La Grande Bellezza (2013)
Film Analysis
Director:
Paolo Sorrentino
Country:
ITALY
Year:
2013
Language
Italian
Genre:
Artistic Drama
Location shot :
Rome, Italy
Cast:
Toni Servillo as Jep Gambardella
Production:
Indigo Film in collaboration with Rai Cinema.
Nominations:
Academy Awards: 1 nomination (Best Foreign Language Film).
Golden Globe Awards: 1 win (Best Foreign Language Film)
BAFTA Awards: 1 nomination (Best Film Not in the English Language).
Music:
Lele Marchitelli
Trailer of La Grande Bellezza (2013).
Introduction.
Last week, I had the chance to see La Grande Bellezza (2013) again on the big screen during its re-release in Utrecht following the release of Paolo Sorrentino’s new film, Parthenope (2024). Although I had seen the movie when it first came out, watching it again, this time with a bit more life experience and a deeper understanding, it resonated with me in unexpected and beautiful ways. La Grande Bellezza felt even more powerful, hitting on emotions I hadn’t fully grasped the first time around.
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What makes La Grande Bellezza (2013) especially meaningful to me is my personal connection to Rome. I lived there for seven months in 2016, studying at University and learning Italian, and the film took me back to those moments. The familiarity of the city’s streets, the rhythm of its life, and the beauty of its language added a personal layer to the experience.
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La Grande Bellezza triggered a subtle yet deeply emotional response in me, one I couldn’t quite explain at first. The film envelops you in a beautiful blend of awe, beauty, and nostalgia, with all the emotions it evokes slowly building up throughout. It wasn’t until the final scene, where Jep (played by Toni Servillo) reflects on his first love, that all the built-up feelings came rushing in. I found myself moved to tears by the sheer beauty and melancholy that runs through the film.
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It is this kind of emotional depth, the ability to evoke such delicate and hidden emotions, that makes me love cinema. A film that can do that is, in my opinion, the mark of truly great filmmaking.
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×´I thought it would be interesting to make a movie about everything, and for this reason, it's also a movie about nothing.×´
March 1st, 2025: La Grande Bellezza (2013) returns to the big screen at Slachtstraat, Utrecht. I wasn’t the only one excited for the re-release - the movie was sold out.
The Story.
At its heart, La Grande Bellezza is about disillusionment, the search for meaning, and the emptiness that can linger even in the most seemingly glamorous lives. The film follows Jep Gambardella, a 65-year-old, wealthy man living in Rome, who enjoys a life of luxury, filled with parties, beautiful women, and the beauty of the city. Yet, despite his material success, Jep begins to question the purpose of his existence. What is the purpose of life when you seemingly have it all? The contrast between his wealth and inner emptiness is a central theme of the film, which Sorrentino explores through striking visuals and deep existential reflection.
La Grande Bellezza (2013)
Cinematography and Camera Techniques.
One of the standout features of La Grande Bellezza (2013) is its cinematography, which brings a beautiful artistic quality to the storytelling. The film uses various techniques to enhance the narrative and emotional depth:
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Direct Engagement with the Audience: One technique I found particularly effective is when Jep looks directly into the camera. This direct gaze creates an intimate connection between the character and the viewer, making us feel the emptiness and loneliness that Jep experiences. It’s a subtle but powerful way of drawing us into his emotional world. The movie Y Tu Mama Tambien has a similar scene with this direct engagement, which I also find powerful and stunning.
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Overall camera movement: the camera work is quite peculiar, especially in scenes like the opening shot, which sets the tone for the rest of the film.
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Horizontal Camera Movement: There is a beautiful shot where Jep lies on a bed, with the camera following his hand and cigarette as they rise slowly. That camera work worked very well in that scene, in my opinion.
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Overhead Shots: Sorrentino often uses shots from above (overhead shots), slowly tilting downwards. These top-down perspectives create a feeling of detachment, as if we are observing the character from a distance, unable to interfere.
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Focus on Details: The camera often lingers on small details - a fountain, a fleeting moment in the city - before shifting to the main action. This adds a sense of mystery and highlights the richness of the beautiful surroundings of Rome.
La Grande Bellezza (2013) - Camera Techniques: pay close attention to the camera movements and how they contribute to the beauty and mystery of this scene.
La Grande Bellezza (2013) – Camera Technique: "Direct Engagement with the Audience" is used several times in this movie, and I think it works perfectly here. This scene reminds me of a moment I really loved in Y Tu Mamá También.
