Italian Film Club: The Great Beauty | Reel Lives
Date: 24 June 2025
Venue: Nerve Centre, 7-8 Magazine Street, Derry, Derry, BT48 6HJ
Jep Gambardella was once hailed as a literary genius for his debut novel, but in the years since has plied his trade as a columnist for a Rome newspaper.
Jep Gambardella was once hailed as a literary genius for his debut novel, but in the years since has plied his trade as a columnist for a Rome newspaper.
A giant amongst the city's high society, he nevertheless feels he has failed in life. And he sees the world he once embraced as a venal, self-interested place. But how to escape the present and recapture the spirit and romanticism of his youth?
Sorrentino regular Toni Servillo is outstanding as Gambardella, at once charming and needy, smart and insecure. And the ensemble cast perfectly captures the grotesquery of this world. But the true star is Rome itself, which Sorrentino captures in all of its grandeur. Rhapsodic and visually dazzling, this satirical Oscar®-winner is the worthy successor to Fellini's La Dolce Vita.
Paolo Sorrentino | Italy, France | 2013 | 141 mins | Subtitled | 15