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Martin Eden

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02:09

Martin Eden

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Summary

After Martin Eden meets Elena, he tries to achieve a place among the literary elite through self-education. Italian drama with subtitles, based on the novel by Jack London.

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Review

A star rating of 4 out of 5.

Calum Baker

A vibrant, award-winning lead performance from Luca Marinelli dominates this drama about education, class status and the spirit of socialism. Based on a Jack London novel but relocated to Italy in an unspecified period, the film follows Martin (Marinelli), a low-born and under-educated young man who sets out to "better" himself. His journey, which has rough parallels with London's own, encompasses political awakenings, romantic fallouts and, eventually, some measure of success as a writer. Director/co-writer Pietro Marcello heightens the dreamy nature of his epic by shooting on lush 16mm film with eye-popping colours. But it's Marinelli's show; charismatic and believable, he leaps off the screen even in the film's saggier sections. By the final act, our hero has grown despondent over his apparently diminished authenticity, and Marinelli reshapes his performance accordingly, which makes for an altogether more unsettling experience. This shift, which Marcello matches with smart, melancholic pacing, provides an extraordinary conclusion to Martin Eden's hypnotising journey.

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7.0/10

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Credits

Cast

rolenameMartin EdenLuca MarinelliElena OrsiniJessica CressyNinoVincenzo NemolatoMargheritaDenise SardiscoBernardo FioreMarco Leonardi

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Crew

rolenameDirectorPietro Marcello

Details

Theatrical distributor

New Wave Films

Released on

2021-07-09

Languages

Italian | French

Guidance

Swearing

Formats

Colour

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