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2013 film by Paolo Sorrentino From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Great Beauty (Italian: La grande bellezza [la ˈɡrande belˈlettsa]) is a 2013 art drama film co-written and directed by Paolo Sorrentino. Filming took place in Rome starting on 9 August 2012. It premiered at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival where it was screened in competition for the Palme d'Or.[3] It was shown at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival,[4] the 2013 Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (winning Grand Prix), and at the 2013 Reykjavik European Film Festival.
The Great Beauty | |
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Italian | La grande bellezza |
Directed by | Paolo Sorrentino |
Screenplay by |
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Story by | Paolo Sorrentino |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Luca Bigazzi |
Edited by | Cristiano Travaglioli |
Music by | Lele Marchitelli |
Production companies |
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Distributed by |
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Release dates | |
Running time |
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Countries |
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Language | Italian |
Budget | €9.2 million |
Box office | $24.9 million[2] |
The film won Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards,[5] as well as the Golden Globe and the BAFTA award in the same category. It is a co-production between the Italian Medusa Film and Indigo Film and the French Babe Films, with support from Banca Popolare di Vicenza, Pathé and France 2 Cinéma.[6][7] With a production budget of €9.2 million, the film grossed over $24 million worldwide.
The film opens with a quote from Louis-Ferdinand Céline's novel Journey to the End of the Night: "Travel is useful; it exercises the imagination. All the rest is disappointment and fatigue. Our journey is entirely imaginary. That is its strength. It goes from life to death. People, animals, cities, things – all are imagined. It's a novel, just a fictitious narrative. Littré says so, and he's never wrong. And besides, in the first place, anyone can do as much. You just have to close your eyes. It's on the other side of life."[8][9][10][11][12]
Jep Gambardella is a 65-year-old seasoned journalist and theater critic, a fascinating man, mostly committed to wandering among the social events of a Rome immersed in the beauty of its history and in the superficiality of its inhabitants today, in a merciless contrast. He also ventured into creative writing in his youth: he is the author of only one work called The Human Apparatus. Despite the appreciation and the many awards he received, Jep has not written other books, not only for his laziness but above all for a creative block from which he cannot escape. The purpose of his existence has been to become a "socialite", but not just any socialite, but "the king of society".
Jep is surrounded by several friends: Romano, a playwright who is perpetually on the leash of a young woman who exploits him; Lello, a mouthy and wealthy toy seller; Viola, a wealthy bourgeois and mother of a son with serious mental problems named Andrea; Stefania, a self-centred radical chic writer; Dadina, the dwarf editor of the newspaper where Jep works.
One morning, he meets the husband of Elisa, a woman who has been Jep's first and probably only love: the man announces that Elisa has died, leaving behind only a diary in which the woman tells of her love for Jep; thus, her husband discovered that he had been a mere surrogate for 35 years, nothing more than "a good companion". Elisa's husband, now afflicted and grieved, will soon find consolation in the affectionate welcome of his foreign maid. After this episode, Jep begins a profound and melancholic reinterpretation of his life and a long meditation on himself and on the world around him. And, above all, he thinks about starting to write again.
During the following days, Jep meets Ramona, a stripper with painful secrets, and Cardinal Bellucci, in whom the passion for cooking is more alive than his Catholic faith; Jep is gradually convinced of the futility and uselessness of his existence. Soon his "vicious circle" also breaks down: Ramona, with whom he had established an innocent and profound relationship, dies of an incurable disease; Romano, disappointed by the deceptive attractiveness of Rome, leaves the city, farewelling only Jep; Stefania, humiliated by Jep, who had revealed her secrets and her lies to her face, left Jep's worldly circle; Viola, on the other hand, after the death of her son, donates all her possessions to the Church and becomes a missionary in Africa.
Just when hopes seem to abandon Jep once and for all, he is saved by a new episode: after a meeting, pushed by Dadina, who wants to get an interview with a "Saint", a Catholic missionary nun in the Third World, Jep goes to Giglio Island to report on the shipwreck of the Costa Concordia. Right here, remembering his first meeting with Elisa in a flashback, a glimmer of hope rekindles in him: his next novel is finally ready to come to light.
