"The Age of the Medici"
1973
Directed by Roberto Rossellini

With a script based on 15th century Florentine texts, this three-part film furthers Rossellini's exploration of the artistic, social, economic and political forces in our modern world. The key figures include Cosimo de Medici, son of an important banker, who saw that the major artistic visions should be allowed free rein as long as they operated under the sponsorship of the Medici. "The Age of the Medici is an epic representation of a particular time and space--the extensions of which are timeless and boundless"(Eric Sherman). The three parts are: Cosimo de Medici, The Power of Cosimo, and Leon Battista Alberti: Humanism. One of the major cinematic achievements ever.  252 minutes.