This is one of the most visually remarkable films I've ever seen. It captures the spirit and beauty of Rome. The camera delves into corners and crevices of the night life and the daytime of this eternal city. This is the story of a man who has debauched his way through life. At sixty-five, he begins to wonder what happened. He is highly respected for his single book (he never wrote another) and has casual friends who are more users than true companions. He hearkens back to a relationship he had earlier, where a woman he could have had, instead ends up with a close friend, who, it turns out, never made her happy. The actions of the characters are vacuous and relatively feckless. He encounters artists who are mostly show and little substance. We see self-indulgent women wasting their lives. This is certainly more about the journey than the result. The people who are most solid in this man's life are the one's he takes for granted. Death seems to be around the corner and what do we do until that happens? Does it make any difference what we do? The beauty here is all around, but is wasted on most of these people.
Review of The Great Beauty
