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“La Grande Bellezza as an inquiry into Italianness”

MA Thesis Comparative Literature Table of contents Introduction ...... 3 La Grande Bellezza: What is an Italian Film? ...... 3 “Made in Italy”: Some Thoughts on National Identity ...... 5 The Structure of the Analysis: Deconstructing “La Grande Bellezza”...... 7 Chapter 1: Two cities...... 9 Into the Narrative of a City: Italy and Italianness...... 9 Contrast: Two Visions of Rome ...... 11 The Rome of Italians ...... 11 The Rome of the Foreigners ...... 12 Setting the Tone: a banal Rome ...... 13 Chapter 2: A Character with an Old Premise in a New Story...... 16 Who is Jep Gambardella? ...... 16 Flaubert´s F. Moureau ...... 16 Fellini's M. Rubini ...... 17 Italian Social Interactions ...... 21 It´s just a trick but isn’t false ...... 22 A Circular Discourse: The Parties as to the Turning Points. A Hidden Narrative ...... 24 Chapter 3. The Others and their Narrative Role...... 30 Romano & Stefania: the Other Writers...... 30 The Women: Sparks of Meaning ...... 31 Ramona ...... 32 La Santa ...... 32 Chapter 4. The Construction of Italianness/Italianicity...... 36 Another Rome, a hidden Rome ...... 37 A reflection on Postmodernism ...... 40 Aqueduct Artist ...... 41 Conclusion ...... 46

2 Introduction

La Grande Bellezza: What is an Italian Film?

La Grande Bellezza was written and directed by Paolo Sorrentino and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2013. In terms of its awards, it is one of the most critically ac- claimed modern Italian films. These awards include: “Best Foreign Language Film” at the 86th Academy Awards, the 71st Golden Globe Awards, and the 67th British Acad- emy Film Awards. Moreover, according to Kimberli, the film was nominated for awards in several other categories at various film festivals, including for Best Cinematography (2014).

However, reviews for the film were not solely positive. It was also regarded as a dense- ly packed, often astonishing cinematic feast that honours Rome in all its splendour and superficiality (Weissberg). Veltroni, a well-established Italian critic said “Maybe the Great Beauty should be content in being a bad movie (as it) is rather an unprecedented emotional experience” (2014). He claimed that “Sorrentino comes to terms with Rome, but badly”. The majority of negative critiques of the film have alleged claims of preten- tiousness, over-ambition, and fundamental of lacking artistic qualities.

These negative reviews raised one of the main questions that led to the present study: Why did Sorrentino’s perception and projection of Italianness create such a division among the critics? Most of the reviews wandered around one main issue, the presenta- tion of a “concept of Italy”. Both positive and negative criteria indicated whether they approved or disapproved Sorrentino’s thesis on Rome.

In the following paragraph, we will be searching for answers in two different dimen- sions of analysis.

The first one will be ‘What the Rome of La Grande Belleza says to Italians?’ And the second will be the attempt to unveil ‘What this Rome says about Italy to non-Italian people?’

With that in mind, the next question is: What is the film about? The consensus among film critics is that the film presents a narrative about the wasted potential of the main

3 character and the search for redemption and meaning in his life. For example, Bergink concluded that “the film is concerned with happiness and the human condition” (2015). On the other hand, Klieman stated that “it highlights Rome’s breathtaking beautiful ar- chitecture, as well as its urban decay; it is also a portrait of all that is sacred and profane about the city” (2014). According to Jugernauth, “the film is a stunning account of the sheer variety of humanity” (2013), whereas Kohn said that “the film is more than a mere individual’s search for beauty, it is a portrayal of Italy as it exists today in the midst of political and economic crises” (2013). There are several points of views at the reception. It is undeniably curious about how the reviewer and the audience strive so hard to define a film that purposely eludes any definition.

Although it is not clear what the film is about, it is obvious at first sight that it seems “Italian”, and that it operates within the Italian cultural sphere. Not because it is spoken in Italian language nor because of the history, the characters and the actors that embod- ied these histories are Italians, but because there are many cultural references that a non- Italian audience would probably see as exotic, and which an Italian audience would un- derstand and find familiar. Italian viewers who are already accustomed to the cultural climate in their own country are often repelled by the sensationalised exaggerations. Similar to the “Roma di cartolina” (direct translation: Postcard Rome), such exaggera- tions have a negative, “touristy” connotation. The film offers a stereotypical representa- tion of Italian culture, presenting Rome as a metaphorical place, with mythical elements (Caldwell).

It seems accurate to say that what “Italy” represents for foreigners is not necessarily “Italian” for Italians (Forchielli). This is particularly interesting because, as will be dis- cussed further in the next paragraph, it is the first statement that Sorrentino presents in La Grande Bellezza.

However, before the discussion of the narrative, it is imperative to define ‘Italianicity’. Roland Barthes in his “Rhetoric of the Image” said that, Italianicity is not Italy; it is the “condensed essence of everything that might be Italian, from spaghetti to painting” (qtd. in Demaria & Sassatelli 1).

4 Sassatelli and Demaria argue that “Italianicity or, as we prefer, Italianness, is an icon of what Italy and «things Italian» might be. A brand of Pasta, Panzani, was then used as a revealing icon open to aesthetic and commercial sensibilities. A person who has never been to Italy, dreams about going there and has a clear idea on what to expect there, such as arts, culture, foods fashion, holiday’s good weather, food, beauty, and pleasure. What is interesting about Italianness is that it answers to local and global fantasies on what Italy might be” (1).

Indeed, it seems that La Grande Bellezza was able to provoke positive and negative fan- tasies in all spheres of the public: young and old, educated and uneducated, national and international; each one for different reasons. I feel that after watching the film, people will be forced to answer the most fundamental question of: Why is it so Italian?

“Made in Italy”: Some Thoughts on National Identity

Success in the international market of La Grande Bellezza is emblematic, in this sense, of the close relationship between the Italian identity and the “Made in Italy” label. This can also be understood as an American cultural construction – namely, a fragile identity, which is built for tourism, and clinging to an innate sense of aesthetic superiority that the foreign gaze grants (Minuz 35).

The cult of “Made in Italy” comes into play here through the use of Italian cultural par- ticularities. Gastaldi argued that Sorrentino knows the content which American viewers desire from an Italian film for it to be successful (2014). Sorrentino combines these con- tents with absolute mastery by reinforcing a stereotype in contemporary Italian cinema and forcing the viewer to identify with a past epoch.

However, before analysing how Italianness is fabricated in this film, it is important to consider the global cultural dominants which first of all create a frail ground for films, such as La Grande Bellezza to exist, and consequently be deliberated upon. It seems that in discussing about Italianness, one has to understand the historic moment in which the movie was produced. The whole world has been following globalisation trends for decades, a sort of unification of values, and a homogenisation.

5 Homogenisation processes raise a question: how much in the movie is Italian? National Identity can be defined as “that part of an individual’s self-concept which derives from his knowledge of his membership of a social group (or groups), together with the emo- tional significance attached to that membership” (Zeugner-Roth 25). The characters are never defined as “Italians”, Sorrentino made the film for an international audience; therefore, it is possible to suggest that what is Italian about the film would depend on what each particular spectator perceive as Italianicity. But why do so many people agreed to define La Grande Bellezza as an Italian film? National identity is the product of the development of modern nationalism. Since the French Revolution, modern na- tionalism has not only been an ideology, but also a political and social movement based on this ideology (Liu & Turner 1080). Nevertheless, with the globalisation/homogenisa- tion process is having more power than ever due to digital technologies developments; time and space becomes less relevant for national identity definitions. National identity is confronted with obscure anomie at a subjective level and has no objective reference (Liu & Turner 1080).

Sebastiano Vassalli dedicated a great number of efforts in investigating, defining and confronting the Italian national character. This is why this issue is relevant:

“As with modern persons so it is with nations. Awareness of being embedded in secular, serial time, with all its implication of continuity, yet of “forgetting the experience of this continuity” [ ... ] engenders the need for a narrative of identity”. (Tulante 337).

One has to understand that the Italianness in this film represents the ‘particular’ in the world of universal. The world has adopted the cultural homogenisation and has utilised it for decades. But also, secondary to the first impulse to homogenise, there is a great interest in the particular, as apparently different, exotic, which also seems very appeal- ing to the global public. It could be said that Italianness is a product of this universal- particular dialectic.

Indeed, La Grande Bellezza won an Oscar, a movie award which has dictated trends throughout the globe for decades. It is also no secret that all is seen through the Ameri- can cultural lens. Nicola White in his study Reconstructing Italian Fashion wrote:

6 “American culture has played a decisive role in the construction and development of Made in Italy in the world. In the following twenty years after WWII, not only was America a fertile ground at the receiving hand, but it also implemented a series of coor- dinated actions for the development of the Italian fashion and design industry, both in terms of financial support and cultural reverberation” (2000).

