Archive of films Great Beauty / La grande bellezza

Italy / France
2013, 142 min

Section: Horizons
Year: 2013

Ladies from high society and the demimonde, intellectuals, politicians and monuments, all observed by the knowing eye of Jep Gambardella, journalist and author of just one novel. An aging rake played by Toni Servillo knows many a secret in Rome but can’t seem to navigate his own life. Rome, as it appears to Paolo Sorrentino a half-century after La dolce vita, is so enchanting it almost breaks your heart.

Synopsis

Journalist Jep Gambardella, author of a single novel, cool king of fashionable soirees, caustically ironic commentator and tireless Casanova, is celebrating his 65th birthday. The aging playboy, who lives within sight of the Colosseum, seems to be one of the few people to know the secrets of Rome – the Eternal City, submerged in the shadows of its grand past. But the blinding yet empty metropolis he strolls through with such elegance also seems to reflect the emptiness and futility of Jep’s actions and the antics of his friends, who carouse until sunrise. He begins to ask himself questions that he had previously ignored, and through his mask of irony we begin to see his disgust with others and himself. Waiting for the next film by Paolo Sorrentino, one of the most intriguing filmmakers around today, is a little like waiting for a drug whose effects provide an irresistible and vibrant combination of beauty and sorrow. Reminiscent of the work of Federico Fellini, this intoxicating existentialist oeuvre with hints of the grotesque was one of the biggest attractions at the recent festival in Cannes. Toni Servillo, always excellent and always innovative, plays the main protagonist.

About the director

Paolo Sorrentino (b. 1970, Naples, Italy) is recognized at home and abroad. At the start of his career, he worked as a writer for filmmakers and various theaters in Naples. His 1998 short film Love Knows No Bounds (L’amore non ha confini) earned him numerous awards. His debut feature One Man Up (L’uomo in più) was shown in competition at the 2001 Venice IFF and the following year at KVIFF. Since The Consequences of Love (Le conseguenze dell’ amore) screened at Cannes in 2004, his films have appeared regularly at the world’s most renowned film festival: The Family Friend (2005), The Divine (2008; Jury Prize), This Must Be the Place (2011) and this year’s The Great Beauty. Sorrentino is also a respected author: in 2010 he published his first novel, Everybody’s Right, followed two years later by another book with the same protagonist, Tony Pagoda and His Friends.

Contacts

Pathé International
6 Ramillies St., W1F 7TY, London
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 207 323 5151
Fax: +44 207 631 3568
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.patheinternational.com

Film Europe s.r.o.
V Jámě 1, 110 00, Praha 1
Czech Republic
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.filmeurope.cz

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About the film

Color, DCP

Section:	Horizons

Director:	Paolo Sorrentino
Screenplay:	Paolo Sorrentino, Umberto Contarello
Dir. of Photography:	Luca Bigazzi
Music:	Lele Marchitelli
Editor:	Cristiano Travaglioli
Producer:	Nicola Giuliano, Francesca Cima
Production:	Indigo Film
Cast:	Toni Servillo, Carlo Verdone, Sabrina Ferilli, Carlo Buccirosso
Contact:	Pathé International, Film Europe s.r.o.
Distributor:	Film Europe s.r.o.

Guests

Paolo Sorrentino

Film Director