The Great Beauty and I - A Film Review by Otto Marasco

In a mischievous manner, is it perverse of me to find myself drawn to the dysfunctional world of Jep Gambardella?


I knew little of The Great Beauty – La Grande Bellezza – before deciding to view it. "Sexy, provocative, haunting and extravagant" are a sample of the many descriptors employed by reviewers. Speaking of reviews, this is not to be deemed one; on the contrary, consider it a short attempt to interpret the effect of some of its constituent parts as experienced by and, through the eyes of its principal character, Jep Gambardella on the viewer, yours truly - Sapientia et Doctrina.

Excuse me for not bothering about the plot, I suggest you either watch the film or, read one of the many reviews. My first encounter with this film was via the trailer, taking pleasure in that opening party scene as I thought, ah the Italians, good at having escapist fun, forgetting there every day tomorrow.

Without wishing to sound hackneyed, I feel obliged to state that The Great Beauty's vibe and ambience harks to La Dolce Vita. I did not write this because everyone in the industry has already stated it. It is because I have long owned a copy of Federico Fellini’s classic, not that I enjoyed his construct as much, though I will pull it off the shelf again soon.

In short, I found The Great Beauty uplifting but, in a disconcerting way, being consciously aware of an ever-present melancholy undercurrent within Jep that could be felt, not merely understood; a credit to the director, Sorrentino. In my personal case, I could not only understand it, but I could also feel it and do, most nearly all days of late.

The people mix surrounding Jep at events, outdoor theatres and parties intrigued me. There were few perfectly formed Hollywood like twenty something’s to be seen instead, we are offered a surprising mix of older types, Jep at 65 and those immediately around him middle-aged and older. A smart mix since the supposedly seasoned can also be silly, asinine, immature, senseless and crazy at times, undeniably they can be raw, barbaric and loutish as well just like their younger counterparts. Jep’s crown, high society cultured and yet, so philistine.

In a mischievous manner, is it perverse of me to find myself drawn to the dysfunctional world of Jep Gambardella? Far removed from my own existence and that of many my age, nevertheless, I often crave an alternate reality as a much-needed diversion, even if only for a few short months as a counter to the daily humdrum. We do want to reach end days and be able to say, I have lived!

I could do with a dose of meaningless living and outright unabashed hedonism, I can be dead while alive, I can be Jep, I can be "Jeppino", a dark secret perhaps, the tag line if you like.

Jep turns 65 early in the film and through a series of seemingly innocuous events, he begins reflecting on his life and he does not appear comfortable, has he awoken, faced the truth, opened his eyes? I opened mine long ago but have I opened them wide enough?. To think about and reflect on one’s own, to step out of self, to think about one's thinking, to look at, as opposed to merely looking can be oh so revealing, enlightening. It is like having two selves co-existing, one real the other imagined looking at the whole, trying to make sense where sometimes sadly, there may be no sense to be found. "Imagined" but nonetheless important, for when we begin doing this we are living, we understand and accept the truth and begin feeling the hurt then, with any luck, we smile regardless, for we accept that this is life, our lives. I am not suggesting that I am happy nor that I am unhappy, I am simply though somewhat unenthusiastically accepting reality. In Jep's words,

"It all settled beneath the chattering and the noise, silence and sentiment, emotion and fear ... and then the wretched squalor and miserable humanity" 

Jep also appears to be experiencing that thought and the accompanying feeling, vita non realizzata, - life unfulfilled - not a pleasant thought.

I wonder why the film opened with that quote, the one that suggests that anything other than travel (because when we do this we do not settle down) is just a delusion and pain. Was it Jep’s view and modus operandi for the forty years that he partied in Rome?

A couple of things stood out for me, The Great Beauty can have the effect of making it's viewers think about their lives, for some critically for others perhaps casually and, it's a good showcase of excess cheeky though realistic adult kitsch…

Click here and here to read some notable reviews

© 2014 - 2024 Ottavio Marasco. All rights reserved.