It can be said that Italianness is a product of the need for differentiation in the world of sameness. There are certainly reasons why such differentiation is necessary, and it is most likely a marketing strategy for the world immersed in a consumer mentality. Sas- satelli asked the famous question: “Who needs it? Who needs “things Italian”, what does this National framing bring to those who use it, abuse it or find it attached to them? There is no doubt that the notion of Italianness as a national identity has political va- lence.

The following text represents an effort to answer that question through the clues within the film.

The Structure of the Analysis: Deconstructing “La Grande Bellezza”.

The city of Rome will be revisited in the first chapter. The way in which the film ad- dressed the relationship between the city and Italianness will be analyzed. Despite the fact that the city remains a powerful semantic element throughout the entire film, the focus of the analysis will be the initial sequence, where the metropolitan landscape is presented as the main narrative element.

The second chapter will focus on Jep Gambardella. Like other relevant fictional charac- ters, the protagonist of this story is an emblem of Italianicity. Such male stereotypical representation is not new, Federico Fellini and Gustave Flaubert portrayed similar char- acters. Despite the similarities, Jep Gambardella has its particularities. This chapter will aim to reveal some of the main character’s internal turmoils.

The third chapter will examine narrative resources of the secondary characters. It will be seen how they iterate around Jep acting like symbols. As the film wears out, such

7 characters bring diversity to the film, each with a micro narrative that portrays Italian- ness in its own way.

Finally, the fourth and last chapter will be a brief revision on how this movie, as an art piece, works as a meta-story that contains a vision about Italian arts and artists. The art is a very distinctive trait of Italianicity, and the film constantly refers to it. The aim is to determine the role of the artistic manifestations within the film as a complement of its general thesis on Italianness.

8 Chapter 1: Two cities.

Into the Narrative of a City: Italy and Italianness.

In some sections of La Grande Belleza, Sorrentino seems to ask the question: is Rome Italy? However, instead of using words, he decided to present his statement with pic- tures. The setting of the first two seems as if Sorrentino tried to evoke a sense of Ital- ianness by using “Beauty”. It shows how some people can be “killed by beauty”, while others are oblivious to it. Italian beauty has never been sufficiently defined. Through centuries, the philosophical aesthetics tried to decipher its inner workings without a conclusion. Nonetheless, the effect that beauty has on people is still vague.

However, this is not a random kind of beauty. We are shown to the astonishing place where this exact perception/understanding of “beauty” came into being.

The city of Rome is by no means randomly chosen. Italy is considered one of the most beautiful countries in the world, and it is vastly visited by tourists all over the year. Only in 2018 was Rome visited by more than 36 million people (Turismo Roma da record). Rome is considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world; therefore it is no sur- prise that Rome was chosen as a canvas for the film. The city is presented as the pinna- cle of Italianness and as an ultimate goal of every Italian.

Most people in the western society learn about Rome in school, in a much standardised manner. There is prefabricated and romanticised expectation on what a person might find in Rome. However, does a person from outside Italy receive information on the contemporary situation of Rome, or about the postmodern Rome? In the western civili- sation, people have a relationship with a representation of a city, and this representation is built politically as pointed out by Demaria and Sassateli (1).

The contrast between Italians and foreigners in its relations with Rome is addressed over the spectator with the first two sequences.

9 ! Figure 1 - Magnificent Roman Monuments

The opening scene depicts a terraced square at the Janiculum Fountain, overlooking Rome. There are other monuments as well, including statues, fountains, and other sweeping views of Rome that can be seen from the terrace. The space is open and ex- pansive, capturing the size and scale of various Roman monuments. The majesty of Rome is emphasised by a series of long camera shots that sweep above and across the various monuments, as well as through zooms that highlight the details of the monu- ments. The entire scene is shot in bright sunlight and the setting and lighting showcase the spectacular beauty of Rome.

The film tries to present the contrast between the aesthetic experiences of the spectator with the banal relationship of the local people with the city; for the latter, it is also the city where they perform day-to-day activities. It must not be forgotten that for the lo- cals, this is also the city where they work, clean, and deal with problems of all sorts. Jep talks about it in the film, but this will be discussed in the next chapters.

The non-Italian spectators are not the only tourists in the first sequence. There is also a Japanese tourist group listening to a tour guide. The last few frames depict a Japanese man breaking away from the group to take a picture of Rome before suffering a sudden heart attack and dying. This juxtaposition of unrelated frames portrayed by different camera movements creates tension at the beginning of the film.

It could have been any tourist, but it is an Asian person. This is not casual, because in a globalised world, the presence of so many culturally different tourists seems to be a statement. Today, no matter where the people come from, they can be moved by this

10 city of Rome. If it is possible to commit suicide in Japan, then out of responsibility in Rome, it is possible to “die from beauty”.

Therefore, the frames that seemed “unrelated” are “working together” in the conforma- tion of a thesis. These sequences contrasted, and it is used within the film to speak to address the audience.

Contrast: Two Visions of Rome

The sequence can be broadly divided into two groups of interactions: Italians (including the audience) with Rome and foreigners (including the audience) with Rome.

The Rome of Italians

Figure 2 - Unrelated Frames in Opening Scene

A clue to the meaning behind these seemingly unrelated images is given by several close-ups of each character and their performance. The close-up on the woman reading a newspaper shows her look of annoyance at the birds twittering on the branches above her. Her cigarette dangles nonchalantly from her mouth. She wears pearls and a red lip- stick, embodying the Italian style. Colloquially, in Italian, this style is called ‘sciura’, which means ‘wealthy lady’. She embodies a kind of appeal and style that we consider inherently Italian. As an Italian traditional stereotype, there is a national pride for Italian women to appear as snobbish as possible. Such women make the city landscape and create its distinctive traits. The audience sees that she is completely oblivious to the beautiful statue next to her, which is a symbol of the infinity of artefacts.

11 Another close-up camera shot shows a man washing his hands in the fountain, a symbol of vulgarity against the Roman landscape, doing something as banal as refreshing him- self. The man is indifferent to the antiquity of the fountain. Afterwards, there is a close- up shot that shows a man falling asleep on a park bench, with his face turned away from the marvellous wonders around him.

Sorrentino seems to be telling us that Beauty is not for everyone. This group is “blind of beauty”.

The Rome of the Foreigners

Figure 3 - Japanese Tourist

The faces of the Japanese tourists are blank. Once again, the implicit bias of a western individual decoding the facial traits creates an impression that they look almost bored and indifferent as the tour guide explains the history of the fountain, but it is almost as if Sorrentino wanted us to think about that. We then see one of them going solo. This tourist breaks away from the larger group and moves to the corner of a balcony. His ex- pression shows how overwhelmed he is by the beauty of Rome. The man lifts his cam- era to take a few shots. He is sweating profusely, which indicates his excitement. The next frame shows him keeling over. It becomes clear that he has suffered a heart attack. The actor’s performance here presents several possibilities to the audience. The beauty of Rome is too great for him and he is not able to take it in; he is so overwhelmed by the spectacular setting that he suffers a heart attack.

There is an Italian phenomenon that connects the beauty of art with feeling ill. This is described as a psychosomatic disorder. Stendhal Syndrome can cause rapid heartbeat,

12 dizziness, sweating, disorientation, fainting, and confusion when someone is looking at artwork with which he or she deeply emotionally connects with. Describing the patients she observed, Magherini said that “the condition can affect sensitive and emotional people who essentially "overdose" on art” (1989). By including such a scene, Sorrentino wanted to highlight the power of beauty..

He is “courageously” facing the beauty of Rome and he dies of it. We are also presented with a shot of the inscription, “Rome Morte”, or “Rome is Dead” on one of the monu- ments. This inscription perhaps is tries to deliver the message that Rome is not presently what it was anymore. But, how can something dead kill someone? I found it relevant that it is not a tourist who is watching the inscription.

Setting the Tone: a banal Rome

Maybe the beauty of Rome resides somewhere else for Italians. The plot contained in the opening scene now becomes clear. The long sweeping camera shots convey the grandeur of the setting. Camera close-ups zoom and frames highlight the casual attire of the characters, their actions and facial expressions indicating boredom and indifference to the surrounding beauty. The effects of the spectacular beauty of Rome are manifest- ed. The beauty of Rome has the power to stupefy, cause awe, to overwhelm, and even cause death when one becomes aware of it, like the Asian tourist. The plot suggests that despite the great beauty surrounding Romans, most of them are unaware and indifferent to it.

Rome, which is the capital of the glorious ancient Roman Empire, is a distinctive trait of the Italian culture. Rome here is an apology to beauty. As Fredric Jameson in his book Postmodernism, or, The Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism would say: “The producers of culture have nowhere to turn, but to the past: the imitation of dead styles, speech through all the masks and voices stored up in the imaginary museum of a now global culture (17)”. Here it could be deduced that Rome is like a museum, a place where dif- ferent “beauties” can be stored and gazed upon, evoking different meanings. Italianness lays here in the proliferation of Roman beauty and in accentuating Rome as the capital of Italy.

