The Great Beauty (2013)
The great beauty behind the blah blah blah.
Presentation:
If you are familiar with Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, it’s hard to overlook how similar this film is. It’s basically the same story of a disillusioned man searching for meaning amidst the socialite partying of Rome, except in a new coat of paint. But what a fresh coat of paint it is, modernizing the parable with fun dance sequences and amazing compositional cinematography. I think the opening rooftop club sequence might be my favorite, which feels surreal yet believable compared to the over the top generic absurdism in films like The Great Gatsby. Aside from the music, choreography and cinematography, I actually enjoyed a lot of the character’s bullshit discourse despite the director satirizing their pseudo-intellectual bantering. It’s fun because they feel like believably self-important conversations amongst philosophical writers we get to experience it like a fly on the wall. Narratively the film is all over the place, but I found the main character’s performance to bring it all in. I believed in his existential hunt and he perfectly allowed me to stand in his shoes. Extremely fashionable Italian shoes, that is.
Analysis:
Conclusion:
I think this film will appeal to dilettantes and people that think they are more sophisticated than they are, which happens to be me in this review. Like La Dolce Vita, this film also effectively communicates the hollow superficiality of socialite partying and the regrets that come with aging. The difference is that this beautifully made spiritual remake should be better digested by contemporary audiences. It definitely felt like a party I couldn’t wait to bounce out of. Is the narrative just as good as Fellini’s iconic classic? Not really, but it might have a stronger connection with audiences today. A lot of regret to look forward to in life, but great beauty along the way!
Recommendations
The great beauty behind the blah blah blah.