About The Great Beauty

The Great Beauty (Italian: La grande bellezza) is a 2013 Italian art drama film co-written and directed by Paolo Sorrentino. The film follows Jep Gambardella (Toni Servillo), a washed-up writer who turned 65, who bitterly recalls his passionate youth and the vibrant nightlife of Rome he used to adore. He starts to look past the extravagant nightclubs, parties, and cafés to find Rome in all its glory: a timeless landscape of absurd, exquisite beauty.

Making / Production

Directed by Paolo Sorrentino and produced by Nicola Giuliano and Francesca Cima, The Great Beauty was released in 2013, with Indigo Film as the production company. The movie was largely shot on location in Rome, Italy.

Actors

• Toni Servillo as Jep Gambardella: A life-weary journalist seeking the great beauty of life that he had once known.
• Carlo Verdone as Romano: A struggling playwright and close friend of Jep's, who never found success.
• Sabrina Ferilli as Ramona: A 42-year-old stripper who becomes Jep's girlfriend.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• The scenes at night were shot using only natural lighting and without any additional light source.
• Most of the actors were non-professionals to give more authenticity to the characters.
• The film includes stunning shots of landmark structures in Rome, like the Colosseum and the Vatican.

Awards

The Great Beauty earned critical acclaim worldwide and has won several awards. Among those awards was the prestigious Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards. It also won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film and the BAFTA award for Best Film Not in the English Language.

Quotes

• "We're all on the brink of despair, all we can do is look each other in the face, keep each other company, joke a little... Don't you agree?" - Jep Gambardella
• "You're Jep Gambardella. You can't afford to be ordinary." - Romano

Music / Soundtrack

• "The Beatitudes" by Kronos Quartet
• "Far l'amore" by Bob Sinclar and Raffaella Carra
• "My Heart's in the Highlands" by Arvo Pärt performed by Else Torp and Christopher Bowers Broadbent