Related reading: Federico Fellini - 5 reasons He Still Matters

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Brief Crossing – A Film Review by Otto Marasco

 

…In a brutal twist, her true objective is revealed at films end as she deftly turns conventional wisdom upside down about woman as emotional victims of the male ego… 

Why is it that almost everyone who has written about this film, in the first instance,

delves into the idiosyncrasies of its Director Catherine Breillet? This is noted with most reviews of her work. The ever-provocative filmmaker is known to quite literally throw punches at her audiences through rampant sex in your face eroticism, usually between disturbed albeit realistic, human entities and in most all cases, from the feminine psychological standpoint. Not that I believe that she delights in polarizing her addressees, indeed, the viewer’s enjoyment will hinge on whether they have an appreciation of not merely the erotic, but foreign film in general. Controversy and attention has continually been routine for Breillet. As a 17 year old, her first novel was so racy that the author was technically not permitted to buy her own book. Her first film, “A real young girl”, was banned and literally shelved for a quarter of a century. To this day, it seems the cinema world cannot find consensus on the filmmaker for she is put down by some and thoroughly commended by others. For those who have not experienced her work, Brief Crossing may prove a worthy introduction as it is positively more accessible than either Romance, or Anatomy of Hell. The film examines both a middle-aged woman’s desire and her apparent take on men; she is a late thirty something and he, an archetypal teenage male. This is something Breillet has done before however, in this case, there are fewer shocks.

A sexual attraction and subsequent one nightstand between a naïve young man and a much older woman, is the subject of exploration here. Gilles Guillain plays Thomas, a classic French boy who catches the liner, Pride of Le Havre, from Le Havre to Portsmouth. During the overnight journey, he meets Alice (Sarah Pratt) the seasoned and sexy English woman who is more than twice his age. In a cafeteria, the shy young man tells her that he is a tad older than his true age, likes a cigarette or two and hates school. She reveals a little about her life; she likes photography and that she is separated from her husband who seemed to have lost interest in her. There is little if anything in common between them, but this does nothing to detract from the sexual apprehension. Thomas takes cues from his environ as he steers hard toward a possible union of bodies. Finally, after the usual concoction of moves and phrases, she invites him to her cabin. The physical interaction is tender (not to be taken literally) with Alice coming out the least affected. In a brutal twist, her true objective is revealed at films end as she deftly turns conventional wisdom upside down about woman as emotional victims of the male ego. 

The film embodies two evident but often not so transparent elements of relationships and sexual politics. We witness classic and hackneyed battle of the sexes matter from a feminine viewpoint as Alice slates men in relationships, relating to them as if nothing but users and abusers who treat woman as disposable lighters for their own personal whims. It is customary cynicism, the jilted woman purportedly running from a failed marriage.    

However, things are not as they seem (spoiler to come). You see, in the end, we discover that Alice is indeed married and has a child. One can assume that her earlier dialogue was either a dishonest distraction to delay and heighten the inevitable unification of flesh or, a not so neutral stance on the part of Breillet in terms of gender politics. Back to Alice, why did she do it? Is she a control freak seeking to take advantage of an impassioned teenager knowing all the while that she could guide and dominate at will? On the other hand, was it purely a case of enacting fantasy?

Brief Crossing reminds us about the common misconception that woman do not fantasize like males, that they are merely romantics more so than sexual beings. In the 1970’s Nancy Friday’s research showed us that woman not only fantasize but can also be perverse and kinky in thought and deed perhaps depending on where they are in the menstrual cycle. Here we see Alice possibly enacting a combination of commonly documented fantasies. “Sex with a stranger” – you do not have to see each other again, no emotional baggage, it is very naughty and one can be openly sexual without fear of being labeled. “Being sexually desirable” – the need to be wanted and desired by someone other than your spouse. “To be in charge” – today’s woman is dominant in society and some wish to bring that dominance into the bedroom, to be the heroin of the fantasy. Last but not least, “Older woman, younger man” – we recall Demi Moore proudly holding the hand of Ashton Kutcher, some 20 years her junior. The media screamed that this was not uncommon. It is conceivable that for Alice it was all just about sex and fantasy. After all, and older woman’s sexual peak is more closely attuned to that of a much younger male. 

The film exudes the kind of eroticism that is classic Breillet. Sarah Pratt is no Angelina Jolie, more "plain Jane", but such is the overall effect, that your atypical cannot wait for her to undress. Full marks to the Director for the sexual tension she creates and the way it absorbs the viewer. Look out for the astute camerawork, which beautifully captures the person, the character, the emotion and tension. The photographic technique speaks when dialogue is absent; the visuals become part of the storytelling. 