No.[lower-alpha 1] | Title | Album[lower-alpha 2] | Artists | Composer |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "I lie" (The Little Match Girl Passion) | 1-01 | Torino Vocalensemble | David Lang |
2 | Far l'amore | 2-01 | Bob Sinclar & Raffaella Carrà | |
3 | More than scarlet | 2-02 | Decoder Ring | |
4 | Mueve la colita | 2–17 | El Gato D.J. | |
5 | My heart's in the highlands | 1-03 | Else Torp, Christopher Bowers-Broadbent | Arvo Pärt |
6 | Que no se acabe el mambo | 2–14 | La Banda Gorda | |
7 | The Lamb | 1-07 | The choir of the Temple Church directed by Stephen Layton | John Tavener text by William Blake |
8 | Parade | 2-06 | Tape | |
9 | III. Lento—Cantabile-semplice from Symphony No. 3 | 1–10 | London Sinfonietta, Dawn Upshaw directed by David Zinman | Henryk Górecki |
10 | World to come IV | 1-02 | Maya Beiser | David Lang |
11 | Moody | – | ESG | |
12 | Take my breath away | 2-03 | Gui Boratto | |
13 | The beatitudes | 1-05 | Kronos Quartet | Vladimir Martynov |
14 | Forever | 2-08 | Antonello Venditti | Maurizio Fabrizio |
15 | Pancho | – | ||
16 | There must be an angel (playing with my heart) | – | Lorraine Bowen | Annie Lennox, David A. Stewart |
17 | Water from the same source | 2–10 | Rachel's | |
18 | II. Adagio from Symphony in C major | 1-08 | film: Leopold Stokowski and his Symphony Orchestra album: New Zealand Symphony Orchestra conducted by Donald Johanos | Georges Bizet |
19 | Dies irae from Requiem for my Friend | 1-06 | Elżbieta Towarnicka, Dariusz Paradowski, Piotr Lykowski, Piotr Kusiewicz, Grzegorz Zychowicz and Jan Szypowski | Zbigniew Preisner |
20 | Everything trying | 2–05 | Damien Jurado | |
21 | Discoteca | 2–16 | Exchpoptrue | |
22 | We no speak americano | 2–15 | Studio Allstars | |
23 | Ti ruberò | 2–12 | Monica Cetti | |
24 | Trois mouvements perpétuels | – | Peter Beijersbergen van Henegouwen | Francis Poulenc |
25 | Beata viscera | 1–11 | Vox Clamantis | Magister Perotinus |
– | Time | 1-04 | Lele Marchitelli (it) | |
– | River flows | 1-09 | Lele Marchitelli | |
– | Brain waves | 2-04 | Lele Marchitelli | |
– | Color my world | 2-07 | Lele Marchitelli | |
– | Surge of excitement | 2-09 | Lele Marchitelli | |
– | Settembre non comincia | 2–11 | Lele Marchitelli | |
– | Trumeau | 2–13 | Lele Marchitelli | |
– | Ramona | 2–18 | Los Paraguayos and Luis Alberto del Paraná | Lele Marchitelli |
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 91% approval rating, based on 135 reviews, with a weighted average rating of 8/10. The website's critical consensus states, "Dazzlingly ambitious, beautifully filmed, and thoroughly enthralling, The Great Beauty offers virtuoso filmmaking from writer/director Paolo Sorrentino."[13] The film holds a score of 86/100 on Metacritic based on 34 reviews, signifying "universal acclaim".[14]
Robbie Collin at The Daily Telegraph awarded Sorrentino's film the maximum five stars and described it as "a shimmering coup de cinema". He likened it to Roberto Rossellini's Rome, Open City and Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita in its ambition to record a period of Roman history on film. "Rossellini covered the Nazi occupation of 1944; Fellini the seductive, empty hedonism of the years that followed. Sorrentino's plan is to do the same for the Berlusconi era," he wrote.[15] Deborah Young of The Hollywood Reporter stated "Sorrentino's vision of moral chaos and disorder, spiritual and emotional emptiness at this moment in time is even darker than Fellini's (though Ettore Scola's The Terrace certainly comes in somewhere)."[16] Critics have also identified other purposefully explicit film homages: to Roma, 8½,[17] Scola's Splendor,[citation needed] Michelangelo Antonioni's La notte.[18] Spanish film director Pedro Almodóvar named the film as one of the twelve best films of 2013, placing it second in his list.[19] In 2016, the film was ranked among the 100 greatest films since 2000 in an international critics poll by 177 critics around the world.[20] It is currently director Paolo Sorrentino's second highest rated film on Rotten Tomatoes.[21]
Various critics named the film as one of the best of 2013.
