Tuesday, December 24, 2013

The Great Beauty

Italy   d/  Paolo Sorrentino

A stunning film...as beautifully photographed as anything I've ever seen. Constant, fluid camera work, brilliant framing, editing...this film is a technical marvel. Even the crawl is run over a slow trip down the Tiber. And the theme is an intelligent examination of the values of modern-day affluent society.

At 65 the writer/journalist protagonist  gets an emotional jolt which causes him to reflect on the superficial life he has elected...nightclubs, parties, seducing women. Wry commentary on contemporary society, at least among the monied class, abounds.

A bit too long for my bum...maybe two hours instead of 142 minutes would have been more merciful...but nothing was superfluous or unnecessary. This is one of the great works of world cinema.

9

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