Let's deal with the elephant in the room first.
I don't really remember why I stopped posting here. I enjoyed doing this blog and will continue to post from now onwards. Since my last post, I have been studying towards my BA in Media and Screen Studies(which is so close to completion I can taste it). I also started another blog on another platform, https://sapicturetheatres.wixsite.com/sapicturetheatres which is about the history of picture theatres in South Australia. It's a work in progress. I aim to post about once a month on there, so if you are interested please have a look.
Lastly, it wouldn't be a Sorrentino film without a killer soundtrack. Sorrentino, I believe chooses all the music used in his films, and I have to say he has great taste. Certainly some of it I wouldn't listen to in the car myself, but I have discovered quite a few favourite tracks from his films over the years. As you would expect from such a director he is able to combine music and image perfectly, and he uses an eclectic combination of music, from hip-hop to opera, classical to punk.
So to quote Austin Powers "I'm back baby".
The Consequences of Love is one of those films where if you explain too much you give away too much. But I can tell you that it does indeed deal with the consequences of love. So I will try to just give you a glimpse into the film, a general overview. Staring regular Sorrentino cohort, Toni Servillo as Titta De Girolamo, a man that has secrets. Titta lives in a hotel in Switzerland, it's a nice hotel, very monochrome. He has lived there for about 8 years. Even other long-time guests have no idea what Titta does for a living, and he is not about to tell them.
Let's now talk about the film, and what a film it is. The Consequences of Love is a 2004 film directed by Paolo Sorrentino. Sorrentino is a masterful Italian director who if you don't know his name, you may know some of his work, The Great Beauty (2013), Youth (2015), and The Young Pope (2016). He has also done a number of political films such as Il Divo (2008) and Loro (2018). Please check out his IMDB profile for more information about his films.
Titta has decided to remove himself from life.- I so want to explain that a little more, but don't want to give away anything - and that includes people. He is removed from his wife and children and even from his own brother. The barmaid Sofia (Olivia Magnini) who has served drinks to Titta for many years slowly breaks down his wall of defence, and it's this relationship that sets off a number of events that will lead to an unforgettable ending.
Trust me on this one, you will not forget the last scene for a while.
I have to talk about the lead actor here, Toni Servillo. He is the lead in many of Sorrentino's films, such as The Great Beauty, Il Divo, Loro etc. He has that understated elegance and charisma that is so hard to find. And that face. Look at his IMDB profile and you will see what a highly sort after actor he is. And part of that I would say is the intelligence and uniqueness in each performance that he gives. His Titta De Girolamo character is not the same as his Jep Gambardella, and he disappears into the role of Giulio Andreotti a former seven-time Prime Minister of Italy.
Everyone is, as is expected in a Sorrentino film perfect in their roles. Olivia Magnani - and you might recognise that last name, she is the granddaughter of the glorious Anna Magnani - is cast as Sofia. And she brings just the right amount of innocence to the role, which is needed.
If I do have one gripe it is the age differences between the lead actors. But that it is a gripe as old as the ages, hopefully, one which filmmakers will start to rectify.
It is a hard one to find though. I've checked Mubi, SBS on Demand (Australian), Kanopy etc and nothing. I was able to watch it as a part of a course on Italian cinema that I was doing at the time, but have since purchased a DVD of it, so I can watch it whenever I want. I highly recommend that you try to find a copy of this film to watch, maybe check your local library? You will not be disappointed.
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