Director Pietro Marcello ’ s Martin Eden , which is loosely based on the novel of the same name by Jack London , tells the story of a poor and uneducated young Italian sailor , Martin Eden ( Luca Marinelli ), who , through hard work , love of an upper-class woman , and determination , moves his way up the social ladder to become a famous and wealthy writer . Set in the politically charged twentieth century , both stories deal
Martin Eden **** Italy / France / Germany 2019 Opening August 26 , 2021
Director : Pietro Marcello Writing credits : Maurizio Braucci , Pietro Marcello Principal actors : Luca Marinelli , Jessica Cressy , Carmen Pommella , Marco Leonardi
with the divided social classes and the clash between two political systems , capitalism and socialism , in which Eden must find out where he belongs . This class difference is well portrayed in the contrast between the luxurious and formal home of his beloved , Elena , and the simple abodes of his sister and of the widow Maria and her family , where he lives .
There are , however , notable differences between Marcello ’ s tale and London ’ s book . First , Marcello “ revisited ” Martin Eden by transplanting the action from Oakland , California to Naples , Italy . In addition , even though both stories take place in the twentieth century , London ’ s narrative is clearly set at the beginning of the century , and Marcello ’ s account seems timeless , as it jumps around from right after World War I up to the 1970s and back again . The timelessness that Marcello achieves is due in part to his use of archival footage . It establishes that the time period is the twentieth century , but with his frequent inserts of historical footage throughout the film , we are never sure when . Even the music from Debussy and the folk singer Teresa De Sio gives us the feeling that we are in a notional time .
know Eden , first as a simple sailor and then after he meets Elena , as a single-minded man , self-educating himself and determined to become a writer , even after many rejections . It is also brilliant how Marcello portrays the proletarian class in the first half of the production , contrasting it with the upper class as he hip hops between Elena ’ s family and the family he is living with . Unfortunately , however , soon after Eden gets his first manuscript accepted for print , the film suddenly jumps to where he has become an unsympathetic , unhappy snob as an accomplished and well-known writer . He suddenly has bleached hair and is wearing aristocratic clothes with a very cynical expression on his face . I almost had the feeling that Marcello thought his film was getting too long and he had to cut it short . This is not the fault of overacting on the part of the leading actor , but rather of over-the-top writing in the screenplay ( by Mauizio Braucci ) and a melodramatic tendency in the director .
In spite of this flaw in the closing stages of the film , it is definitely worth “ revisiting ” Martin Eden in the form of Marcello ’ s newest film , even if it is just to see Luca Marinelli . ( Karen Schollemann )
A major part of what makes this film successful is the actors , especially Luca Marinelli as Martin Eden . He is simply beautiful , with his brooding charisma and expressive , hypno-tizing eyes . From the beginning to the end , he presents us with a powerful and true-to-life Martin Eden . Jessica Cressy , as his upper-class sweetheart , is also convincing as Elena , with her prissy clothes and fine manners . However , Carmen Pommella as Maria , the kind widow who takes Eden in and gives him a chance to continue his writing after his sister kicks him out , is probably the most believable character , and she brings out a gentle side in Eden .
The most disturbing element in this film is definitely the pacing , which seems to be non-existent towards the end . The film starts out powerful and gripping as we get to www . awchamburg . org 41