Jep Gambardella has seduced his way through the lavish nightlife of Rome for decades, but after his 65th birthday and a shock from the past, Jep looks past the nightclubs and parties to find a timeless landscape of absurd, exquisite beauty. |
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Ratings: | IMDB: 7.8/10 | |
Released: | May 21, 2013 | |
Runtime: | 141 min | |
Genres: | Drama | |
AKA: | La grande bellezza | |
Countries: | Italy France | |
Companies: | Indigo Film Medusa Film Babe Film France 2 Cinéma Indigo Film Mediaset Babe Films Medusa Film Pathé! Fonds Eurimages du Conseil de l'Europe Regione Lazio Banca Popolare di Vicenza Lazio Film Commission Biscottificio Verona Canal+ MEDIA Programme of the European Union France Télévisions Pathé | |
Cast: | Toni Servillo Sabrina Ferilli Carlo Verdone Carlo Buccirosso | |
Crew: | Paolo Sorrentino Umberto Contarello | |
This film is a modern masterpiece of Cinema. Luca Bigazzi’s cinematography is beautiful, with elegant tracking shots of Rome that draw the viewer into the loveliness of Jep’s world (even if age and experience seems to have robbed him of the ability to feel and see this great beauty himself).
The enchanting score of choral works by David Lang (I Lie), Vladimir Martynov (The Beatitudes), John Tavener (The Lamb) and Arvo Part (My Heart is in the Highlands) give depth to the wonderful images of Rome. This haunting soundtrack replaces the need for dialogue and adds intensity to Servillo’s melancholic performance.
Servillo’s acting is superb from his moments of dry humour to the heartbreaking intensity of those feelings he cannot quite hold on to.
La Grande Bellezza gives a window into Roman life that is probably only fully understood by a fellow Roman. However all can appreciate the aesthetic pleasure of Sorrentino’s Rome and the bittersweet meanderings of its characters.
This is a cinema of the highest order, imbued with elegance & style. For the viewer it is like swimming in honey. Grazie Signore Sorrentino.