Day 141 - La Grande Bellezza (A Great Beauty)



Day 141          La Grande Bellezza (A Great Beauty) [2013]
                          
Screenplay                    Paolo Sorrentino & Umberto Contarelli
Director                         Paolo Sorrentino
Cinematography            Luca Bigazzi
Music                            Lele Marchitelli
Leads                            Toni Servillo, Carlo Verdone, Sabrina Ferilli, Carlo Buccirosso, Giusa Merli, Galatea Ranzi, Giorgio Pasotti
Production                     Indigo Film, Medusa Film, Babe Films, Pathé

IMDb                                7.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes                91%

The ratings speak for themselves really. It’s the first time in a while I have sat and wondered throughout the entirety of a film. From start to finish it encapsulated me, swallowed me into its own divine beauty. The title of course being apt. Sorrentino and Bigazzi lose you in the streets of Rome and introduce us to a Jep (Servillo), a man with that unexplainable manner that draws you in and makes you want to know him. Jep is a writer and socialite, as suave and charming as Gianni Agnelli, with the women to match. The film follows a part of Jep’s life in Rome as he begins to appreciate the world around him due to his old age. The music is chillingly beautiful and compliments Bigazzi’s attractive shots from the famous Roman architecture to the winding alleyways. It slows us down when needed, and yet stimulates us too. The opening party scene is a wonderful one, it captured that party spirit and instantly introduced us to Jep without a word yet spoken. There aren’t enough superlatives for this review really but suddenly I can understand why Youth (Day 23) was so highly anticipated. There is an eeriness and wonder attached to this film that are hard to describe, with strange cut shots for example when Jep walks the streets of Rome. I also enjoyed the obvious Marina Abramovich reference in Talia Concept too. Watch it on a big screen in high definition with good quality speakers, and just absorb it, you will not be disappointed.

Acting                            4 / 4
Writing                           4 / 4
Cinematography             4 / 4
Music                             4 / 4
HWF rating                4 / 4

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