mehmet_kurtkaya

It was a few weeks ago, within the first few seconds of the trailers I had understood it was a movie by one of the two greatest Italian directors of our time Paolo Sorrentino, the other being Nanni Moretti. A few seconds later I have thought this could be a movie on Il Divo's most memorable scene for me, the party and the dance of Toni Servino's character and I was very happy Sorrentino elaborated on that. And few seconds later Fellini came to my mind, 8 1/2 that is, long before the trailer ended.

So I was very eager to go see this movie. And it turned out even better than I had anticipated.

If one should think of Fellini, The Grande Belazza would be more of a Dolce Vita whose characters has run its course, like Rome itself, rather than 8 1/2. It is more international and more political but certainly not enough for our times.

Such beautiful imagery, such great acting and directing. The movie flows and shines before our eyes like the Mediterranean under the sun.

Sorrentino revisited his favorite theme of life, death and love many years after the Consequence del L'amore but surpassed it. He is working with Toni Servino again along with other aging artists to great effect.

Existentialism has its dose of cynicism and possibly being aware of this he criticizes himself as artists picking on things rather than feeling about them, as in Ramona tidbit in a conversation scene.

There are many metaphors such as legend of Sysiphos, but striking is the scene which reveals who is the worker in Italy! Sorrentino unlike Fellini portrays hypocrisy of the Western middle class side by side that of its wealthy rulers.

It shows Vatican as a sideshow to capitalism like Habemus Papam of Moretti but that side story is overly long though appropriate in the bigger theme of life, death and love.

Europeans almost never take on capitalism directly like Michael Moore does and too covert is too coward, hence cynical. Including Camus. Life is too much fun for the Mediterranean Europeans to ask for freedom. So the director leaves us with ambivalent feelings, a choice of either enjoying the absurdity and emptiness of life and or asking rigorous questions on capitalism and the West.

A masterpiece on artistic terms rather than the philosophical!

The movie creates ambivalent thoughts and feelings on many levels, on historic perspective, on the political grounds covered in sexual atmosphere prevalent in the West with case in point France, on the use of stereotypes and quality of storytelling.

Not much has changed in the West since Bunuel's Belle Du Jour. Its fallen capitalist system and the inevitable alienation and hypocrisy that shows itself in multiple facets of society including sexuality. I would add Ozon's own fixation on gay themes even in heterosexual films as an another result. In fact he makes as a director exactly what he criticizes in his film subject, so another level of Western hypocrisy.

So pretty Marine Vocht is! Well cast, well played. Her character asexual most of the time, a naive girl that sometimes grows up.

There is a slight directing fallout in the collage of sex scenes which falls flat, at times the movie just touches barely some of the themes and stays superficial.

Haneke's Cache corridors in the hotel were perfect! Immediately recognizable, Cache being one of the best European movies of all time.

Moral and sexual hypocrisy of the middle class is shown well a la Trier but much softer. Softer than Habla con Ella from Almodovar too.

Stereotyping of the German or the seemingly Middle Eastern guy had some truth in it and showing them side by side with French men was the right thing to do, showing the materialism transcending borders.

Psychologically the film explores known but important themes of narcissism, loneliness, alienation, vulnerability, an epidemic in the capitalist West. And on prostitution it was an interesting take with Charlotte Rampling's character and again did stay superficial since it ignores the system at the base.

It was great to see the girl being sorry for death of the guy rather than her prostitution. That violence and in general death gets a pass in the media and society while sexual escapades are always frowned upon.

All in all, it was good to see this film.