Review of The Great Beauty (2013) by Jim H — 22 Mar 2014

An Italian socialite, depressed with the high life, seeks moving aesthetic expression.

So heavily influenced by Fellini is this film that I was tongue-in-cheek surprised that it was directed by Paul Sorrentino, The Great Beauty is neo-realism at its best. The beautiful shots of Jep staring at the giraffe, the party sequences, the crazy artists who dye their pubic hair red and shave the hammer and sickle into it, the luxuriant shots of The Eternal City -- all these threads create a hypnotic fabric for the film. Toni Servillo's Jep embodies artistic ennui at its most pretentious and its most human, and the film's story is slight and subtle but still captivating.

Overall, this is not the "next step on Fellini's road," but its a fitting homage.