The insatiably curious and headstrong inventor Leonardo da Vinci leaves Italy to join the French court. Leonardo da Vinci spent the last three years of his life in Amboise, France. He arrived there in the autumn of 1516, having accepted an invitation from King Francis I and his mother Louise of Savoy, who welcomed him with open arms at the Château d'Amboise, the young monarch's favourite residence. In 1515, the French king invited Leonardo to the royal summer home, Château du Clos Lucé, near Amboise. There, Leonardo carries out a feverish activity: inventing flying contraptions, war machines, studying cadavers and the human body. Leonardo da Vinci tackles the meaning of life itself .There, joined in his adventure by the audacious princess Marguerite, Leonardo will uncover the answer to questions about life. Imagination takes flight !. What is the meaning of it all?
An acceptable and passable Stop-motion movie, being nominated for the best animated feature film at the 2023 Annecy Festival. Here the last years of Leonardo's life are developed, after having had problems with the Catholic Church, specifically Pope Leo X. The film addresses the meaning of life itself, and the process of building an ideal city, and his relationship with the King of France, Francis I, and especially the friendship with his sister, the French princess Margarita of Navarre. Adding brief appearances by Emperor Charles V of Germany and Henry VIII of England who fight and contend with King Francis I of France. Being written and directed by Jim Capobianca, although the script fails a lot because it does not properly develop the story and becomes somewhat heavy and boring. Capobianco was the original screenwriter of the successful Ratatouille. In the original version it features the voices of Stephen Fry, Daisy Ridley, Matt Berry and Marion Cotillard, among others.
The film is based on biographical facts about Leonardo: In 1516, one year after his coronation, Francis I invited the famous Italian genius Leonardo da Vinci to settle in Amboise. At the age of 64, Leonardo da Vinci, who no longer enjoyed the recognition of Rome and was particularly at odds with the Medici, who preferred Raphael or Michelangelo, accepted Francis I's invitation. For Francis I, Leonardo's presence would bring lustre to the French court and encourage further cultural and artistic development of the French court. The kings of France had always wanted to equal the Italian courts. Leonardo was a sought-after artist but his Italian protector, Giuliano II de Medici, had died prematurely. This allowed da Vinci to accept the invitation of the king of France. Thus, on May 16, after a three-month long journey, after crossing the Alps on mules, he arrived in Amboise, a beautiful town in the Loire Valley, with some of his disciples and three of his favourite paintings: the portrait of the Mona Lisa, the Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and a Saint John the Baptist that he finished painting here. Francis I made the Château de Clos Lucé available to Leonardo da Vinci to live in. He also granted him an income of 700 gold crowns a year, financed his works and only asked him in return for the pleasure of listening to him converse, something he enjoyed almost every day until the genius' death. He also organised numerous parties for the king. Leonardo is also believed to have been involved in the original design of the Château de Chambord, the construction of which began shortly after da Vinci's death. He also brought with him numerous drawings as well as three emblematic and very important paintings for Leonardo: "La Gioconda", "Saint John the Baptist" and "The Virgin, the Child Jesus and Saint Anne", paintings on which he worked for many years. It was his wish to bring these paintings to France. In fact, it was in Amboise that he put the finishing touches to 'Saint Anne', a painting on which he worked for more than 15 years. And shortly before Leonardo's death, Francis I bought the three paintings. That is why today these paintings are in the Louvre, together with two other paintings, 'The Virgin of the Rocks' and 'La Belle Ferronière', that means that one third of da Vinci's pictorial work is in France.