Peter Bradshaw also named the film as one of the 20 best films of the 21st Century in the Guardian.[38]
List of Accolades | |||
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Organizations / Festivals | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
86th Academy Awards[39] | Best International Feature Film | Italy | Won |
79th New York Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | Paolo Sorrentino | Runner-up |
71st Golden Globe Awards[40][41] | Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language | Paolo Sorrentino | Won |
67th British Academy Film Awards[42] | Best Film Not in the English Language | Paolo Sorrentino | Won |
67th Silver Ribbon Awards[43] | Best Director | Paolo Sorrentino | Nominated |
Best Producer | Nicola Giuliano and Francesca Cima | Nominated | |
Best Screenplay | Paolo Sorrentino and Umberto Contarello | Nominated | |
Best Supporting Actor | Carlo Verdone | Won | |
Best Supporting Actress | Sabrina Ferilli | Won | |
Best Cinematography | Luca Bigazzi | Won | |
Best Costumes | Daniela Ciancio | Nominated | |
Best Sound | Emanuele Cecere | Won | |
Best Score | Lele Marchitelli | Nominated | |
66th Cannes Film Festival | Palme d'Or | Paolo Sorrentino | Nominated |
60th Belgian Film Critics Association | Grand Prix | Paolo Sorrentino | Nominated |
59th David di Donatello Awards[44] | Best Film | Nicola Giuliano and Francesca Cima | Nominated |
Best Director | Paolo Sorrentino | Won | |
Best Script | Paolo Sorrentino and Umberto Contarello | Nominated | |
Best Producer | Francesca Cima and Francesca Cima | Won | |
Best Actor in a Leading Role | Toni Servillo | Won | |
Best Actress in a Leading Role | Sabrina Ferilli | Nominated | |
Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Carlo Verdone | Nominated | |
Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Galatea Ranzi | Nominated | |
Best Cinematography | Luca Bigazzi | Won | |
Best Score | Lele Marchitelli | Nominated | |
Best Sets and Decorations | Stefania Cella | Won | |
Best Costumes | Daniela Ciancio | Won | |
Best Makeup | Maurizio Silvi | Won | |
Best Hairstyle | Aldo Signoretti | Won | |
Best Editing | Cristiano Travaglioli | Nominated | |
Best Sound | Emanuele Cecere | Nominated | |
Best Special Visual Effects | Rodolfo Migliari and Luca Della Grotta | Won | |
David Giovani Award | Paolo Sorrentino | Nominated | |
53rd Italian Golden Globe | Best Directing | Paolo Sorrentino | Nominated |
Best Leading Actor | Toni Servillo | Nominated | |
Best Cinematography | Luca Bigazzi | Won | |
Best Music | Lele Marchitelli | Nominated | |
39th César Awards[45] | Best Foreign Film | Paolo Sorrentino | Nominated |
34th London Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Film | Nicola Giuliano and Francesca Cima | Nominated |
Director of the Year | Paolo Sorrentino | Nominated | |
Best Foreign Language Film | Paolo Sorrentino | Nominated | |
34th Boston Society of Film Critics Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | Paolo Sorrentino | Won |
29th Ciak d'oro[46] | Best Film | Paolo Sorrentino | Won |
Best Actor | Toni Servillo | Won | |
Best Supporting Actor | Carlo Verdone | Won | |
Best Supporting Actress | Sabrina Ferilli | Won | |
Best Producer | Nicola Giuliano and Francesca Cima | Won | |
Best Cinematography | Luca Bigazzi | Won | |
Best Sets and Decorations | Stefania Cella | Won | |
Best Costumes | Daniela Ciancio | Won | |
Best Screenwriter | Paolo Sorrentino and Umberto Contarello | Nominated | |
Best Sound | Emanuele Cecere and Francesco Sabez | Nominated | |
Best Editing | Cristiano Travaglioli | Nominated | |
Best Music | Lele Marchitelli | Nominated | |
Best Movie Poster | Anna Di Cintio, Matteo Desogus, Fabrizio Caperna and Geo Ceccarelli | Nominated | |
29th Independent Spirit Awards | Best Foreign Film | Paolo Sorrentino | Nominated |
28th Goya Awards | Best European Film | Paolo Sorrentino | Nominated |
26th European Film Awards[47] | Best Film | Paolo Sorrentino | Won |
Best Director | Paolo Sorrentino | Won | |
Best Actor | Toni Servillo | Won | |
Best Screenwriter | Paolo Sorrentino and Umberto Contarello | Nominated | |
Best Editor | Cristiano Travaglioli | Won | |
20th Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | Paolo Sorrentino | Nominated |
19th Critics' Choice Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | Paolo Sorrentino | Nominated |
18th Florida Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | Paolo Sorrentino | Nominated |
18th Satellite Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | Paolo Sorrentino | Nominated |
17th Hollywood Film Awards | Best International Film | Paolo Sorrentino | Won |
Best Independent Film | Paolo Sorrentino | Won | |
Best New Screenplay | Paolo Sorrentino and Umberto Contarello | Won | |
Best Actor | Toni Servillo | Nominated | |
Breakout Performance | Toni Servillo | Nominated | |
17th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival[48] | Grand Prix | Paolo Sorrentino | Won |
Jury Prix | Luca Bigazzi | Won | |
16th British Independent Film Awards | Best Foreign Independent Film | Paolo Sorrentino | Nominated |
15th Cinemanila International Film Festival | Lino Brocka Award for Best Film | Paolo Sorrentino | Won |
11th International Cinephile Society Awards | Best Film | Paolo Sorrentino | Nominated |
Best Foreign Film | Paolo Sorrentino | Nominated |
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