The Great Beauty (Italian: La Grande Bellezza) is a 2013 Italian film directed by Paolo Surrentino. The picture won best foreign language film at the Gold Globes, 86th Academy Awards, and BAFTA. It is the story of writer Jep Gambardella (Toni Servillo) as he explores Rome reflecting upon his life and revelation of his transformation. This essay shall examine and analyze a pivotal sequence within The Great Beauty.
Before the pivotal sequence, Jep and his friend Romano (Carlo Verdene) are in Romano’s student flat. Here, Romano and Jep have a conversation about Romano’s new play, their past lovers, and how Jep may write again after despite the fact that his he wrote his last novel 20 years ago. Jep’s final statement in this scene is “Something always happens in Rome. Nothing happened,” in response to Romano asking what happened for him too decide to write again. At this time, the director ends the dialogue for a moment to show Romano staring off into the distance. He calls over Jep to show what he sees and the camera turns allowing the audience to see a couple passionately kissing. Romano explains that couple met at a University 10 days ago and hasn’t stopped kissing ever since. The camera returns to the couple and a poster behind them illuminates into whiteness allowing, a transition to the next scene. The voice of Stefenia (Galatea Ranzi) can be then heard saying “this generation of youth horrifies me”.
The next scene takes place at Jep’s terrace overlooking the Coliseum. Here, Jep and his friends listen as Stefenia explains the problems of Italy and why she is above that. A possible reason for the filmmakers decision to make the transition from the couple to Stefenia’s is to a add bit of tragicomedy to the film. The couple does ...
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...lifestyle. Their lives are unchanged as is most of Italy and the characters cannot live up to the great beauty that surrounds them such, as the ancient statues, Baroque palazzo, even the view of the Coliseum on Jep’s terrace. With that the filmmakers imply that for Jep to escape the trap of luxury he must find the transcendental grandeur of life; the great beauty.
The Great Beauty was an amazing film with wonderful imagery that made me want to purchase a ticket to Italy. The film had so many captivating scenes that it was difficult to choose one to analyze. There were so many layers in this movie emphasizing the eternal city itself and its inhabitants. The film plays around with the notion that the eternal city is eternal because there is no change and the only way to break the pattern is to become like a tourist and travels and see the great beauty around you.
The astounding perils of young love has been eloquently captured in the story of Romeo and Juliet. Franco Zefferelli and Baz Luhrmann are the creators of the two most renowned film adaptations of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Zefferelli, the more traditional director, created his Oscar winning version in 1968. Baz Luhrmann put an abstract, modern twist on Shakespeare's classic and created the 1996 version that raised millions of dollars in box office sales. Being that these two films are so different, I have chosen to compare them to one another, using the famed balcony scene as my focus.
?Life Is Beautiful? gives the audience a vivid look into what happened during the Holocaust. Roberto Benigni plays a very upbeat, carefree bookstore owner. His wife, who is not Jewish, and his son are forced into a concentration camp. They are deported on a train with many other Jews. From the point the get to the camp, Benigni shows the audience what it was like for the Jews. During selection, his wife is separated from him and his son, along with his uncle. The movie shows the Jews working where there are hot furnaces having to haul around heavy objects all day. It also shows the German?s being cruel in a verbal way to the Jews. At one point in the movie, Benigni returns late to his bunk where his son is waiting. Another man in the bunk informs Benigni that everyone was nervous he would not return. This shows the fear that the Jews had to live with every day while they were contained in the concentration camps. This would be good ...
In the next scene, at the café, much of the dialogue stays very close to the dialogue from the written version of the play with the exception of the occasional use of word choice. However, Miss Y’s reactions seem to come across more...
The Bad and The Beautiful (1952) and State and Main (2000) are films within films that unmask Hollywood Cinema as a dream factory and expose the grotesque, veneer hidden by the luxury of stars. The Bad and the Beautiful, directed by Vincent Minnelli, is a black and white film narrated in flashback form. The films theatrical nature requires more close-ups than wide-screen shots to capture the character’s psychological turmoil. For example, Fred and Jonathan’s car ride is captured in a close-up to signify their friendship; however their relationship deteriorates after Jonathan’s deceit. While the camera zooms out, Fred stands alone motionless. Here, Fred is captured from a distance at eye-level and he becomes ostracized by the film industry and
The reimagined scene is similar to Act II Scene I from Much Ado in that a deception by one of the characters plays a role in bringing a couple together. This brings out various issues around courtship such as the uncertainty that people have and the question of trust. Similar to Much Ado, the scene sees love prevailing and the whole process of courtship ending in happiness for all.