13 Rome is treated as a metaphor for almost unattainable talismanic qualities. La Grande Bellezza is full of visual effects created by photographers’ powerful mediation on what could Italianness be in the collective imagination.

This movie received great appreciation from young audiences (Minuz 29). This could be due to the speed, and the use of ellipsis to transition from one frame to another, with- out using cause and effect. This elliptic mode of the film is disruptive and has the poten- tial for creating a powerful emotional tension in spectators. The film captures this by rapidly linking plot points and appealing to the hyperlink mentality of young people. Coincidences take precedence over causal relations; narrative events happen with little introduction. Unrelated events and sudden disruptions do not seem to bother young viewers, who seem to enjoy the fast-paced visual effects (Minuz 29). Brogi argued that such visual saturation, next to the pre-potent affirmation of the spectator’s interpretation is a form of narration that promotes catastrophe without presenting its causes, but solely through manifestations (2013).

Director of photography, Bigazzi, who is responsible for the magnificent visual effects in the film, said that he is “happily digitalised (2014). He argued that digitalisation opened up new formal possibilities in creating ambience and a symbolic and highly aes- theticised visual language. Bigazzi went on to say that “now it is simpler to realise the films connected to reality, it is possible to give a new aesthetic touch, but for me, a beautiful image doesn’t have a sense if it is not adapted to the general context” (2014). The director of photography chooses who and what will be seen, for locating the charac- ters in a certain space, positioning the characters concerning each other, and determin- ing the kind of lighting in the shot (Verstraten 9). Bigazzi is also famous for his one-of- a-kind approach to lighting. His work features all kinds of light sources to achieve what was intended. These effects are magnified by the new technology in video cameras that allow for exaggerated cinematic effects.

Since visuals are never a neutral narrative act and are always open for interpretation (Verstraten 18), it is impossible not to examine the way the story of La Grande Bellezza is told through the most powerful visual cinematic technique. It could be said that Luca

14 Bigazzi’s visual research portrays the transcendence of everyday life. It enchants with the spectacular; therefore, Italy is used as a “Vanity Fair” of different lifestyles.

It is never explicitly stated that the beauty of ancient Rome is something to look at; this is reinforced by the device of irony in different moments of the film. Every single Ital- ian person in the film is oblivious to the beauty surrounding all of them, except the pro- tagonist, Jep Gambardella. The protagonist tries to capture the beauty in banalities, the beauty that is there for everyone does not attract his attention, but the hidden beauty, surrounded by shadows is worthy to be appreciated.

To present only two examples, at some point in the film, we the spectators accompany Jep for a walk. This will not be the only walk we see him take during the story; howev- er, in this one, we can see him put his attention on the children behind the bars of the school and also on a person who is plucking oranges from a tree. Those are two “insub- stantial” moments that we can only remember because this man stops to watch it.

The next chapter is dedicated to understanding ‘who is this man and his relationship with the perception of Italianness that the film is presenting?’

15 Chapter 2: A Character with an Old Premise in a New Story.

Who is Jep Gambardella?

Jep Gambardella is presented to us in a Bacchanalia. He is surrounded by enjoyment and luxury, so one might fall into the trap of thinking that he is a happy person. Howev- er, after the party, we know another much deeper dimension of this man. We are intro- duced to a man who walks around Rome as if he owns it, and in some sense he does. Nevertheless, what it is unusual about this are his interests.

Unlike the tourist, he only pays attention to the small things. He notices details which everyone might have skipped without noticing. He sees Italianicity in a deeper sense than mere statues. Once again, the contrast is used to present a character.

Jep Gambardella means a lot, including an embodiment of other protagonists. La Grande Bellezza was compared with Fellini’s La Dolce Vita and the influences of Flaubert’s Sentimental Education are directly and indirectly mentioned in the film’s dia- logues. But what is the relationship between these three pieces of art?

The following sections will be dedicated to establish a comparison of Sorrentino´s pro- tagonist and two evident references: one fictional character from the literature, Frédéric Moureau, and another from the cinema, Marcelo Rubini. Lastly, we will review what makes Gambardella unique and the relationship of his uniqueness with the thesis on Italinness, presented by the film.

Flaubert´s F. Moureau

Jep Gambardella is a creation of Sorrentino, but his concept as a character is not. He is another character who lost the way in the pursuit of grandness, at least what they con- sider greatness. Like Gustave Flaubert, Sorrentino wanted to write about “the nothing- ness”.

16 To do that, Flaubert created Frédéric Moreau, a character that loses interest in the things once he achieves them. All his ambitions, political, artistic and sentimental are dropped right after becoming a reality for him. The most relevant aspect of the character is that he does not learn nor is capable of understanding the reason why he cannot achieve happiness. Jep also loses his motivation once he writes a novel that consecrated him as a relevant figure of Rome. This was the objective and he spends his life paying the price of achieving it so early. When we meet him, we do not know yet, but he is a man who aspires to return to a time where his life had meaning. A place where love existed.

However, there is another connection between Jep and Moureau. Frédéric Moreau is known for his pursuit of a woman he cannot have, Madame Arnoux. She represents the impossible. Their relationships start as the juvenile desire of a man for having a woman against all social rules. She represents for him the consecution of his goal.

In La Grande Bellezza, for an instant and without any previous sign, Jep Gambardella finds Madame Ardant on the street. This scene has no meaning if the watcher is not fa- miliar with Mdme, Ardant’s career. She was a major film star and the object of adora- tion of a generation that we now see around Jep as his friends. At the moment he sees her, he returns to be the young men discovering a world. Maybe it was a platonic love of him, we would never know. The only clue given to us is Jep’s astonished face.

What is relevant about this scene is that it shows a Gambardella that is not in control of his emotions. It shows us a glimpse of the young man that could not move in front of the woman that charmed him many years ago. Here, we can see how beauty and appeal create narrative tension. The ‘unattainable women’ can be seen as a perpetual motive within the Italian cultural conscience. However, whereas Frédéric Moureau can be asso- ciated with a young and eager social ascension like Jep, there is another character that is dramatically closer to the Gambardella as seen in the film.

Fellini's M. Rubini

Having written “The human apparatus”, Jep Gambardella starts to live “La Dolce Vita”. This is another story about a character who failed in his pursuit of love and happiness.

17 This time Marcello Rubini is a gossip columnist rather than a journalist, similar to what Jep does when we meet him.

Just as Gambardella realises when he explains why he likes the dancing train, Rubini’s life goes nowhere. Both are trapped in empty nights without real meaning. But perhaps the real connection between the two movies is not solely between their main characters, but their directors.

Beauty and glamour are the two most enchanting elements in that portray Italianness. If these Italian style films are not viewed through a critical lens, the films appear plotless, with a series of unrelated events that can even seem boring. However, if interpreted through a different lens, they are seen as masterpieces. What happens in the plot is not important, but how and most importantly, why. The aim of both movies is not to simply show life in Italy, but to find elements that shape Italian identity.

Inevitably, Sorrentino was asked about the connections between La Grande Bellezza and La Dolce Vita, and his answers were vast. Specifically, in the Cannes Festival, on Radio Monte Carlo opening, one journalist asked him:

“How do you perceive the inevitable comparison with Fellini and La Dolce Vita?”

Sorrentino turned to his friend and said: “I will have to find a precise response to this question sooner or later. I do not think a careful reading of my movie excludes the com- parison. In the overall ambience and theme, one could find similarities between the two. But to put it simply, Fellini’s classic films are the peak of cinematography for all time. They are like an unattainable woman that one knows could never be part of his life. Some worlds and themes have been magnificently and uniquely depicted by Fellini. What else can I tell you?”

What we can see from this interview is that Sorrentino regards Fellini’s movies very highly, using the analogy of an unattainable woman. Interestingly, even if accidentally, Sorrentino recalled an antiquated and misogynistic Italian stereotype about gender. De- scribing a past where the roles of the women are cast in Italian films as wives and moth- ers. Other Italian films regard women as inferior and dependent upon men in accordance

18 with the traditional patriarchal system that has dominated Italian culture and society for several centuries (Cottino 3). Even more problematic are the underlying assumptions in the “unattainable woman” claim, which portray women as objects to be ‘won’. In this narrative, women are somehow seduced and made dependent. In Italian consciousness, the woman that is not attainable becomes an object of respect. The narrative can be ob- served in the twelfth and thirteenth century Latin traditions with Dante’s Beatrice and Petrarca’s Laura, who even today are emblems of Italian femininity.

