Film offers virtual tour of Leonardo da Vinci masterpieces exhibited in London
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In Great Britain, it's the show of the year - perhaps of the century thus far.
For the first time, rare paintings and drawings by Leonardo da Vinci have been brought together in an exhibit at London's National Gallery. Since the show opened in November, "Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan" has been viewed by record numbers. The show is so popular, in fact, that tickets are reportedly being resold for as much as $700 apiece.
Now a filmed virtual tour of the exhibit - also the first of its kind - is coming to the Amherst Cinema and Cinemark in Hadley, as well as hundreds of movie theaters nationwide.
"Leonardo Live," a high-definition virtual tour, offers art lovers worldwide a means of viewing the exhibit without having to contend with the long lines, or the high prices.
The film features a walk-through of the show and is led by art historian Tim Marlow and TV presenter Mariella Frostrup, both from Britain. They offer detailed examinations of the paintings, exploring their history and interviewing special guests, curators and experts.
"Leonardo Live" will be screened locally at Cinemark in Hadley Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. and at the Amherst Cinema Feb. 18 and 25 at noon and Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. The latter showings at the Amherst Cinema were added after tickets for the Feb. 18 show sold briskly.
Carol Johnson, executive director of Amherst Cinema, says the film is part of a series of alternative programming that the theater has been featuring for a while: high-definition films of live theatrical and musical events, including plays from Britain's National Theatre and concerts by the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia.
"These films have been very popular draws for us, and we're getting a good response so far for 'Leonardo Live,' " Johnson said.
The filmed tour of the da Vinci exhibit comes from a collaboration of three national media and production companies: NCM Fathom and By Experience in the United States, and PhilGrabaskyfilms.com of Great Britain. By Experience has distributed or produced some shows seen at the Amherst Cinema, such as the "National Theatre Live" films of plays from Britain.
In a statement, Dan Diamond, senior vice president of NCM Fathom, said the idea for "Leonardo Live" was sparked in large part by the uniqueness of the da Vinci exhibit and the fact that it was unlikely to travel to other museums.
"Due to the fragility of these priceless works of art, the exhibition unfortunately cannot physically tour," he said. But the approximately 85-minute film has been made in such a way, Diamond added, that moviegoers will feel "as if they're at the exhibit."
Rare paintings
Born in Italy in 1452, da Vinci is arguably the most famous inventor, scientist and mathematician of the Renaissance. The filmmakers note that most exhibits of his work have focused on those aspects of his career. But he was also a sculptor, writer and painter - some consider him among the greatest painters of all time - and the London exhibit has focused on his art from the late 1480s and 1490s, when he was the court painter to Duke Lodovico Sforza of Milan.
The National Gallery exhibit, which was five years in the making, and "Leonardo Live" feature several of da Vinci's rarest paintings, some 60 drawings - a number of them preparatory works for perhaps his most famous painting, "The Last Supper" - and one never-before-seen painting. The works include "The Last Supper" (The Royal Academy of Arts, London), "La Belle Ferroniere" (the Louvre, Paris), the "Madonna Litta" (the Hermitage, Saint Petersburg) and "Saint Gerome" (Pinacoteca Vaticana, Rome).
"Leonardo Live" will show both versions of da Vinci's painting "Virgin of the Rocks" together for the first time; one piece is from the National Gallery, the other from The Louvre.
Johnson says films like "Leonardo Live" are becoming increasingly popular because of their strong sound and visual quality, as well as their ability to give moviegoers "a way to see and experience things they might otherwise not have any access to." Films of live events can weave in interviews and commentary that provide additional understanding and perspective, she added. "We think this is going to continue being the kind of event that people are going to want to see."
Tickets for the Feb. 16 showing of "Leonardo Live" at Cinemark cost
$12.50; $11.50 for students and seniors; $10.50 for children. To
purchase in advance, visit www.cinemark.com and click on "events."
Tickets for the Amherst Cinema screenings on Feb. 18, 25 and 28 cost
$8.75; $7.75 for students and seniors; $6.50 for members. To reserve,
call the theater at 253-2547 or visit amherstcinema.org.
Steve Pfarrer can be reached at spfarrer@gazettenet.com.
