The Agony and the Ecstasy is a 1965 movie. It was directed by Carol Reed. It stars Charlton Heston as Michelangelo and Rex Harrison as Pope Julius II. The movie was partly based on Irving Stone's biographical novel of the same name. The movie is about the stormy relationship between Michelangelo and Pope Julius II during the painting of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. It was nominated for five Academy Awards.