If these films are not viewed through a critical lens, they both appear plotless, with a series of unrelated events that can seem boring. However, if interpreted through a dif- ferent lens, they are seen as masterpieces. What happens in the plot is not important, but how and most importantly, why. The aim of both movies is not to simply show life in Italy, but to find elements that shape Italian identity. Therefore, Italy is used as a ‘Vanity Fair’ of different lifestyles. Fellini understands that Italy wishes to view itself in the same precise and apparently beautiful mirror that he, as a great magician, has masterful- ly created (Pizzuto 57).

To fortify the relationship between the 20th and 21st century Italian cinematic tradition, Sorrentino developed his own interpretations of something that was already solidified as an Italian stereotype. The themes used in both films are typical and perpetual to the point that the viewer begins to imagine that the intent is to create an Italian wave and be placed within the Commedia all’Italiana film genre. This indicates that Sorrentino wanted his work to rise to the level of Fellini’s and enjoy the ‘cult’ status associated.

Sorrentino and Fellini’s work embodies elements of generalised beliefs about Italian stereotype. Such stereotypes include the centrality of the male symbol, the profession of an intellectual, and the dichotomy between christian sacredness and profanity. Although all these elements are still attainable in the 21st century, they are depicted in a modified form in order to create a continuum or a tradition of sorts. This creates the question of how much the Italian identity and its Roman inhabitants have changed. Speaking of Ital- ians, Crainz said, ‘our values didn’t change, but the way we live them did’ (1996).

When it comes to the main characters, Jep Gambardella and Marcello Rubini are the protagonists in La Grande Bellezza and La Dolce Vita, respectively. Although every-

19 thing revolves around them, neither is the focal point of their respective stories. In terms of their role in the film structure, they are viewed as a prism for the story. They are not portrayed as protagonists in the classical narratological sense. Formally, they are used to show the ambiance of life in Italy during a specific time. From this view, it is possible to see how the epochs are different. They have similar roles to those of Vergil in Dante’s Divine Comedy, which is another obvious call for tradition.

Both characters play an essential symbolic role of the “Italian man” in the given epochs. Each is a stereotypical representation of an Italian style dandy; detached, fashionably dressed, and popular with women, which is contrasted with an aspiration to be mun- dane. Their profession in the cultural climate of their time is of maximum prestige, al- lowing them access to the upper levels of the Italian society. Both films indirectly point to the importance of the role of an intellectual in the Italian society. Despite the disillu- sionment the characters feel about themselves and their encounters with the rich, they are still shown respect by the same high-status people they despise. Even though they showed dissatisfaction with their current life, they still embody the mythic lifestyle which could be called “vie d’artiste”. Such artistically and intellectually inclined men are a symbolic representation of the stereotypically Italian aspiration.

Both characters are not defined by simple labels. They are complex adult men with par- ticular relationships with Rome. The frequent comparison is understandable, since both films are a portrayal of a ‘sweet’ and ‘beautiful’ kind of life. However, at the same time, Jep Gambardella is not Rubini. Diverse dimensions of Italianicity are explored through these characters.

It is possible to think that Gambardella is just an allegory of those previous characters. However, our protagonist has several distinct traits. One of those is the domain of his emptiness. Though he does not know where his life is going, when we met him, he was in control of the route. He mentioned that he has the power of ruining parties. Some might think that this is a movie where nothing happens; that is because most people fail to see the transformation signals.

20 Italian Social Interactions

The scene of the funeral reveals a part of the Italian identity. Once more, the contrast is used to show two different approaches to grief. On one side, we can see the perfor- mance of Jep Gambardella, who uses the event to draw attention over him; and on the other side we see a “normal way” of grieving. It is precisely in our expectation of a normal way of behaviour, where we can find the traits of Italianicity. The film delivers its message by positioning a character to break the social manners.

! Figure 4 - The Funeral Scene

Andrea, a young man who took the word of the writers too seriously, committed suicide. He was the son of Viola, a person we would refer to as friend of Jep, but we as specta- tors do not know what he thinks about her. During the funeral, Gambardella tells us di- rectly by wrecking the fourth wall how to behave during this social activity. He advises us as the same way as he would advise any of his colleagues; he brings us to his inner circle. However, he also begins the exercise of power. After creating the right script, he proceeds into “improvisation”. It seems like he is showing how well he has mastered this performance only he, can do what he wants. We cannot but appreciate the display of masterfully executed cynicism and falsehood. Jep Gambardella is in control.

Prior to the moment previously analysed, we saw Jep´s real emotions. He is only capa- ble of showing sadness during Andrea’s funeral, because he recovered from the loss of Elisa, who was his first love.

Another contrast is presented, because the death that matters for our protagonist is the one of the woman he loved when he was not yet Jep Gambardella. When he learned

21 about her death, he grieved with the man who was part of her life, a simple life, away from all the falsity that made him feel empty. This resource provides a contrast between how one feels “normal” and how one feels “at the top”.

For Jep, her death has a special meaning. She represents a time where his life was meaningful; before he became an empty shell worshipped by others, just like Rome. He was strengthened again because of Ramona, an enigmatic woman with whom he created a mysterious link.

However, the reason for his recovery (Ramona) dies, just like Andrea and Elisa. For Andrea, we can presume that he saw the waist of a future, lost in the word of writers that he knows, by experience, should not be taken so seriously. Ramona represents the vanishing of a promising connection with another human being.

Sorrentino is merciless with his protagonist; he loses valuable people without transi- tions, with no goodbyes. They just disappear from the movie and Jep’s life.

It would be right to assume that this is intentional and the director is trying to communi- cate something through the edition cuts: The facts are not as important as the changes that are provoked in Jep.

It´s just a trick but isn’t false

The reason for revisiting Gambardella’s moments of loss is to make a statement, as he embodied the nothingness that he wants to write about, but he is constantly changing.

There is no cause and effect story which could help frame such an aesthetic experience. It is hard to define what the movie is about. For some audiences, the film might seem boring. Paradoxically, this seems to be the true intention of Paolo Sorrentino. Although the film is 2.5 hours long, the narrative is not like mainstream films and it is complicat- ed to explain the plot. Verstraten stated that the lack of cause and effect narratives in modern cinema are due to the sheer quantity of stories in the contemporary information age, nowadays, simple references suffice (23).

22 On the other hand, the movie is extremely visually appealing. It overwhelms visual po- etics and gives a specific sort of aesthetic pleasure. While the film constantly frustrates the narrative desire of the public, it is very pleasing to the senses through its sequence of beautiful frames. In the movie, the real pain remains hidden by the gorgeous images of the city and the seemingly never-ending parties. This is similar to the way people around the world might perceive Italy, a place of monuments, arts, a space for enjoying, etc, and hardly a place where people with real problems live. With regard to the initials sequence, these real people are oblivious to the magnificent pictures.

The narrative is built with images. Since the first trailers, Sorrentino stated that visuals will be essential to the plot. It is certain that the interpretation would largely depend on the spectators. To create a narrative out of nothing seems to be a deeply engrained hu- man attribute in the sense that human narrative perception helps to create a framework or context even in the case of very static scenes (Abbott 18).

! Figure 5 - Introductory picture

For example, in observations of the introductory picture for the movie trailer, there is no indication of anything important, but with a closer look, it is possible to compose a meaning from every visual element of the picture. The yellow jacket Gambardella is wearing signifies a specific Italian style and therefore shows that the man in the picture is Italian. In any other context, a yellow jacket would be an exaggeration, but in Italy, it is an establish fad. The position of his body does not hint at eccentricity but rather intel- lectualism. Furthermore, it is noticeable that the man is wearing white pants, showing style and luxury because white pants need extreme care. The napkin in his pocket indi- cates older fashion style and his seemingly expensive shoes are a symbol of high quali- ty. The marble bench on which Jep sits alludes to ancient Roman ruins. A combination of all these elements proved the main thematic elements of the film including, Roman

23 luxury, excess, loneliness, and detachment, in a wider cultural discourse, these elements serve as social representations. This picture, as in the entire film, shows that the most important principle is to associate a visual symbol with an intended concept (Minuz, 29).

What is beautiful to one, might be considered ugly to the other, and what is glamorous to one, could be repellent to the other. Fashion has been more tasked with not only re- flecting and representing social or individual needs, but also constructing ex novo terri- tories in which old stereotypes and imaginations are creatively set free. (Ling and

Reinarch 1). Beauty and glamour are subjective notions, as well as it is Italianness is ‘Italian’ and about Italy. That is why I believe that Italianness is achieved with the indi- viduation of the Italian manner of doing things; in short, it is a matter of style. Italian- ness is portrayed through style, beauty and glamour. Style implies choice and it is exact- ly by analysing Sorrentino’s choices in beauty and glamour that one can subtract the idea of Italianness. But before the discussion on the treatment of Italianicity/Italianness, narrative needs to be examined.

A Circular Discourse: The Parties as to the Turning Points. A Hidden Narra- tive

The parties in the film are turning points and prove that Jep Gambardella is changing as the movie is progressing. These events mark the transformation of our protagonist from being an allegory of Italianicity into a human being. As we will discuss in the next chap- ter, this transformation ends with his encounter with “La Santa”; however, the parties are the compass that we, as the audience, can follow to understand his road.