Enjoy Brief Crossing for its honest delivery of eroticism and human craving and remember as you watch, that it is not only foreign film, but created in the Breillet universe. In the end, make your own judgement about Alice’s behaviour.

Eyes Wide Shut A Review By Otto Marasco

Running Length: 2:40
MPAA Classification: R (Graphic sex, frequent nudity, profanity)

Cast: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Sydney Pollack, Todd Field, Marie Richardson, Rade Serbedzija, Vinessa Shaw, Leelee Sobieski

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Producer: Stanley Kubric

It was with inquisitive anticipation that I approached my first viewing of Stanley Kubrick’s 14th and final work – Eyes Wide Shut. It certainly was not so much due to the much-hyped publicity that preceded its launch; the steamy trailers, and newsstand covers seemingly depicting a world of necrophilia, swinging and extra–marital exploration wrapped in an erotically charged thriller. It was the famous director and filmmaker that incited my fascination, and in particular, how he would treat the subject matter of his latest work – the destructive de-humanizing elements of human nature; fears and jealousy.

Eyes Wide Shut is largely concerning a transitory fracture that develops within the seemingly perfect relationship between Dr. Bill Harford (Tom Cruise) the well-heeled Manhattan general practitioner and his wife Alice (Nicole Kidman). The film has the directors’ definitive stamp. Indeed Kubrick’s perfectionist filmmaking idiosyncrasies have been well documented but deserve special reference in this case. The eclectic and yet minimal music, beautiful rich imagery and colour, the meticulously unhurried presentation all shot with an exceedingly decipherable measure of precision. Eyes Wide Shut confers the impression that you are viewing a masterpiece. Just like 2001 A Space Odyssey, Full Metal Jacket and A Clockwork Orange this is a challenging and intellectual film made by a unique artist whose product practically defies established film genres. It is perhaps fitting to state that Stanley Kubrick’s work is a genre in itself. The curtain rise reveals the doctor and his wife as they prepare to attend a sophisticated upper class Christmas function thrown by a friend Victor Zeigler (Sydney Pollack). They both engage in some open flirtation, Bill with two gorgeous women and Alice with a vulturous Hungarian lothario. Following on Alice asks Bill why he does not seem to mind her enticing behavior. His responds that he trusts her totally and in any event, suggests that it is men who are most likely to seek sex outside of marriage. The response touches her raw side. She decides to unequivocally reveal the lust she felt for a naval officer they both encountered sometime in their past. Her narrative is comprehensive and exposes a sincere carnal longing. Bill is psychologically wounded and experiences a sudden surge of jealousy. Shakespeare’s “green-eyed-monster” jealousy is a gut-wrenching and tormenting feeling which (depending on the degree of the threat) can bring even the most content and outwardly successful of souls down to the lowest levels – the bourgeois and beyond are not exempted. Dr. Bill Harford’s exclusive hold on Alice is under siege. As a way of coping he embarks on some adventures of his own which lead to a surreal gothic like underworld of sexual fear and desire, perversion and pleasure mixed with elements of real danger and even death. The supporting cast members are brilliant and appear especially real and convincing. The art direction provides copious amounts of plush detail. Beautiful antique interiors, apartments with foyers to die for, long (very long) hallways and ballrooms belonging to characters that live in an enduring world of prosperity. If there is to be any Freudian streak within the theme it would be the connection made between sex and death. The doctor fearing for his life after viewing the orgy, the dead patients daughter asserting her longing for the doctor and the prostitute who is diagnosed HIV positive. Ultimately, the film tends to disturb rather than arouse. Interestingly, there is something oddly uncontemporary and old fashioned about the way Eyes Wide Shut deals with sex. It highlights the negative forces it can generate because of its repression. To this end, the film would have had greater impact if it were set in the days before the sexual revolution. Its painstaking production and attention to every detail has created a degree of artificiality within the product. This is an inevitable outcome given the directors style and it will undeniably limit its saturation value within the mainstream. For the nonprofessional the entertainment value is somewhat diminished, as Eyes Wide Shut is far more akin to an outstanding art house film. For me every scene extension, exaggerated dialogue and the seemingly overcooked character presence represents Kubrick’s qualities. The technical proficiency and limitless exactitudes are there for good reason and challenge viewers to become absorbed. Eyes Wide Shut offers far more than an evening’s diversion in front of a Plasma, CRT or LCD. It seeks the attention of a thoughtful audience in a manner and way that harks back to the very early classics. We should understand that Kubrick gave up on film critics almost three decades ago. It can be argued that to enjoy the film one has to understand the director’s emotions and thought processes, indeed one gets the impression that Kubrick would have expected nothing less from an audience. Clearly, it will appeal to a select few in addition to hardcore fans. I challenge the rest to appreciate what it offers in the context of intellectual and influential cinema.

