No point in reiterating the praise already heaped on yet another brilliant Sorrentino entertainment except to emphasize what a mind-blowing tour de force Toni Servillo gives. He deserves an Oscar for Best Leading Actor (which he won't get). I'm saddened by the way reviewers have ignored the performances of the sheep. Silence of the Lambs, I guess. (I couldn't resist...sorry)
Reviews
4 Reviews
The Great Beauty
(2013)
The Second Novel of Jep Gambardella
25 March 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Even positive reviews of Sorrentino's masterpiece cavill at the lack of an ongoing story amidst the vignettes of 21st century dolce vita. In fact, the storyline is there for those with eyes to see it. It makes its first appearance as Jep stares at his bedroom ceiling which morphs into a blue sea. Unexpectedly, the husband of Jep's first (and only) love arrives to tell him she has died and in her diary she named Jep as her one true love. The image of the blue sea is explained as we see a flashback to Jep (in his early 20s) diving under an oncoming speed boat, watched by girls including the one he falls in love with. Later, in another flashback, Jep recalls their moonlit tryst. It was their love that inspired Jep's first highly acclaimed novel. Since then, he has suppressed the great beauty of their innocent love. But events have conspired to force him to remember and then, and only then, is he ready to begin his second novel. With dry pseudo-cynicism, he says "It's just a trick". We know better.
The Unexpected Last 30" of Birdman
12 June 2015
Warning: Spoilers
I sat through the first three-quarters of this movie wondering if I was the only viewer whose eyes rolled in exasperation. After reading most of the current responses on here, clearly I wasn't alone in my irritation at the histrionic, over-the-top neurotics (including Keaton's character) whose "problems" I'm supposed to take to heart? Or find amusing? Neither. By the time Riggan confronts the make-you-or-break-you critic whose review, she predicts, will kill Riggan's play and career (Lindsay Duncan as Tabitha - best or least overacted performance?) I agreed with her assessment: "Entitled, selfish, spoiled children". As I had company arriving I switched the DVD player off and only watched the last quarter next day. Ironically, as soon as it morphs into the sort of SFX, CGI blockbuster territory that Birdman (the superhero) inhabits, my interest perked up. To the extent of deciding to watch it again. Well, at least it's not Titanic. Stand by for 2nd impression! NEXT DAY: on second viewing I warmed to Birdman. Perhaps I was feeling more empathy for the character of Riggan (which name, pronounced by American actors, sounded more like Regan, King Lear's ungrateful daughter). I smiled more at the wit and soared more at the ending. I still don't know what we're supposed to make of Riggan's telekinetic powers - are they real or fantasised? observed by others (as in the final frames, his daughter looks up to see Dad in the air)? or simply a metaphor for power? Never mind: it's a movie that stretches the envelope and that, if nothing else, has to be a Good Thing.
The Pawnbroker
(1964)
Flawed masterpiece?
29 June 2008
The Pawnbroker is, in my opinion, essential viewing despite its flaws. Steiger's performance is utterly compelling - it is the heart and soul of the movie. Lumet's direction strikes me as clunky - there are several scenes which seem purposeless (for example, a shot of Brock Peters schmoozing two girls just before the climactic sequence)and the flashbacks are superfluous. The opening sequence seems corny, with its romanticized slo-mo shots of Happy Family in Countryside. Similarly, do we really need concentration camp recreations to tell us what happened to the pawnbroker and his family? It's all there in Steiger's face and body language. Sorry, Quincy Jones, but the score is lame and does nothing to enhance the movie. If only Elia Kazan had directed it. Nonetheless, it remains one of the best films about the Holocaust.
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