The movements from one scene to the other are swift and immediate. The film abruptly moves to a new setting, creating once again a stark contrast. This is set on a grand and luxurious terrace filled with well-dressed, fashionable people dancing to techno music. The terrace looks over the city of Rome with the Colosseum in the background indicat- ing an exclusive location, extremely sought after and impossible to attain. The party is attended by rich, sophisticated, and fashionable people together with those who like to appear so. The terrace and the building represent a high-level of status and entertain- ment. There are extremely long shots, from a distance, that capture the grandness of the

24 setting. A well-lit terrace heavily populated with gyrating figures, from bare-chested and fully clothed men to elegant and gaudily dressed women; both young and old, fat and thin. Girls are dancing on pedestals and exhibitionists performing on glass floors. There are many intriguing events at the party that convey the chaos of the scene.

It is not possible to avoid noticing the obscene in such frames, yet presented as some- thing normal, and something not to pay attention to. This situation exhibits excess in all its forms. As Fredric Jameson would say:

As for the postmodern revolt against all that, however, it must equally be stressed that its offensive features, from obscurity and sexually explicit material to psychological squalor and overt expressions of social and po- litical defiance, which transcend anything that might have been imagined at the most extreme moments of high modernism, no longer scandalise anyone and are not only received with the greatest complacency, but have become institutionalised and are one with the official culture of Western society (Jameson 4).

No character notices anything unusual about the party, only us. For example, an older woman is exploding out of a cake with the number 6 fixed on one breast and the number 5 on the other. She is inappropriately dressed and yet her voice is shrieking with fake excitement. It is possible to learn that she was an ex television soubrette living her phys- ical disintegration and yet continuing using drugs and obscenely partying. According to Fredric Jameson, this is a portrayal of grotesque which is normalised and nowadays is part of life. Nobody cares if a person fainted because of drug or alcohol abuse. It is normal in such a setting. People are performing the same repetitive action, gyrating madly to pounding techno music. By showcasing the crowd of people, their dress and actions, the camera shots convey the impression of a cacophony of delirious people en- gaging in riotous frivolity common to dissolute nightlife which yet seems to not bother anyone.

25 !

Figure 6 - Party Scene

Despite the eccentricity of such party, which is inherent to glamour, it is full of Italian references such: a remix of the Raffaella Carra “A far l’amore commincia tu”, a lascivi- ous song, translated as “Start making love”, personalities of Berlusconian era television, a short old bold man trying to seduce as many women possible. A woman with extreme- ly coiffure hair and expensive jewellery, intellectualisation and the famous writer name dropping their high status. We learn that the people at this party are rich or important artists.

Glamour was a blend of desirable and opulent lifestyles, spectacle, and sex appeal that became a feature of modern urban society. All classes were susceptible to this, although they each related to it in different ways. The appropriation of elite style and cachet and the remarking of these qualities by the commercial sector contributed vitally to the for- mation of the common language of allure. The style was only glamorous to the extent that it was perceived as such by the lower urban classes. (Gundle 73)

Italianness here is exposed as an avid quest for status, for being part of the elite, the dance is a code of lechery to be part of the selected few, who are your friends, with is extremely important, the more the better, the prettier, the ugliest, all pushed to the ex- treme, seems to be an entrance ticket to the mundane life, to have arrived. Indeed, the camera begins by focusing on a well-dressed, distinguished gentleman who is interact- ing intimately with many of the guests.

In the midst of all this, we are presented with a man. The close-up makes this figure more important than the others. This suggests that the terrace belongs to him and that he

26 is the host of the party. The crowd of revellers are all his friends. Using the device of conversation among various guests, it is slowly revealed that this is the case and that the elderly gentleman is the novelist Jep Gambardella, who later became a journalist. The party is in celebration of his 65th birthday.

Although he had written one successful novel in his early 20’s, he now writes trivia for cultural magazines. The camera does a long take and shows Jep joining his friends in a conga dance. There is calculated tension which releases in a voice-over that echoes the thoughts of Jep: “Parties represent the vast sense of emptiness to which we are irre- sistibly attracted.” In another voice-over, Jep informs the audience that “the aim of his life so far has not only been to be the life and soul of every party, but to be central to the dissolute nightlife of Rome, where he aspires to ruin every party he attends, single- handedly, through his words and actions”. The concluding voice-over (again in Jep’s voice) states: “When I was young, my friends asked each other what we like most in life. To this question, as kids, my friends always gave the same answer: "Pussy", where- as I answered "The smell of old people's houses". I was destined for sensibility. I was destined to become a writer. I was destined to become Jep Gambardella”.

This is how Sorrentino presents his protagonist, a man in control of his circumstances and his thoughts. Here is a man that has been in control for more than 40 years.

It is interesting how in Italy the profession of the writer is also highly glamorised. Stephen Gundle in his book wrote that “Glamour was the aspect of the urban scene that captured and seduced ordinary people. To exist, it requires a high degree of urbanisa- tion, the social and physical mobility of capitalist society. Cities presented numerous visual delights and pathways to self-transformation” (68).

It is possible to learn that Jep did not grow up in Rome, but rather arrived in Rome mesmerised by the glitz and the possibility to meet people that “count”. We learn that he succeeded to be so important to be able to make parties fail by not attending. It seems that he was so seduced by such life which went on for nearly 40 years, to learn that it is just a trick (this was mentioned in the film twice). He gradually self-transformed. Such self-transformation is extremely appealing to those who were not born in the privileged

27 milieu, making them think that as a result of some innate quality, in the case of Jep was the writing of a novel, could conquer the scene of the city allowed only for a few. Social mobility is one of the clichés of glamour; there is always a “nobody” raised to the “high-society whirlwind”. Jep, as it is shown, is a person who has arrived, accentuating the Italian dream about exclusivity.

!

Figure 7 - Jep Gambardella

Although the first party scene is the most representative of the opulent lifestyle, it is possible to notice the slow transformation in Jep’s values, as he starts to be no longer interested in being part of the glittering show, and slowly moves to the other more meaningful realms of existence. The second and the third party point this out.

The second party is different because Gambardella is in a different state of mind. His focus is not on “performing himself” but on Ramona. She awakes a new kind of curiosi- ty which induces Jep to show her his reality. Gambardella is showing her his world; first he shared the extravaganza of the parties, and the hidden part of the city that only he can see afterwards. Ramona discovers parts of the city covered in shadows. Those places and statues are not meant to be seen like that, but we are with Jep Gambardella. He owns the city, thus we have access to another Rome.

All of a sudden Ramona disappears. From a logical point of view, we understand that she dies, but cinematographically she has been deleted from the movie with an ellipsis. Such an abrupt change intensifies the feeling of loss. Literally, he was with Ramona in his home and the next minute she was not there. Jep once again lost something, but the damage is cumulative.

28 The third party shows us the human being, a man who is not in control like before. He is unable to perform the role we have been watching him throughout the film. He is no longer “an Italian character”, he is just a human facing significant loss. Jep is drunk, wandering around the party without an objective, unable to pull himself and perform the Italian ‘bella figura’. Like the conga dance, he has no destination at that point. Jep even exclaims at one point that conga dance does not lead anywhere, pointing out the futility of such Italian gestures.

He is not the only one; he is surrounded by other characters who change during the film. They all represent different attitudes and forms of relationship with the protagonists: Jep and Rome.

29 Chapter 3. The Others and their Narrative Role.

Each character in the film is an allegory and they all are a product of a particular way of living in Rome, that is, of being Italian. As stated in the introduction, this section will analyse the role of secondary characters in the story. They are a complement to Jep Gambardella; however, they also represent some extensions of the idea of Italianness that the film presents. The section aims to capture both sides of each character.

Romano & Stefania: the Other Writers.

In the first party scene, we see Jep’s friend Romano, who also arrived in Rome full of dreams many years ago. He did not conquer the city. He desperately tries to catch the attention of a young lady chewing gum. He is helpful, short, and bold; seems like an honest person, yet as we can see, he is ignored by a lady who obviously prefers a stereo- typical alpha male to him. There are several moments in the film where he is shown as an honest cultured person trying to write plays and to make it in the creative industry. Yet he is unable to do so. He lives in the small students’ apartment, optimistically hop- ing to emancipate himself. At one point in the movie, he admitted that Rome has delud- ed him, and that he wants to return home to his provincial town, and that after thinking through, in all those years, he had only one friend to say goodbye to. This is Jep’s alter ego, the anti-glamorous unlucky writer who, despite having a wish for success and fame, has not managed to be part of the high society mechanism.

