“The Great Beauty - Scene Analysis
“The Giraffe Scene”
The scene opens on a long shot of Jep as he walks inside the Baths of Caracalla ruins. As he goes inside, all we hear is the sound of footsteps and the chirping of the birds as the camera zooms in to a medium close-up of Jep as he takes everything in. Once he gets to the centre of the frame, we get the first notes of eerie, awe-inspiring music. The diegetic sounds make us feel like we are part of the scene as well as emphasising the silence and the almost emptiness of the ruins, while the non-diegetic music supports the character’s reactions by transferring Jep’s feeling to the audience. The scene then cuts to a surveying pan, the camera searching the scene and ending on a long shot from …show more content…
It is a subtle hint that alerts us to the fact that maybe Rome itself is a trick, everyone just playing their part in maintaining the deception. The film’s plot revolves around Jep looking for a great beauty and this scene emphasises the fact that maybe he is missing it because he is looking the other way. Jep misses the “magic” moment because he was focusing on the departure of his friend, which seems to be exactly what the film is trying to say. Sometimes people miss overwhelmingly incredible moments because they are focusing on the sad parts of their life. However, as the camera zooms in towards Jep, we can see that his confusion turns to acceptance and for a second he manages to just be present in the moment before reality clashes in again. Another point that moves the plot is nostalgia, the scene highlighting the film’s reading on it quite clearly. The only times shallow focus was used in the scene was when Jep’s world was suddenly changed by a sudden realisation that his world is changing. Throughout the film, nostalgia is portrayed as a distraction, as something that takes you away from the present and sends you to a past that seems real while making you miss the future that is right in front of …show more content…
The invisible editing technique gives the illusion of on omniscient point of view. The editing supports the narrative rather than dominating it, the attention then falling to the characters themselves. This type of editing helps maintain the realism of the scene, the cuts being unobtrusive which helps viewers to no longer consciously notice them. Seeing this scene again actually helps in getting a better understanding of the film as a whole, because, in the span of about four minutes, it manages to synthetize the main themes while also moving the plot forward. Although on a first viewing the scene might seem a bit all over the place, a second viewing will offer the chance to observe the full circle way in which it was edited and might help in getting a better grasp of the film’s overall message.
Reference:
1 Grosoli, M. (2013). Review: The Great Beauty. [online] Film Comment. Available at: https://www.filmcomment.com/article/review-the-great-beauty-sorrentino/
2 Romney, J. (2013) Film of the Week: The Great Beauty. [online] Film Comment Available at: https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/review-the-great-beauty-paolo-sorrentino/
3 Palanti, A. (2013). La grande bellezza (The Great Beauty). Paolo Sorrentino (Italy 2013). [online] Camera Obscura. Available at:
“The Giraffe Scene”
The scene opens on a long shot of Jep as he walks inside the Baths of Caracalla ruins. As he goes inside, all we hear is the sound of footsteps and the chirping of the birds as the camera zooms in to a medium close-up of Jep as he takes everything in. Once he gets to the centre of the frame, we get the first notes of eerie, awe-inspiring music. The diegetic sounds make us feel like we are part of the scene as well as emphasising the silence and the almost emptiness of the ruins, while the non-diegetic music supports the character’s reactions by transferring Jep’s feeling to the audience. The scene then cuts to a surveying pan, the camera searching the scene and ending on a long shot from …show more content…
It is a subtle hint that alerts us to the fact that maybe Rome itself is a trick, everyone just playing their part in maintaining the deception. The film’s plot revolves around Jep looking for a great beauty and this scene emphasises the fact that maybe he is missing it because he is looking the other way. Jep misses the “magic” moment because he was focusing on the departure of his friend, which seems to be exactly what the film is trying to say. Sometimes people miss overwhelmingly incredible moments because they are focusing on the sad parts of their life. However, as the camera zooms in towards Jep, we can see that his confusion turns to acceptance and for a second he manages to just be present in the moment before reality clashes in again. Another point that moves the plot is nostalgia, the scene highlighting the film’s reading on it quite clearly. The only times shallow focus was used in the scene was when Jep’s world was suddenly changed by a sudden realisation that his world is changing. Throughout the film, nostalgia is portrayed as a distraction, as something that takes you away from the present and sends you to a past that seems real while making you miss the future that is right in front of …show more content…
The invisible editing technique gives the illusion of on omniscient point of view. The editing supports the narrative rather than dominating it, the attention then falling to the characters themselves. This type of editing helps maintain the realism of the scene, the cuts being unobtrusive which helps viewers to no longer consciously notice them. Seeing this scene again actually helps in getting a better understanding of the film as a whole, because, in the span of about four minutes, it manages to synthetize the main themes while also moving the plot forward. Although on a first viewing the scene might seem a bit all over the place, a second viewing will offer the chance to observe the full circle way in which it was edited and might help in getting a better grasp of the film’s overall message.
Reference:
1 Grosoli, M. (2013). Review: The Great Beauty. [online] Film Comment. Available at: https://www.filmcomment.com/article/review-the-great-beauty-sorrentino/
2 Romney, J. (2013) Film of the Week: The Great Beauty. [online] Film Comment Available at: https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/review-the-great-beauty-paolo-sorrentino/
3 Palanti, A. (2013). La grande bellezza (The Great Beauty). Paolo Sorrentino (Italy 2013). [online] Camera Obscura. Available at: