Directed by:
Paolo SorrentinoScreenplay:
Paolo SorrentinoCinematography:
Daria D'AntonioComposer:
Lele MarchitelliCast:
Celeste Dalla Porta, Gary Oldman, Stefania Sandrelli, Luisa Ranieri, Dario Aita, Silvio Orlando, Isabella Ferrari, Peppe Lanzetta, Nello Mascia (more)Plots(1)
The long journey of Parthenope’s life, from her birth in 1950 till today. A feminine epic, devoid of heroism but brimming with an inexorable passion for freedom, Naples, and the faces of love—all those true, pointless, and unspeakable loves. The perfect Capri summer, the lightheartedness of youth. Which ends in ambush. And then all the others—the Neapolitans, men and women, observed and loved, disillusioned and vital, their waves of melancholy, their tragic ironies and dejected glances. Life, be it ordinary or memorable, knows how to be very long. The passing of time offers up a vast repertoire of emotions. And there in the background, so close and so very far, is Naples, this ineffable city that bewitches, enchants, screams, laughs, and always knows how to hurt you. (Cannes Film Festival)
(more)Reviews (3)
Paolo Sorrentino's new film, released at Cannes, is a heady poem paying tribute to youth and human (female) beauty (how else), and I have to admit that I was completely drawn in and enchanted by the first half. I haven't seen such visually captivating, perfected shots in a long time. I liked the character of Parthenope, because she is aware of her beauty, but I didn't think she was taking advantage of it, on the contrary, she knows her worth very well, she is not only beautiful, but also smart and ambitious. But unfortunately the enthusiasm gradually waned in the second half, because the main character stopped acting logically. I didn't quite sympathize with her actions and some of the events. I stopped seeing any sense or point to it. So, in the end, it turns out that the whole film is actually based on the beauty of the lead actress and the masterful visuals, but unfortunately that's not enough. [Festival de Cannes 2024]
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Sorrentino’s visual poetry paying tribute to Naples and feminine beauty (what else?). The first third of the film offers a nice exposition of the characters, from which the writer played by Gary Oldman stands out not only in terms of acting, but also in terms of his nature. Later in the film, there are more and more fragments of emotion whose context and significance in the plot elude me, thus diminishing the enthusiasm for the form of their presentation. What the hell was that “beauty and the beast” character of the ugly priest fingering Parthenope in the church supposed to mean?? Two and a half stars. [Cannes FF]
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As much as I absolutely love some of Sorrentino’s films, with Parthenope the Neapolitan native has completely burnt himself out and repeated himself, turning out a work of pure visual pretentiousness that is uninventive, stale and completely hollow. Everything in the film revolves almost exclusively around the physical appearance of the main protagonist (or rather the actress portraying her), while the way of admiring the beauty of women’s bodies seems coarse and lewd. The dialogue pretends to be deeply philosophical, but the film drowns in nonsense (e.g. “feminine beauty is like war; it opens doors”) and melodramatic motifs that are completely emotionally empty. This masterclass in filming empty filler scenes with no narrative value is the equivalent of a two-hour commercial for a luxury perfume.
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Gallery (4)
Photo © Pathé Films
![Parthenope - Photos](http://image.pmgstatic.com/cache/resized/w663/files/images/film/photos/168/924/168924972_0ifrt4.jpg)
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