself makes claims of physical abuse by his father, who raised Michelangelo and his four brothers after the death of his mother when he was 6 years of age. Interestingly, in 1546 Cardinal Farnese commissioned Giorgio Vasari to write a volume about the great artists of the time, and the result was ?The Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors and Architects? which was published in Florence in 1550. Michelangelo was one of the artists ?interviewed? for this work, hence the many statements featured in this documentary that are directly attributable to Michelangelo. Some time is spent researching Michelangelo?s many claims ? seems Michelangelo also had a flair for invention when accuracy was concerned! After all, he did have an image to uphold! Who knows ? maybe his memory was failing him? In any case, Leonardo had been dead for over 20 years when this written work was created. What a shame ? it goes to show the importance of timing. We could?ve read Leonardo?s perspective on his life as well!

I will briefly outline each of the episodes, and some of the subjects covered:

LEONARDO

?The Man Who Wanted to Know Everything?

Even as a child, Leonardo was fascinated with the natural world, and spent hours observing and exploring the environment around him. Having had no formal schooling, his mind was able to develop independently, without being led by the commonly held beliefs of the day concerning ?the way things are?. His lifelong fascination with flight, and ways in which man could achieve this, began here along with his commitment to invention and experimentation. He wrote detailed notes on everything to which he turned his mind, readable only when reflected in a mirror, and certainly suggesting that he had an awareness of the potential value and/or danger of his ideas. A team of modern day adventurers actually build some of Da Vinci?s prototypes to see if they work. A parachute, a glider, an armoured tank and some underwater diving apparatus are a few of Leonardo?s inventions that are put to the test.

?Dangerous Liaisons?

As Leonardo?s interest in science and experimentation flourishes along with his bank balance (thanks to the wealthy but often dangerous patrons he courts), he eventually finds himself in Rome, the home of Catholicism, and all the attendant religious paranoia. He comes to the attention of the Pope due to his rumoured night-time studies ? the dissection of human bodies. The suggestion that he was actually using the bodies of ?free? citizens (i.e. not criminals) was too much for the Vatican to sanction, so he is promptly told to cease his heretical pursuits, amid general unease. He (wisely) leaves Rome shortly afterwards. But you can?t keep a good scientist down!

Some of Leonardo?s paintings that are discussed in these documentaries are: ?The Last Supper?, ?Mona Lisa?, and ?The Virgin of the Rocks?. There are many other works included, but my memory isn?t going to oblige me with the specifics!

THE DIVINE MICHELANGELO

Episode 1

Michelangelo shows a talent for drawing from an early age, and despite his father?s protestations that the profession of artist is no better than that of a shoemaker, he heads to Florence and joins one of the city?s many painting schools. Quickly surpassing his older master, he then tries his hand at sculpting, obtaining a commission from a local Bishop. Having free reign in terms of subject, he creates Bacchus ? and a very unconventional one at that! Complete with a flaw in the marble on the face. It was the last time Michelangelo was to make this mistake. He soon finds favour with the Medici?s of Florence. His world famous sculpture, Pieta, was his next commission, to be ready in time for the Jubilee of 1500 in St Peter?s Basilica, Rome, where it stands to this day. It was roundly applauded as a magnificent work of art, although, again, unconventional. It took him about 2 years to complete. Some crazed guy took to it with a hatchet back in 1972, not sure why. In any case, it survives, fortunately.

Episode 2

Inevitably developing a reputation as a skilled sculptor, Michelangelo?s ?career? begins to take off. His equally famous, and enormous, statue of David is created, including his devising of the apparatus that would be used to transport this 5 metre (16.5 foot) marble sculpture to it?s destination. A modern-day Italian sculptor actually reproduces this famous statue to-scale, and engineers reproduce the transport in order to enact the trip this statue would have made to its? (then) final resting place outside the Town Hall in Florence. It?s amazing to watch, quite nail-biting actually. He also designed the scaffolding that will enable him to create another masterpiece ? his (fresco) painting of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. Note that he had no real experience with fresco painting, and took on this enormously challenging task, questioning his painting ability all the way. It took years of back-breaking labour to complete. Again his approach was unconventional ? he took stories from the Old Testament as his inspiration, despite being told to focus on the New Testament! Modern-day artists recreate only a tiny portion of his work (the famous scene of God giving the spark of divinity to Adam) in a small church in London, and are in physical pain after just two weeks ? the same amount of time that Michelangelo would have taken to complete this small section. Michelangelo?s capacity for pain tolerance must have been monumental. Nothing about this commission would?ve been comfortable for him. It?s another incredible feat of human endurance. How he actually lived such a long life is quite astonishing to me. As he claimed himself ? ?I paid for the Sistine Chapel with my eyes?. Then there?s the dome of St Peter?s Basilica in Rome, designed by Michelangelo, completed after his death. And there?s still more. Too much to remember. It?s an amazing life.

THE EXTRAS

A little more than basic, overall. Both discs feature programme and scene selection options, and an English subtitles option. The Leonardo disc also has a ?play all? option and has an extra BBC documentary thrown in:

?The Secret Life of the Mona Lisa?

(2003) 58 minutes

This documentary focuses solely on the enduring appeal of what is considered to be the most famous painting in the world. Issues discussed include trying to identify who Lisa is, which this documentary claims has now been determined with certainty. So many of Leonardo?s ideas and beliefs about the world are here combined in this work of art. I have a new appreciation of this painting for what it seems to say of Leonardo?s genius, rather than for the image itself, which I don?t really like ? I?m not generally into portraiture! This rather small painting has such a huge story behind it. He carried it around with him for years! The theft of this otherwise ?priceless? masterpiece from the Louvre in the 1970?s is also explored. This is a very interesting documentary, perfectly complementing the two other documentaries about Leonardo?s life in this collection.

CONCLUSION

There is so much to learn about these two Renaissance masters and, yet again, the BBC manages to bring the story of two geniuses into sharp focus. Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo have both created art and ideas that have endured into the modern age. Their accomplishments are truly amazing. This DVD offers four hours of documentary (4 x 1 hour sessions) on their lives, with reference to their major achievements. There?s an extra documentary about the enduring mystery of the world?s most famous painting, Leonardo Da Vinci?s ?Mona Lisa?. Everything about these historical snapshots is absorbing. Modern-day experts even recreate some of the ideas and achievements of these gifted contemporaries, and the wealth of information provided is typically high quality. Highly recommended. English only.