The Cinematography of Memories and Nostalgia
Another aspect of the film that stood out to me was how Sorrentino blends memories into the present narrative. The transition between Jep’s present life and flashbacks to his youth is smooth, thanks to the camera work and editing, which subtly blur the lines between past and present. One scene I particularly liked is when Jep goes swimming in the sea, and suddenly we see his younger self. The transition between the present and the past was very smooth, and I think it worked really well. This intertwining of memories with the current moment serves to deepen our understanding of Jep’s character and the emotional weight he carries from his past.
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La Grande Bellezza (2013)
La Grande Bellezza (2013) - A beautiful scene: Jep’s first direct gaze at us, delivered so effortlessly, accompanied by the beautiful music, makes this moment particularly powerful, in my opinion.
Notable Scenes: Final Scene
The final scene deeply moved me. It's interesting how you can interpret a movie differently at 30 compared to when you were in your twenties. As we gain more life experience, we become more attuned to the subtle emotional layers in films.
La Grande Bellezza (2013) - A stunning final scene and powerful words… It truly moved me. See the translation below.
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Finisce sempre così, con la morte. Prima, però, c'è stata la vita, nascosta sotto il bla, bla, bla, bla, bla. È tutto sedimentato sotto il chiacchiericcio e il rumore. Il silenzio e il sentimento, l'emozione e la paura. Gli sparuti incostanti sprazzi di bellezza. E poi lo squallore disgraziato e l'uomo miserabile. Tutto sepolto dalla coperta dell'imbarazzo dello stare al mondo. Bla, bla, bla, bla. Altrove, c'è l'altrove, io non mi occupo dell'altrove. Dunque, che questo romanzo abbia inizio. In fondo, è solo un trucco, sì, è solo un trucco.​​
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×´This is how it always ends. With death. But first there was life. Hidden beneath the blah, blah, blah. It's all settled beneath the chitter chatter and the noise. Silence and sentiment. Emotion and fear. The haggard, inconstant flashes of beauty. And then the wretched squalor and miserable humanity. All buried under the cover of the embarrassment of being in the world, blah, blah, blah... Beyond there is what lies beyond. I don't deal with what lies beyond. Therefore... let this novel begin. After all... it's just a trick. Yes, it's just a trick..×´
Notable Scenes: the Tevere Scene
One of the film's most memorable moments takes place near the Tevere, where Jep reflects on the nature of life. The dialogue is powerful, and what made it even more meaningful for me was that I used to run through this exact spot every morning when I lived in Rome. The scene brought back vivid memories of my time there. I recognize these exact colors of the morning sun reflecting on the water.
La Grande Bellezza (2013) - a beautiful scene with a beautiful voice-over. See the translation below.
×´La più consistente scoperta che ho fatto pochi giorni dopo aver compiuto 65 anni è che non posso più perdere tempo a fare cose che non mi va di fare.×´
×´The most significant discovery I made just a few days after turning 65 is that I can no longer waste time doing things I don’t want to do.×´
Notable Scenes: the Opening Scene
The opening scene, with its stunning - almost haunting - music, beautifully captures the unique charm and magic of Rome. It highlights the city's historical beauty and its ability to evoke both awe and melancholy. This scene truly sets the tone for the rest of the movie with its stunning cinematography, interesting camera movements, and beautiful visuals.
La Grande Bellezza (2013) – Beautiful opening scene: Rome and its beauty. Pay close attention to the interesting camera movements.
Notable Scenes: the Talk
The scene where Jep confronts a 'shallow' woman in a moment of clarity reflects his growing disillusionment with the superficiality of his life.
Music.
The music in La Grande Bellezza enhances the film's atmosphere and themes. A mix of classical and modern tracks highlights both the beauty of Rome and Jep’s internal struggle. The music complements the visual grandeur while reflecting Jep's sense of emptiness and his search for meaning, making the scenes feel more emotionally impactful.
Final thoughts.
La Grande Bellezza forces you to confront life’s deeper questions, particularly the search for meaning and the existential void that can persist even in a life of luxury. The film encourages reflection on one’s own life, desires, and disillusionments. It's not often that a movie can challenge you to think about life itself, and La Grande Bellezza does this in the most subtle, yet profound way.
Interviews and videos to watch on Youtube.
Trailer of La Grande Bellezza (2013).
(7min): Academy Conversations: interview with director Paolo Sorrentino.
(2min): Interview with director Paolo Sorrentino
(31min): Interview with director Sorrentino and main actor Servillo. Interview in Italian.