Such figure of the intellectual writer rising to the star status is not new; Fellini as well used the figure of Mastroianni to depict a similar social occurrence 50 years ago. Both characters play a symbolic role of the “Italian man” in the given epochs. Each is stereo- typical representations of an Italian style dandy; detached, fashionably dressed, and popular with women, which is contrasted to an aspiration to be mundane. Their profes- sion in the cultural climate of their time is one of maximum prestige, allowing them ac- cess to the upper levels of the Italian society. Both films indirectly point to the impor- tance of the role of an intellectual in the Italian society. Despite the disillusionment the characters feel about themselves and their encounters with the rich, they are still shown respect by the same high-status people they despise. Even if they show dissatisfaction with their current life, they still embody the mythic lifestyle which could be called “vie

30 d’artiste”. Such artistically and intellectually inclined men are a symbolic representation of the stereotypically Italian aspiration.

Women can be writers too. Stefania has written eleven novels. All of them are linked to a political movement. She, like Jep, can be seen as a successful person. She has a fami- ly, and a stable job, a career; but she does not feel successful. Her novels have been only published due to the links with politic figures, her husband has a public affair with an- other man and she is not proud of her past. She is full of herself. Jep knows that the only reason for her attitude is the fact that she is powerless. She represents another path to higher social status.

The Women: Sparks of Meaning

Female presence is strong in La Grande Bellezza, although they are not objects of direct romantic involvement; they represent manners in which love can be understood, espe- cially those that directly interact with Jep Gambardella. He iterates from one to another during the film. The three women present factors that matter in the film’s Italianness as they are allegories of three types of love, the pure, the earthly, and the sacred.

Elisa - pure love

Elisa could be understood as a symbol of purity. Symbol that can be linked to a mystic time for Rome; a Rome full of romance and adventures for a young writer, one that cannot be found anymore. In correspondence with the idea of a romantic Rome, the ac- tress in this role is one with the facial and body traits that are in line with a particular Italian norm. If someone is asked to describe an Italian girl, one would probably de- scribe something close to Elisa. Italianicity is also in the cast choices the director made. Her hair is brown, her skin is light, and she has a shy conduct. She is a representation of the Italian girl next door. Elisa is young, innocent, simple and skinny. She takes Jep back in time with the innocence of the first love. By then, Jep had an idea about mean- ing.

Elisa detonates Jep’s history. If she has not existed, Jep’s life would not have been as it is. Jep Gambardella conquers Rome with the pain she inflicted on him by leaving him. The emptiness he feels during the whole film comes from not knowing why she made

31 such a decision. However, he does not know Elisa as a real person. He lives in love with a moment of purity. Guilt for the lost purity is actually a response to the Italian cultural norm, where it is still the norm to marry young with the first love.

Ramona

During the film it is not clear why Gambardella wants to spend time with Ramona. Their relationship is not sexual despite the fact that the audience might feel that there is a strong sexual tension between them. She is an older stripper who is still very attrac- tive. She is an example of how Italian women can age well. She is a woman that could not work at all, but chooses to do this kind of work, even when younger girls are arriv- ing. She wants to explore “conceptual striptease”. She is a representation of a sensual woman, with curves and long hair, who in terms of dialect and dresses, is too sexu- alised. Yet, Jep is intrigued by her. At one point in the movie, at a very elegant social gathering attended by Italian nobility, Jep was mocked for dating Ramona, because she is considered a bit too vulgar, earthly, unsophisticated and yet very attractive. Indeed, the actress, Sabrina Ferilli who plays Ramona is considered one of the most representa- tive Italian beauties. It does not matter if Jep sees Ramona as a friend that might under- stand his loneliness or a conquest, he is slowing enjoying; He cares about her and he has not felt that in a long time.

There is an anecdote regarding the Cannes film festival where Sorrentino did not invite Sabrina Ferilli to the opening ceremony, as she would with her sex appeal draw atten- tion away from the presentation of the film. This is another example of a kind of power a glamorous person can have in creating ambience.

La Santa

As we have seen, Jep is a human being in the midst of an existential crisis. He is a hu- man that has been looking for answers for 40 years in the profane world, distracting himself, to finally understand that the answers could be found in the sacred realm. He looks up to persons with higher spiritual awareness.

At this moment, deep into the movie, Sorrentino presents a final thought on Italianicity. At the start of the twenty-first century, Catholicism is still the prevailing belief system

32 of most Italians, but a recent project on Italian religion and spirituality, carried out in 2006, found that Italians are now more interested in spirituality, that they might describe themselves as ‘spiritual, but not religious’ (Palmisano 1). The loss of religiosity among Italians can be linked to the falsity behind some of its representatives. This seems to be an alarming occurrence in contemporary Italy which cannot be denied. That is why Sor- rentino introduced two religious figures of the opposite kind.

First, he presents a cardinal who lives in Rome, invested in symbolic power due to his clothes and the opulence we see around him. He cannot stop talking about himself, and he hardly listens when someone talks to him, seeking spiritual advice. He speaks only about recipes, another indication of strong Italianicity, as food is an Italian distinctive trait. This is a highly ironical representation of the contemporary superficiality and ba- nality concerning exponents of Roman Catholic Church.

At one point “La Santa” appears. This nun is 104 years old and resembles Mother Tere- sa, because she has worked in Africa and is now visiting Rome. There are a series of close-ups of her face that shows her to be gnarled, wrinkled and having few teeth. Her figure gives the impression of asceticism and piety. She is visually repulsive.

! Figure 8 - La Santa

There is a contrast with the noise of the dinner parties held in her honour, and the nun is quiet and hew little to say. She is a symbol of poverty. As an indication of her extreme poverty, there is a shot of the sister sleeping, not on a cot, but the hard floor. An indica- tor of her extreme asceticism is a shot of her climbing the Scala Sancta, or Holy Steps, on her knees despite her old age and physical ailments. The physical appearance of the

33 nun, the settings of the scenes with her and her behaviour are in harsh contrast with the shallow and superficial dimension Jep and all other protagonists are living. Yet, when we listen to the things said by the person who talks for her, it is inevitable to think that this is all a trick. Even Jep and Dadina think that. But with two dialogues, La Santa shows us how a religious person should act. Her lines are short and impactful.

The nun is a resource used as a contrast to the previously depicted frivolous ambience. In this film, there is a dichotomy between truth and a trick. It seems that in the middle of a nebulous sensationalist astonishing surrounding truth, although through a small ‘crepe’ peaks in the narrative world.

In one of the scenes with La Santa, the setting is Jep’s terrace overlooking the Colosse- um. Part of the terrace is occupied with migrating flamingos resting there. The nun sits facing both Jep and the pink flamingos. She asks a question of him. Since she rarely speaks, it is indicated that the question is important to her. She confides that she was an admirer of his first book and asks why he never wrote another. This question forces Jep to tell the truth. He admits that he never wrote another book because he was always searching for beauty, but never found it. She then tells him that she only eats roots, be- cause roots are important.

The camera close-up revealed Jeb’s response to La Santa. It is about clarity which brings out creativity. Truth is Beauty. The voice-over informs us that while everything ends with death, first there is life. However, life is often drowned out by mindless chat- ter, noise, fear, etc. Casting off all that is superfluous is the key to becoming alive again. As if to underscore this statement, the nun purses her lips and blows. The flamingos are frightened and fly away. This might symbolise the flying away of all superficial things, emotions, memories, and fake people in Jep’s life that are keeping him from true beauty. Just as the flamingos (in the form of the Angel Raphael) were with Christ at the time of the healing of the blind man, so are they present at the time of Jep’s inner dilemma. The voice-over then continues, stating: “Let the novel begin”, which indicates that Jep is ready to start writing his second book.

34 !

Figure 9 - Flamingos

When Jep informs her that he has been searching for beauty in his life, he is looking out over the Coliseum. It is as if the Coliseum is saying to him that beauty is all around him in Rome. In the shot of one of his last walks through the city after he meets with the nun, the city appears silent and still. This is shown by shots of the city taken from a boat on the Tiber. Jep finds Rome to be “spare and splashed with beauty”. This is another example of the Italian veneration for its landscape.

As the capital of Christianity and the Vatican, Rome seemingly embodies Christian val- ues yet, it is full of immorality. The city of Rome in this case brings out the duality be- tween Christian values and immorality. Morality is a subtle topic during the entire film. Given that the church was so important in the construction of Italian conciseness, it is inevitable that each individual must choose whether to be a practitioner or not. There- fore, all the symbols connected to the church have an additional value to the Italian spectator. There is the urge to make profane and to desacralise such symbols. Religiosi- ty is expressed in bizarre terms such as the tattoo of Pope Giovanni Paolo II on a strip- per’s hand. On the other hand, the positive portrayal of the nun Santa, who still embod- ies the positive traits of Christianity, such as humility and simplicity, leaves the viewer to reconsider whether all is lost for Christianity, especially after what is all possible to see, leftovers of the decadence of profane society.

In the last chapter, we will revise the relationship between Christian morality and the notion of Italianicity in the film, and one of its main forms of representation: arts."