Adult Film Reviews

I once produced a small collection of adult film reviews for those who appreciate the cinematic art of contemporary adult film.

The content had nothing to do with pornography or pornographic film. More accurately, it featured a compilation of reviews of selected adult orientated films; as distinct to pornographic film. 

Adult film reviews you ask? Allow me to explain. It was a typically cold and wet day in 2002. There I was in bed marvelling at how thought impulses and consequently actions can be dictated by the activities of the groin. How powerful it is, that which we refer to as the libido. A blinding anatomical force that can ignite the most restful and content soul, given the right circumstances, the right stimuli; be it sight and/or sound and/or smell and/or touch. A force experienced by all us mortals and in my particular case, it shamelessly swept me into a course of action.

The stimulus to write my first film review, in this case Unfaithful, starring Richard Gere and Diane Lane, presented itself during a period of convalescence that cold and wet Saturday afternoon. There I was lying in bed, experiencing a moderate amount of lower abdominal pain following a short stay in hospital. Oh yes, the surgery had gone smoothly but until our medical fraternity learns how to switch pain off at the source we seek solace with the seemingly primitive and hopelessly un-localized pain management methods of our time. I refer, of course, to the usual cocktail of Paracetamol, Codeine Phosphate and Ibuprofen.  

But not even post-op pain can quell a human's spontaneous ability to be sexually aroused. As I brooded my sorry state, and in particular my inability to satisfy an escalating urge to deliberately fall into a state of complete concupiscence with a woman, I come across a radio film analysis whilst despondently scanning the AM frequencies for something to seize the attention. And so it did, I'm not sure whether it was Diane Lanes' background cries of ecstasy or the reviewers dialogue as he casually tossed around terms and phrases like "as he touched her you actually see the flesh vibrating", "juicy illicit passion", "an expressive account of a woman in mid-life, for the first time truly, madly deeply in lust". I am sure it was both. Within the hour I fire up the broadband and viewed a large high quality trailer download. In this instance, the scene on the passenger train as she re-lived a recent sexual encounter. And so came the spur to seek out the entire show and produce the review. In retrospect it was simply a case of the right stimuli at the right time, the fusing and total integration of two wavelengths, one of which rested in my mind...marketing practitioners rejoice. 

I could not have anticipated the positive feedback following the review and so, some months later, I decided to continue on with my new found vocation and review other films of the same genre; namely, adult orientated drama. 

I never referred to myself as a film reviewer or film critic per se. I did not have the established prerequisites normally associated with the profession - a journalistic background in addition to good knowledge of cinematic history, philosophy and relevant biographies. Nor was I educated in the annals of film arts and the critical theory of the medium. Accordingly, it is with respect that I put forward the term "reviews". I am, however, comfortable to refer to myself as a writer of sorts. 

The content presented brought together film reviews of a genre of interest to me at the time.

For mine a good film review will replay the experience the reviewer had upon viewing the film. This will be based on subjective preferences, feelings and emotions and it can say as much about the reviewer, the society which produced the analysis, and the current state of affairs under which the film was viewed, than about the actual motion picture. A logic which very much applies to me as anyone else. As Anais Nin would say: "We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are".

Generally speaking, the sensual elements of the featured films focus directly and indirectly on themes which incorporate evocative and erotic love scenes - sex. Fortunately, in the erotic context, the content is not in all cases explicit, or otherwise said, pornographic. 

Accordingly, and by design, I sought to distance the page content and framework from any connotations related to pornography or related overtones. Quite conversely, albeit subjectively, erotica is art as it deals with the more unambiguous elements of sex. The film subject matter is developed aesthetically, artistically and beautifully. Good adult cinema cultivates the characters, place, story and brings forth emotional content and thus viewer involvement. Enjoy!

Links below:

The Great Beauty and I Film Review by Otto Marasco

Brief Crossing Film Review by Otto Marasco

Eyes Wide Shut A Review by Otto Marasco