The play begins with a prologue explaining the basic idea of what happens between the two households in Verona saying “where
tells us that the play is set in Verona, and that a couple take their
One motif which reappears in the film is the power of nature, especially in relation to the individual. In fact, the film begins with a majestic shot of the Rocky Mountains showing its beauty and height. The beauty of nature and even friendliness of nature changes as the film develops. As the movie progresses the snow still seems white and pure, almost virgin like, but nature becomes an isolating force, not providing the family with a retreat from the pressures of modern life, but forcing the family to turn in on its dysfunctional and psychopathic self. Imprisoned by the snow and the tall mountains , the family seems weak and vulnerable.
Jeanne-Marie LePrince de Beaumont’s take on “Beauty and the Beast” is a pretty simple story. A single merchant father of six kids loses his fortune. He meets the Beast when
In my essay I will discuss the differences between national cinema and Hollywood cinema by using Rio de Janeiro¡¯s famous film City of God. There will be three parts in my following main body, the first part is a simple review of the film City of God, I will try to use the review to show the film structure and some different new points from this, show the how did the ¡®Shocking, frightening, thrilling and funny¡¯ (Nev Pierce) work in the film. The second part is my discussion parts; I will refer some typical Hollywood big name films such as Gangs in New York, Shawshank¡¯s Redemption, and Good Fellas to discuss the main differences between City of God and other national films. The third part is my summary, I will use my knowledge to analyse why there have big different between both kind of films and their advantages.
“Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder” is a well-known statement that holds true. Everyone has a different opinion about what is beautiful. What one person finds attractive and beautiful may not appeal to another person. Beauty cannot be judged. In everyday life, we meet and see different people and pass by numerous things. Twilight Zone - The Eye of the Beholder by Rod Sterling is a short movie that inspires a person to look closer at what people think is beautiful. By watching “The Eye of the Beholder,” people can see the influence of the government on society and can compare and contrast what beauty is today with what it was in the 1960s.
So what is beauty? In the first few paragraphs of his article, David Brooks describes the ballet dancers across his street as “arrestingly beautiful” because it “exposes the limitations of the normal, banal streetscape” he takes “for granted every day.” If we are to define beauty according to his thoughts, then beauty is something that stands out from the mundane or something that makes us realize the banality.
In 1996, Baz Luhrmann directed “Romeo + Juliet”, a modern twist on the famous tragedy play by William Shakespeare in 1597 where the main characters Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet where portrayed by Leonardo Dicaprio and Claire Danes. While some praise the strange interpretation of the old tale, there are also those who condemn the rendition as a destructive and disrespectful to the great work of Shakespeare. There will always be two sides to every story and this work will take that into consideration as well as comparing the two different yet similar works to see how post modernism has played a role in Luhrmann’s version of Romeo and Juliet.
In the words of Giuseppe Verdi, “You may have the universe if I may have Italy” (Brainyquote.com). Italy is one of the top hotspots for vacation, and there is a plethora of reasons why. Immediately upon arriving, you can smell the aroma of fresh, home-made foods. The beauty of the architecture in even the average buildings is overwhelming. The culture is unique and fascinating; unlike anything you will ever see anywhere else. There are so many places you could visit in Italy, you could spend a lifetime there, and it would never be enough. Rome, Tuscany, Pompeii, Pisa, Florence, and Venice are must-sees, to name just a handful. (http://www.kids-world-travel-guide.com) Italy is in essence, a paradise unlike any other, that everyone should have the privilege of enjoying. (pathos)
...director did not limit the film to its historical context but extended the same to romance and fantasy. From a different angle of view, the director made use of the theme to communicate with the viewers and the fictional characters can be considered as his tools. Besides, ample importance is given to historical and fictional characters. In short, the amalgamation of history, fantasy and romance constituted much to the film’s importance as a historical/fictional masterpiece.