10 March 2016
The Italian Jobs
“Youth”, a film by Paolo Sorrentino, and
“A Bigger Splash”, a film by Luca Guadagnino
are reviewed by Raj M. Host
Thirty four years ago Colin Welland, triumphant at the Oscars after winning a golden statuette for his screen play for “Chariots of Fire”, declaimed “The British are coming!”. It ushered in a long drought for British film making at awards ceremonies. So we will not tempt fate by announcing “Gli Italiani stanno arrivando!”. But do go and see two superb Italian made movies, with distinguished British actors to add to your viewing pleasure; both of them will cause you to reflect on all those serious and witty things that great music, books and films should stir the mind about.
“Youth” is not about youth at all, at least ostensibly. It is about old age, and how best to deal with decline and change (and fame, not a problem to some of us). Michael Caine is a retired composer and conductor, Harvey Keitel is his long time friend still busy making films. They meet, as they have met for years, for a summer break at a luxury Swiss spa. Whilst Caine is withdrawn from the world into a sort of walled-up serenity, Keitel is accompanied by a bunch of toadying scriptwriters working on his latest film script; significantly, it is the ending that is causing them trouble. Wonderful cameos are deployed to point up the surrealist nature of this retreat, the bizarre life of the Swiss health resort is drawn with achingly observed insight (the staff smoking on the rear access in a break period is a most wonderful piece of perception), and life drifts on; until paradise begins to crumble. Caine is a National Icon, of course, and in a more appreciative country would be head of the national academy of acting; he is career toppingly superb as his carefully ordered world comes under siege and then starts to slide away; his demeanour slowly crushed beneath this reversal of fate.
Equally “A Bigger Splash” is not about diving, though much of the action takes place around a swimming pool, as it does in Youth. Here we have more of the creative arts – Tilda Swinton as an ageing rock star recovering from an operation on her voice box, Matthias Schoenaerts as her film-maker beaux with a recent past, and Ralph Fiennes as her ex husband, utterly and alarmingly manic, gate crashing the lovers quiet retreat. Just when we are thinking this is a celebrity life style movie, things start to darken, from refugees scrambling ashore to the behaviour of Fiennes’ daughter who he has sprung on the happy gathering. Fiennes is already nominated for National Icon (Two) (as deputy to Caine, of course) and as Caine in his movie is sombre and withdrawn, Fiennes here is funny and wild.
In both films all is not as it seems. Surrealism tweaks its way through “Bigger Splash” as it does through “Youth”, not least as Swinton’s expressive facade digs out the undercurrents of the movie without speaking – she can’t, because of that voice op; in both films Dali-ism pointing up that we all distort reality, sometimes knowingly, sometimes not.
“Youth” is the original brainchild of Paolo Sorrentino who wrote and directed. It builds distinction on a career which features his magnificent “The Consequences of Love” and scarily searing “Il Divo” and his not quite so hot but very elegant “The Great Beauty”. “A Bigger Splash” (the reference to Hockney’s great work is entirely deliberate and reverential) is a remake of “Il Piscine”, a great movie of the 1960’s, but in the viewfinder of Luca Guadagnino given new and original life. These two great movie directors are contemporaries, but very different (Sorrentino devoted to film; Guadagnino with wider interests, including design and wider forms of artistic expression including furniture and opera). The presentations here feature swimming pools, naked girls (perhaps not entirely necessary for the furtherment of the plot but these are Italian films), humour, management of mood, superb photography, the careful deployment of music, brilliant acting. And, with the exception of a small section of “Youth”, no special effects.
That indeed is what the filmgoer might particularly warm to. These are films as a true art form, going back to the great days of the 1940’s and 1950’s, 1960’s even, when film directors wanted to tell a tale and make their point with power and persuasion, utilising a good story line, skilled photography, appropriate musicology, so that the audience were left with much to chew over as they thoughtfully descended the Odeon steps at the end. Film should be as great music, great theatre, great books; shaking the audience from its settled ways. Most modern films may puzzle the audience as to what was CGI and what was real, their eardrums may resonate from the explosions, and their driving be adversely affected by the bad example of the car chases. But will it change their lives?
“Youth” may just do that. Especially for those worrying about legacy and the memories they leave. “A Bigger Splash” might not change lives – but will provoke ponderings as to the fragility of certainty. Go and see them now, and celebrate the creative forces of Italy.
“Youth” and “A Bigger Splash” are both currently being shown by the Curzon chain of cinemas, and possibly still in other central London and some regional locations
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