The Man Who Wanted to Know Everything

Episode image for The Man Who Wanted to Know Everything

Episode 1 of 3

Duration: 1 hour

This film follows Leonardo da Vinci from his illegitimate birth to the unveiling of his masterpiece The Last Supper in Milan in 1497.

Learning his craft at the heart of the Renaissance movement in Florence, Leonardo survives arrest to win the patronage of the powerful tyrant Ludivico Sforza, Duke of Milan. While working for Sforza, he paints Madonna of the Rocks, works out why the sky is blue and becomes the first person to properly dissect a human body. He also becomes a practical engineer. The programme builds and tries out two designs from that period - an armoured war vehicle and a parachute.

Last on

Tue 13 Dec 2011 23:50 BBC Two only on Northern Ireland

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Credits

Leonardo
Mark Rylance
Salai
Che Cartwright
Actor
James Faulkner
Abbot
Paul Brooke
Producer
Sarah Aspinall
Producer
Tim Dunn
Executive Producer
Michael Mosley

Broadcasts

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