The film opens to the quote from Celine’s Journey to the End of the Night, which might apply to cinema as well. La Grande Bellezza is being called a response to Fellini's La Dolce Vita. The audience is dragged through an intoxicating Roman adventure with Jep playing the wise, cynical tour guide. Jep's claim to fame is a promising novel he wrote in his late twenties, yet he never wrote another... and outside of the occasional interview or small review he has lost sight of great beauty in his existence. Jep is jaded, and admits early on that he lives a life of the senses and thrives off of the power he has gained as a socialite. Sorrentino's film is one of great depth. We meet Jep (Toni Servillo) as he begins to teeter off his thrill ride. His cynicism abhorring, but simultaneously relatable. I believe Sorrentino's film speaks to the stagnation of the western world. The lost sight of civic duty and individual purpose... the degradation of the 21st century escapist's party... or a Jep puts it, "what might be defined as the whirl of the high life." As fulfilling sensually as the film is with its' operatic theme, beautiful, vaulting camera moves & long zoom lenses in the well lit streets of Rome, Sorrentino hits you over the head hardest late in the film when Jep comes face to face with a comical clergy. He is sickened by what he sees, in just the same way that he is contemptuous of Rome's artists, intellectuals and political players. The comical becomes the profound over and over again in this flawless masterpiece. The Great Beauty is a film depiction of the Berlusconi era Rome, where there is a need to hear from Jep's poignant perspective. This is my pick, for best film of 2013.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza) (film)
Those Best of the year lists are tough... the ranking seems so arbitrary and you always forget things. Unless you're diligent year round, there's always something you want to revise a few days later. Last night I saw The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza)... and it was astonishing. It may have topped every other film I've seen this year. It had the extravagance of Wolf of Wall Street, the fervent acting performances of 12 Years a Slave... but I really have no reason to compare it to these films. This was different. I haven't seen a film this compelling since Holy Motors.
“To travel is very useful, it makes the imagination work, the rest is just delusion and pain. Our journey is entirely imaginary, which is its strength.”
The film opens to the quote from Celine’s Journey to the End of the Night, which might apply to cinema as well. La Grande Bellezza is being called a response to Fellini's La Dolce Vita. The audience is dragged through an intoxicating Roman adventure with Jep playing the wise, cynical tour guide. Jep's claim to fame is a promising novel he wrote in his late twenties, yet he never wrote another... and outside of the occasional interview or small review he has lost sight of great beauty in his existence. Jep is jaded, and admits early on that he lives a life of the senses and thrives off of the power he has gained as a socialite. Sorrentino's film is one of great depth. We meet Jep (Toni Servillo) as he begins to teeter off his thrill ride. His cynicism abhorring, but simultaneously relatable. I believe Sorrentino's film speaks to the stagnation of the western world. The lost sight of civic duty and individual purpose... the degradation of the 21st century escapist's party... or a Jep puts it, "what might be defined as the whirl of the high life." As fulfilling sensually as the film is with its' operatic theme, beautiful, vaulting camera moves & long zoom lenses in the well lit streets of Rome, Sorrentino hits you over the head hardest late in the film when Jep comes face to face with a comical clergy. He is sickened by what he sees, in just the same way that he is contemptuous of Rome's artists, intellectuals and political players. The comical becomes the profound over and over again in this flawless masterpiece. The Great Beauty is a film depiction of the Berlusconi era Rome, where there is a need to hear from Jep's poignant perspective. This is my pick, for best film of 2013.
The film opens to the quote from Celine’s Journey to the End of the Night, which might apply to cinema as well. La Grande Bellezza is being called a response to Fellini's La Dolce Vita. The audience is dragged through an intoxicating Roman adventure with Jep playing the wise, cynical tour guide. Jep's claim to fame is a promising novel he wrote in his late twenties, yet he never wrote another... and outside of the occasional interview or small review he has lost sight of great beauty in his existence. Jep is jaded, and admits early on that he lives a life of the senses and thrives off of the power he has gained as a socialite. Sorrentino's film is one of great depth. We meet Jep (Toni Servillo) as he begins to teeter off his thrill ride. His cynicism abhorring, but simultaneously relatable. I believe Sorrentino's film speaks to the stagnation of the western world. The lost sight of civic duty and individual purpose... the degradation of the 21st century escapist's party... or a Jep puts it, "what might be defined as the whirl of the high life." As fulfilling sensually as the film is with its' operatic theme, beautiful, vaulting camera moves & long zoom lenses in the well lit streets of Rome, Sorrentino hits you over the head hardest late in the film when Jep comes face to face with a comical clergy. He is sickened by what he sees, in just the same way that he is contemptuous of Rome's artists, intellectuals and political players. The comical becomes the profound over and over again in this flawless masterpiece. The Great Beauty is a film depiction of the Berlusconi era Rome, where there is a need to hear from Jep's poignant perspective. This is my pick, for best film of 2013.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment