The Great Beauty
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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"To this question, when we were young, my friends used to answer always the same way: "Pussy". I instead used to answer: "Old people's houses' smell". The question was: "What do you really like in life?". I was destined to sensibility. I was destined to become a writer. I was destined to become Jep Gambardella."--The Great Beauty (2013) by Paolo Sorrentino “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.”--Journey to the End of the Night (1932) by Céline |
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The Great Beauty (La grande bellezza) is a 2013 Italian film co-written and directed by Paolo Sorrentino. Set in Rome, locations include the Baths of Caracalla, Parco degli Acquedotti, San Pietro in Montorio, Villa Medici, Palazzo Barberini and Lungotevere.
The film has often been compared to Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita .
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Plot
The film opens with a quote from Céline's Journey to the End of the Night: “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 main character is an aging socialite, Jep Gambardella, who once wrote a famous novel in his twenties, only to retire into a comfortable life writing cultural columns and throwing parties in Rome. After his 65th birthday party, he walks through the ruins and city streets, encountering the various characters, reflecting on his life, his first love, and sense of unfulfillment.
Cast
- Toni Servillo as Jep Gambardella
- Carlo Verdone as Romano
- Sabrina Ferilli as Ramona
- Carlo Buccirosso as Lello Cava
- Iaia Forte as Trumeau
- Pamela Villoresi as Viola
- Galatea Ranzi as Stefania
- Franco Graziosi as Count Colonna
- Sonia Gessner as Countess Colonna
- Giorgio Pasotti as Stefano
- Luca Marinelli as Andrea
- Massimo Popolizio as Alfio Bracco
- Serena Grandi as Lorena
- Ivan Franek as Ron Sweet
- Roberto Herlitzka as Cardinal Bellucci
- Isabella Ferrari as Orietta
- Fanny Ardant as Herself
- Antonello Venditti as Himself
Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 92% approval rating with a weighted average rating of 7.8/10 based on 100 reviews and certifying it "fresh". The critical consensus described it as "[d]azzlingly ambitious, beautifully filmed, and thoroughly enthralling, The Great Beauty offers virtuoso filmmaking from writer/director Paolo Sorrentino."
Soundtrack
I Lie Composed by David Lang Performed by Torino Vocalesemble Far l'amore Written by Franco Bracardi, Bob Sinclar(as Christophe le Friant) and Daniele Pace Performed by Bob Sinclar and Raffaella Carrà More Than Scarlet Written by Matt Fitzgerald, Pete Kelly, Tom Schutzinger and Ben Ely Performed by Decoder Ring Mueve la colita Written by F. Attanasio, Ricky Nanni, Lorenzo Confetta, S. Attanasio and G. Attanasio Performed by El Gato DJ My Heart's in the Highlands Composed by Arvo Pärt Lyrics by Robert Burns Performed by Else Torp and Christopher Bowers-Broadbent Que no se acabe el mambo Written by J. Peña Suazo Performed by La Banda Gorda The Lamb Composed by John Tavener and William Blake Performed by The Choir of the Temple Church Parade Written by Andreas Berthling, Tomas Hallonsten and Johan Berthling Performed by Tape feat. Ingmar Lindelof World to Come IV Composed by David Lang Performed by Maya Beiser Symphony No. 3, Op. 36 'Of Sorrowful Song': III. Lento - Cantabile Semplice Composed by Henryk Mikolaj Górecki Performed by London Sinfonietta and Dawn Upshaw Moody Written by the Scroggins Sisters Performed by ESG
- Take My Breath Away Written and performed by Gui Boratto Courtesy of Truelove Music/Kompakt Records
- The Beatitudes Composed by Vladimir Martynov Performed by Kronos Quartet
- Forever
Written by Maurizio Fabrizio and Antonello Venditti Performed by Antonello Venditti Pancho Written by Julius Steffaro and Jack Trombey There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart) Written by Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart Vocals by Lorraine Bowen Remixed by Paolo Scotti Water from the Same Source Written by Christian Frederickson, Rachel Grimes and Jason Noble Performed by Rachel's Symphony in C Major: II. Adagio Composed by Georges Bizet Performed by Leopold Stokowski and his Symphony Orchestra Dies Irae Composed by Zbigniew Preisner Performed by Elzbieta Towarnicka, Dariusz Paradowski, Piotr Lykowski, Piotr Kusiewicz, Grzegorz Zychowicz and Jan Szypowski Everything Trying Written and performed by Damien Jurado Discoteca Written by Christian Bouyjou, Chloé Fabre and Radha Valli Performed by Exchpoptrue We No Speak Americano Written by Renato Carosone, Nicola Salerno, Matthew Handley, Duncan MacLennan and Andrew Stanley Performed by Studio Allstars Ti ruberò Written by Bruno Lauzi Performed by Monica Cetti Beata Viscera Written by Magister Perotinus Performed by Vox Clamantis Trois Mouvements Perpétuels: I - Assez modéré Written by Francis Poulenc Performed by Peter Beijersbergen van Hengouwen
See also
- Flaubert wanted to write a novel about nothing
- List of submissions to the 86th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Italian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
