Rent The Great Beauty (2013)

3.3 of 5 from 523 ratings
2h 15min
Rent The Great Beauty (aka La Grande Bellezza) Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
  • General info
  • Available formats
Synopsis:
Jep Gambardella, a 65-year-old journalist and once promising novelist, lives his easy life among Rome's decadent high society in a swirl of rooftop parties and late-night soirees. But when he learns of the death of his friend's wife - a woman he once loved as an 18-year-old - his life is thrown into perspective and he begins to see the world through new eyes...
Actors:
, , , , , , , , , , , Anna Della Rosa, , , , , , , ,
Directors:
Producers:
Francesca Cima, Nicola Giuliano
Voiced By:
Christine Aubry
Writers:
Paolo Sorrentino
Aka:
La Grande Bellezza
Studio:
Artificial Eye Film Company Ltd.
Genres:
Comedy, Drama
Collections:
A Brief History of Cinema Afloat: Part 2, A Brief History of Films About Nuns, Award Winners, Cinema Paradiso's Euro 24 Film Festival, Oscars: Winners & Losers, A Brief History of Film...
Countries:
Italy
Awards:

2014 BAFTA Best Foreign Film

2014 Oscar Best Foreign Film

BBFC:
Release Date:
13/01/2014
Run Time:
135 minutes
Languages:
Italian Dolby Digital 2.0, Italian DTS 5.1
Subtitles:
English
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.78:1 / 16:9
Colour:
Colour
Bonus:
  • 'Backstage' Featurette
  • Theatrical Trailer
BBFC:
Release Date:
13/01/2014
Run Time:
139 minutes
Languages:
Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, Italian LPCM Stereo
Subtitles:
English
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.78:1 / 16:9
Colour:
Colour
BLU-RAY Regions:
B
Bonus:
  • 'Backstage' Featurette
  • Theatrical Trailer

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Reviews (12) of The Great Beauty

A film with a difference - The Great Beauty review by BE

Spoiler Alert
01/03/2015

No story as such but a presentation of ageing Italians who appear to be living in an unchallenging void, clinging on to the edge of life. They mask the inevitable by living an hedonistic and shallow lifestyle. Nonetheless, I was enthralled throughout. Tony Servillo brilliantly took the lead role, the settings were beguiling along with some really beautiful scenery. It is excellently crafted. My only criticism is the subtitles which at times were so fast and furious, I had to backtrack to fully read them.

4 out of 5 members found this review helpful.

Pretentious Twaddle - The Great Beauty review by LP

Spoiler Alert
20/04/2014

I was expecting good things from this film but how wrong I was. This is a a big steaming pile of pretentious twaddle. If you wanted to stop anyone from watching world cinema then just show them this. How it won an Oscar is beyond me.

4 out of 9 members found this review helpful.

We gave up on this one! - The Great Beauty review by CP Customer

Spoiler Alert
05/09/2014

Sometimes films which are described boring or incomprehensible in reviews end up being the films we enjoy, but not this one. We lasted 50 minutes,,,,,

There are better easy of spending 2 1/2 hours!!

3 out of 7 members found this review helpful.

Critic review

The Great Beauty (aka La Grande Bellezza) review by George Hooper - Cinema Paradiso

Before I watched The Great Beauty I had already been told it would be a love it or hate it film and while I didn’t love it, I can’t say I hated it either. Sure the film is unbearably long at 140 minutes and there are scenes that contain nothing but ridiculous dancing but it’s also incredibly profound, shot in a new and interesting way and filled with enough philosophical thought to last a lifetime.

When Jep (Toni Servillo) learns of a past loves untimely death he enters a mode of reflection as he looks back on his life while learning to appreciate the things he has in the present that ground him. While he struggles with his grief he also helps others find their path as he tries to find something to write about as part of his long gestating second book, one he is adamant he doesn’t want to write.

As Jep strolls the city, takes in the sights and sounds and the beauty of the place we start to understand how little he really knows about real beauty, something he has unwittedly been looking for all his life. He lectures people about what they should be experiencing but he doesn’t understand it really. Servillo portrays this perfectly as Jep’s barriers begin to collapse around him and his rules begin to be nothing more than guidelines.

The fluid direction as shots flow into one another proves not only unusual but relevatory as every sequence is given a more effervescent and lively atmosphere with a hint of mystery thrown in for good measure. The film doesn’t pretend to understand The Great Beauty it is trying to show but it gets that we all see it in a different way so director Paulo Sorrentino ensures we never see any unnecessary shots.

That being said the film is full of moments that contain subtle elements but never really add to the big picture, you can enjoy them on their own but can’t appreciate the full package. Jep seems to have that problem as well which either makes this picture surprisingly ironic or powerfully expressive.

Unlike any film you will see this year, The Great Beauty is quintessentially Italian as it uses art, life and love to reaffirm and depress us at the same time

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