35 Chapter 4. The Construction of Italianness/Italianicity.

Although Italy as a nation state was born only in 1861, the legacy of the Renaissance is still very much present in the Italian contemporary cultural consciousness. It coincided with one of the most dynamic and creative epochs in Western history, marked by the recovery of classical antiquity, the discovery of new worlds, the printing revolution and the establishment of a capitalist world-economy (Pirillo). This is why another domain in which the film explores Italianness is history, which ranges from representation of me- dieval art, to modern times and it is contrasted with a particularly postmodern represen- tation of contemporary Rome.

Medieval Italianicity

Medieval aesthetics as shown from the symbols on the door of St. Peter’s dome, to the painting of Rafael (already Renaissance) shows a kind of aesthetic evolution within the Italian geographical area. This is how Italianness is shown, because it emphasises the rich tradition concerning the matters of art and beauty. It is known that the notions of art and beauty have changed in centuries; yet, their symbols are all present and portrayed in this film to the point of visual saturation. In Medieval times, beauty was ascribed mysti- cal qualities which was the base for a later idea about the sublime.

This suggestion is expressed by the Yiddish piece “I Lie”, sung by the choral group. There is no apparent link between the music and the various frames shown. However, the fact that it sounds like church music serves to emphasise the setting, Rome, the seat of Christianity and the Roman Catholic Church. This is non-diegetic music that is pas- sive, sweet, and paced to match the inertia displayed by the various characters. It there- by links the various frames and heightens the tension and suspense in the opening scene. There is another song by a mysterious person standing alone in an upper arch of the fountain. The song, “Symphony of Sorrowful Songs”, consists of plaintive beauty and sad tones that are matched by the tears in the eyes of the singer. The singer is simul- taneously crying and singing while looking out over Rome, as if bemoaning that so few appreciate its spellbinding beauty. This is also an example of the voice and sound used in creating a contrasting mood within one sequence of shots.

36 This kind of aesthetic inertia can be traced back to Petrarca who after reading St. Au- gustus’ confessions felt guilty for being astonished by the physical beauty surrounding him. Petrarca felt contrasting feelings regarding the exterior sensuality, be it nature, an- imals or humans. (qtd. in Beruete 110). On one hand, there is stupor and great admira- tion, but shortly after, there is irritation as some sort of moral anxiety for being prey of the concupiscence of the material world. This is to show how the medieval thought is in a complete contrast with the present day attitude about exterior stimuli. It is interesting how such form of Medieval resistance to beauty counter parted in a present day Italy with most visually opulent landscapes.

Here, it would be possible to speak about the medieval aesthetic quest for the sublime. Fredric Jameson in his chapter, Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism says that sublime was for Burke, “as you will recall, an experience bordering on terror, the fitful glimpse, in astonishment, stupor and awe, of what was so enormous as to crush a human life alto- gether: a description was then refined by Kant to include the question of representation itself, so that the object of the sublime is now not only a matter of sheer power and the physical incommensurability of the human organism with Nature, but also of the limits of figuration and the incapacity of the human mind to give representation to such enor- mous forces” (34).

Therefore, the beautiful display of various medieval artworks becomes of importance. One shot shows Jep standing for a long moment in front of the painting of Raphael of La Fornarina. This painting features a young woman proffering her small breast. This shot highlights the unique beauty of Roman art; Art that is exclusive to Rome and can- not be found elsewhere, and such exclusivity here and nowhere else is what makes Ital- ianness.

Another Rome, a hidden Rome

There is “a Rome” that is shown to us just one time. It is a secret part of the city that only those with the power of Gambardella can witness. Italianness here is presented through the historical perspective. Jep walks Ramona as he shows her pieces of ines-

37 timable medieval art. In a postmodern film, this “medieval” moment is quite noticeable. This is another moment of strong contrast.

!

Figure 10 - Medieval, La Fontanara

In one sequence, Jep enters a room where three generations of princesses are playing cards at a green baize table. This shows that he has entered a world of secrecy which is inherently glamorous; a world unattainable for many, and yet present. It also alludes to historic Italian nobility which does not officially exist anymore. These old women also suggest the indestructibility of Rome and its art through the ages. Throughout the scene, there are close-ups of Ramona and Jep’s faces with their spell-bound expressions as they view the works of art. It is as if they are moving through a theatre of wonders. They could not help, but be astonished. The last shot in this scene shows all three walk- ing as dawn breaks on a terrace on the Aventino. There are a series of long camera shots which show the terrace and the surrounding gardens, offering another spectacular gaze of the city of Rome.

Indeed, sublime was used to show the omnipotence of God. It is a theological idea about beauty, which in medieval times had the goal of creating the fear of God; beauty was a religion, a spiritual enlightenment, a fabulous exploration, a unification with God, and most importantly, an object with an aesthetic power, immersed in a kind of divine spirit, where the spectator is so small and insignificant with the only role to pay tribute to such magnificence.

In this medieval aesthetics, Italianness which is also seen as a quest for moral beauty accompanied by terrors of Dantes’ circles of hell, made it so that the Italian aesthetic taste turned to the veneration of religious figures. Sorrentino expanded this ambivalent

38 in relation to the Vatican, a country in Rome, and made it Italian particularity as the film is saturated with scenes of nuns. Nun’s gowns so unusual for the contemporary fashion sense are used as tools for a powerful visual imaginary. Costumes are a powerful tool for conveying meaning. Given the fact that the Vatican is placed in Rome, the group on those types of nuns creates scenery unique to Italy and it could be said that they add to the Italianness in this film. Perhaps, even the present-day fashion house Prada owner Miuccia Prada, in one of her interviews said that nun gowns are the most comfortable women clothing that have ever existed.

Ramona is also wearing a picturesque fairytale-like gown on a journey of various palaces of Rome. The opening shot in this scene shows the keeper opening the door of the palace of the Knights of Malta. It seems that a friend with keys ironically embodies St. Peter (the guardian of heaven) with his special keys in St. Peter’s dome, which is not an obvious reference for non-Christian foreign audiences.

Throughout history, beauty has been connected to religious places such as heaven, pur- gatory, and hell, which are distinctive traits of Italian folklore. Dante amplified such no- tions and thus became a supreme national hero in all historical periods deeply embed- ding such division in Italian conscience. In the scene with Ramona, the camera angles show different views and visions of the spectacular beauty of the city of Rome, not just to Ramona and Jep, but the audience as well. Neither Jep and Ramona or the viewers have power over beauty, as much as beauty has power over the spectator. It is difficult to be active in making beauty, because beauty requires passivity. It is inherently vague and without purpose; without purpose beauty enchants.

The mise-en-scene, therefore, converts a passive audience into one that is actively en- chanted with the movie. The plot points of each scene are never explicitly stated, rather, it is left to the audience to interpret the elements, such as the meaning of gowns, colours, and symbols. In trying to understand what each scene could mean, and in trying to combine all the various scenes, the audience gets more involved with the characters, and with the movie itself.

39 An example of the explicit invitation of the audience to participate can be seen in the scene of the palace of the Kings of Malta, where the focus is on the entrance of the palace with huge, spectacular doors. The door-keeper makes a dramatic gesture of fling- ing open the door – suggesting that it is not just the characters in the scene invited, but the viewer as well. As the door opens, the dome of St. Peters Cathedral becomes visible. The dome which is illuminated in comparison with the stark night-time darkness en- sures that the attention of the audience is on the architecture of the dome. This is anoth- er beautiful element for its sake (beauty for the sake of beauty).

A reflection on Postmodernism

In La Grande Bellezza, Italianness is also in contrast between the new and the old, be- tween the present and the past. Such dichotomy can also be understood in terms of how beauty is portrayed. Ancient Rome, Renaissance, and Modern times symbolically recall the ambience or the zeitgeist of the given epochs. In the ambience, there is always a contrast between the new versus the old. Such intention to portray the past could also be seen as pride in possessing relics of millennial culture.

Paradoxically, the film itself could be understood as postmodernist work, as it contained a sort of “pastiche” as Fredric Jameson would say:

“Pastiche is, like parody, the imitation of a peculiar or unique, idiosyncratic style, the wearing of a linguistic mask, speech in a dead language. But it is a neutral practice of such mimicry, without any of parody's ulterior motives, amputated of the satiric im- pulse, devoid of laughter and of any conviction that alongside the abnormal tongue you have momentarily borrowed, some healthy linguistic normality still exists. Pastiche is thus blank parody, a statue with blind eyeballs: it is to parody what that other interesting and historically original modern thing, the practice of a kind of blank irony, is to what Wayne Booth calls the "stable ironies" of the eighteenth century” (17).

