Mini review: La Grande Bellezza
20:37
I got round to watching La Grande Bellezza (The Great Beauty) last weekend. The Italian film directed by Paolo Sorrentino that has been gaining rave reviews and was also awarded Best Foreign language film at the Golden Globes, BAFTA's and the Academy Awards this year.In La Grande Belleza he reunites with his frequent collaborator Toni Servillo.
The story revolves around Jep Gambardella (played by Servillo) a writer who wrote an acclaimed novel in his twenties "The Human Apparatus" this lead him on to becoming an aging socialite, occasional column writer and permanent fixture on the Rome party scene. After his lavish 65th birthday party he begins to reflect back on his life, encountering different people and reflecting on his sense of unfulfillment while experiencing different parts of the city.
The story and narrative is from Jep's perspective. His internal and external musings touch on areas we've all probably wondered about in different moments of our lives. The film is deep and is beautifully shot from the vibrant and glossy party scenes to the beautiful, melancholic shots of Rome. Speaking of which, Rome really is its own character within this film Jep and his life are so intertwined with the eternal city that it would be difficult to see one without the other. With its deep connection with Rome you can see that the film has quite a Fellini feel to it which I guess inevitable in some ways, this is 21st Century Rome in all its glamour and sadness. This is all welded together seamlessly with great moments of emotion, reflection and regret. One of my favorite parts of this film is the soundtrack which compliments the film extremely well, from the upbeat European party numbers to the classical pieces which sets the scene beautifully. I found myself getting quite emotional towards the end of this film with its reflections and balance between the shallowness we demonstrate as human beings and the deepness of feeling that we have inside us. I would thoroughly recommend this film even if European cinema isn't your thing.
The story revolves around Jep Gambardella (played by Servillo) a writer who wrote an acclaimed novel in his twenties "The Human Apparatus" this lead him on to becoming an aging socialite, occasional column writer and permanent fixture on the Rome party scene. After his lavish 65th birthday party he begins to reflect back on his life, encountering different people and reflecting on his sense of unfulfillment while experiencing different parts of the city.
The story and narrative is from Jep's perspective. His internal and external musings touch on areas we've all probably wondered about in different moments of our lives. The film is deep and is beautifully shot from the vibrant and glossy party scenes to the beautiful, melancholic shots of Rome. Speaking of which, Rome really is its own character within this film Jep and his life are so intertwined with the eternal city that it would be difficult to see one without the other. With its deep connection with Rome you can see that the film has quite a Fellini feel to it which I guess inevitable in some ways, this is 21st Century Rome in all its glamour and sadness. This is all welded together seamlessly with great moments of emotion, reflection and regret. One of my favorite parts of this film is the soundtrack which compliments the film extremely well, from the upbeat European party numbers to the classical pieces which sets the scene beautifully. I found myself getting quite emotional towards the end of this film with its reflections and balance between the shallowness we demonstrate as human beings and the deepness of feeling that we have inside us. I would thoroughly recommend this film even if European cinema isn't your thing.
Rating: ****/5 Stars
0 comments