I am writing today with a Happy Birthday wish to my sister Kelly! And as such, I deemed it fitting that she should choose the movie. We devised this plan a little bit ago, and while she was with me on a visit last month, we got to watch her pick together— Sorentino’s 2013 film, La Grande Bellezza. She saw it in theater when it came out, and though I know her particular affinity for this one, it has taken me all this time to get to watching it. It did not disappoint and supplied lots of wit and lots of beauty.
The Great Beauty is set in Rome and centers on the life of Jep— a middle aged writer, who only wrote one book, decades ago, and whose life is spent in glittering idleness. At 65 it’s still all parties and socialites, and a nagging hangover that says, “Is this all there is to life?”. I take this movie as a the study of a blocked artist in search of the inspiration that will bring meaning to the whole of his life, but whatever he finds is all spent on the decadent cosmopolitan machine and not on his art. It’s all beautiful, but is it meaningful?
A Question & Answer With Kelly
What made The Great Beauty stand out as a favorite film?
Every time I watch The Great Beauty I am shocked at how quickly 3 hours go by. The plot is minimal so the movie focuses on the character development which feels both subtle and stark.
What do you find visually compelling about it?
The movie is breathtaking but feels effortless, the beauty feels simultaneously overwhelming and understated. It's not proud, you just can't help but notice it. Rome is of course an exquisite city, and the social elites of the film get to spend their days in the most amazing parts. Jep’s balcony overlooks the Colosseum for goodness sake! Can you imagine having such a view? And no one mentions it. It feels almost like a bore for Jep and his circle. Watching the movie you get to witness all the art, culture, and decadence Rome has to offer, and through Jep, you get to feel it as both commonplace and exquisite.
Is there a special memory you connect to watching this film?
I first saw The Great Beauty at The Nickelodeon, an independent theater in Columbia, SC, my sophomore year of college. I sat behind a couple that spoke Italian and they would laugh, then I would finish reading the subtitles and then laugh as well. Many of the scenes in the film move slowly, giving the viewer time to notice everything beautiful in the shot. Watching the movie reminds me to move through my day slowly and notice what is around me. The streets of Columbia never looked more beautiful than they did as I left the theater.
Now time for the fashion! The men’s wardrobe of this movie is definitely a supporting character, and it’s no wonder that’s where I got the most inspiration. Italian suiting is my favorite, and it reminded me of being on Honeymoon in Milan where my husband Shane had much shopping success and there were loads of well dressed men to inspire. I jogged my memory with references from The Sartorialist , looking specifically at Scott Schuman’s photography from Italy, I also checked out his book on men’s fashion from the library. There is a specific collar type that we saw everywhere but weren’t successful in buying and it was defined in the book as a “spread collar”, where the points are quite a bit farther from each other, leaving more room for a wider tie knot. Not yet ready to make a whole ‘nother suit (though the yellow jacket was really calling my name!), I decided I’d make the spread collar shirt for Shane.
I had a vintage men’s pattern that looked like the right amount of spread, and a more casual one-piece collar that folds over gently instead of having two pieces, a collar and a stand that creates are sharper/neater fold. I liked that a rumpled look could be more easily achieved, as Jep did so well— I wanted to give Shane a little of that la sprezzatura!
I think Shane looks quite chic in his shirt that used to be a sheet and his knit tie worn just a little messily. And finally, a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sister— the inspiration should have resulted in a present for you, but alas, I hope you party like Jep anyway!
Love how you included your sister and love Shane’s new shirt.