Therefore, it is possible to say that Sorrentino imitates ambiences from the past with exaggerations, almost making a parody of deeply embodied Italian cultural values. This can relate to all problems connected to the Roman Catholic Church which has for cen- turies been a moral reference point for many Italians. Perhaps, Sorrentino, on one hand,

40 shows the kind of beauty present in that particular epoch, but it also ironically recalls the moral and social modes of conduct; and by doing so, makes a parody to the point of ridiculing present-day Italianness.

Beauty is connected with arts. Sorrentino used artistic characters to establish a point of view on Italianicity. It is possible even to suggest a great scale comparison between art and religion within the film as a meta-story. He gives two special moments to artistic manifestation and both raise questions about the relationship with Italianness, namely the scene with the artist at the aqueduct and the child painter during the second party.

Aqueduct Artist

“It seems essential to me to grasp “postmodernism” not as a style, but rather as a cultur- al dominant; a conception which allows for the presence and coexistence of a range of very different, yet subordinate features” (Jameson 4).

Perhaps in the postmodern interpretation, the artist scene least portrays Italianness, and it shows that even contemporary Italy is not excluded from global trends. Beauty as a notion is not very sought after in the postmodernist discourse. The inherited values of an art piece are no longer in vogue. Art is rather an act of widening consciousness and making people think differently. With regard to beauty, the situation is very ambiguous; the person who writes about art nowadays tries to avoid mentioning beauty, in fact, a big part of the academical world and the radical chic world is considered unrefined to mention beauty, because the aim of art, as it is thought of today, is not to produce beau- tiful objects, (it is a past idea, kitsch) but rather to refurbish a new way of thinking.

The conflict faced by Jep is one of the most emblematic scenes in the whole film. It is an allusion to the impossibility of postmodern art to be objectively measured. It recalls the intimate subjective insecurity of each spectator to understand art. In modern Italy, many art forms cannot be measured in value. It is impossible to distinguish the “real” artist from somebody that just looks like an artist. The line between what is art and what it is not is blurred, and yet there are a few that can stand up and say, “this particular act is meaningless despite the approval of the general public”. Jep did this.

41 !

Figure 11 - Performance Artist Scene

The scene is developed through the setting and the actor’s performance. The setting is the park of aqueducts. The setting again serves to highlight one of the glories of Roman architecture, its ancient aqueducts set amid lush green gardens. However, the aqueducts are in the background of the scene. In the foreground, a group of people can be seen, including Jep, sitting on the lawn and watching an artistic performance. Other people are standing and waiting. There is a stage against the ancient aqueduct on which the fe- male artist Talia Concept performs. She is naked except for a transparent white scarf that is wrapped around her face, and she has a hammer and sickle pattern shaved in her pubic hair. Jep came to interview her for a magazine.

The filmmaker creates a bucolic scene where the magnificence of the Roman aqueduct and the surrounding gardens evokes Roman genius, inventiveness, and the glory of Ro- man art and architecture. There is a tension between postmodernism and Italianness. This setting serves as a dramatic contrast to what happened next.

The expressions on the faces of the spectators are full of expectation. They do not talk to each other or look at each other. All of them focus on the artist. The artist looks ex- tremely focused. Facial expressions create an atmosphere of tension and anticipation. It seems as if the artist is going to display a truly grand performance. Suddenly she runs against the wall of the aqueduct, bumps her head against it, and falls. She gets up and faces the audience, who can now see that her veil is stained with blood from her head. The performance is over. Now the audience looks at each other as if to say, “Is this all?”, and Jep has a cynical smile on his face. It is clear from their expressions that the performance has confused and disappointed the audience. Their desultory clapping at

42 the end re-emphasises the sense of disappointment. The tawdriness of the supposedly artistic act is a sharp contrast to the grand artwork of the Roman aqueduct. The elements of setting and performance now make the plot of this scene clear.

!

Figure 12 - Performance Artist Scene 2

The performance could be interpreted as a metaphor for the failure of contemporary art and artists to achieve something significant or wanting to do it. This includes Jep, as he has failed to do anything worthwhile with his literary ability. Instead, he chose to write trivia, which bumps and bleeds like the art of the performance artist. Instead of becom- ing a “respectful intellectual”, Jep found himself surrounded by superficiality. Rather than dedicating himself to writing, he said “partied too much”. Jep used his first literary success for personal gain, for a provincial urge to dominate the world he could not yet fully grasp, and to be part of radical chic terrace parties. After several years, he wants to be regarded as something significantly different.

The climax of the scene is when Jep goes to interview Talia Concept in her tent. The setting is in the dark night, and the tent filled with the smoke of incense. The setting is evanescent, vacuous, smoky, and unclear as to conveying the impression that the artist and her work (just like Jep) are empty. The artist says that she lives on extrasensory vi- brations. When Jep asks her to explain such vibrations, she is unable. From the cynical expression on his face, the audience sees that Jep knows that she cannot answer the question. She has an inflated sense of herself and informs Jep that since she is an artist, she does not need to explain anything.

Jep is an intellectual authority. He emulates an old school methodological approach to the questions relating to art. Italianness lays here based on the fact that there is a con-

43 servative urge to explain and define, give value. However, this scene shows the empti- ness of the artist’s communication and highlights the paltry nature of Jep’s own creative writing. This sense of missed purpose has been growing in him since the first party, and the encounter with the performance artist only reinforces it. His cynical treatment of the artist and his anger towards her for passing off cheap gimmicks for innovative, real, and sophisticated art suggests a reflection of his inner turmoil with himself and his growing realisation that he has wasted his true potential as a writer, as he is believed to know the meaning of value. Since he has squandered his talent, he is very sceptical, to the point of hating an artist who does not care about value. He can recognise a phoney artist when he meets one. These emotions, moods, and feelings are reflected in his facial expres- sions. This scene indicates how the mise-en-scene element of an actor’s performance can indicate far more about the events and characters than the dialogue.

The film presents a clash between a historically grounded idea of Italianness and a pas- tiche approach. The tawdriness of her performance is matched by the number of im- probable and highly irrelevant topics she wants Jep to write. She speaks of her mother’s abusive boyfriend, the fact that she has sex with her boyfriend as much as 11 times dai- ly, and that her boyfriend is a conceptual artist who specialises in covering basketballs with confetti. Her growing desperation and anger are revealed on her face. Jep con- cludes the interview saying that he writes only for cultured readers and that what she has told him cannot be published, because it is meaningless and unpublishable fluff. Such grounded idea about art is one of the distinctive traits of Italianness and of its bourgeois readers.!

!

44 Figure 13 - Talia Concept!

There is another aspect of this scene that is exemplary of the number of people who try to build their career on sensation. The more vulgar, sexual, or abusive, the more sensa- tional their work seems to become. It points out the current cultural climate where reali- ty shows gain popularity, and where disclosure of details from private life becomes marketable. That is why Jep angrily says that he writes for cultured readers. This is Jep’s act of resistance to the lies he has been telling himself as well, and a decision to group himself within the cultured audience where there is real value.

This scene could be seen as a rejection of the postmodernist idea about art. Italian cul- ture perception is rooted in the classical idea about art, which addresses the medievals and romanticism, and concludes with modernism. So the Italian cultured readers men- tioned by Jep are not very prompt to consider art as sensationalist, but would rather search for intrinsic value.

Several elements could be pointed out if we search the idea of postmodernism and Ital- ianness. It is possible to approach the subject morally or aesthetically. Italianness rejec- tion to postmodernism could have been even manifested in the rejection of a seemingly unarticulated film where the suffering is constantly hidden behind parties and lust. Here, we can see the idea of La Grande Belleza being a meta-story take form, since a post- modern film provokes reactions due to its Italianicity.

45 Conclusion

In La Grande Bellezza, strong visuals shape an analysis on all forms of beauty, glamour and style that are closely related to the idea about Italianness. The film also points out the longing for a unique period of Italian cinema and culture, embodied by La dolce vita. Both Sorrentino and Fellini’s work embodies elements of generalised beliefs about Italy and about Italian stereotype. The film is essentially anti-narrative as it does not fol- low a clear cause and effect logic, but it relies on spectators’ cultural references. Lastly, this thesis examined the role of globalisation in today’s idea about Italianness.

La Grande Bellezza seems to frustrate the narrative desire of the public, although it is very pleasing to the senses through its sequence of beautiful frames. It is not clear what the film is about. It is evident that spectacle triumphs over plot and that the film has a relatively poor storyline with no organic meaning attached to it. However, it is shown that with the use of mise-en-scene, the spectacular gives a specific sort of aesthetic plea- sure. The beauty of the city of Rome become the central theme. However, it is shown that it is not the same for everyone, as some are utmost oblivious to the beauty of their surrounding. The film further explores the role of an intellectual in contemporary Ro- man society. It is also shown that Catholicism is one of the main ingredients in the fab- rication of Italianness.

It seems that the hope of being a writer in Italy is an emblem of an Italian idea about success. Italianness is also historically presented through ancient, medieval and modern relics. This film is also pondering on the idea about art, as there is a shift in paradigm in a globalised world.

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