Savonarola – Der schwarze Prophet

Documentary on Girolamo Savonarola (1452–1498), the radical Dominican preacher whose fiery sermons in Renaissance Florence made princes and even the Pope tremble. Although he was just a simple monk, he nearly single-handedly brought the Renaissance to an end. The film follows Savonarola from the convent of San Marco — where his cell is preserved — through his rise to political control of Florence and his establishment of a "godly state", complete with a children's police force that terrorised money-changers, lovers and women dressed too provocatively, to his fatal collision with Pope Alexander VI Borgia. Multiple assassination attempts on Savonarola failed; ultimately a divine judgement by fire (the trial by ordeal) was meant to decide whether he was a true prophet of God or a satanic seducer. The dramatic story is told on location in Florence and Rome, supplemented by elaborate reenactments with actors and archival research.