13 Great Films Set in Sicily to Inspire You to Visit, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou Filming Locations in Italy, Call Me By Your Name Filming Locations in Northern Italy. As in that film . . Ill say one thing about Harry. To an extent there's interest in simply watching the well-cast stars go through their paces: Fiennes plays one of his most extroverted characters; Swinton has magnetism as usual in a contrasting figure (contrasting because her rock-star has to be silent while recovering from surgery--but a laughable flashback where she sings in a recording studio blows any belief that we're watching a credible musical talent); Schoenaerts is attractive and earnest; Johnson is good playing a petulant brat who uses her sexual allure in obvious (yet successful) ways. If the picture gains the traction it deserves among adult audiences,I would not be surprised to see Fiennes pop up on early lists of Supporting Actor contenders next Oscar season. After intruding on Marianne and Paul's get-away with his daughter Penelope (Dakota Johnson), who seems to share a rather suspicious and discomforting relationship with her new-found father, it becomes clear that Harry has some designs on winning his ex-lover and colleague Marianne back. Permalink. The story is less a love triangle than a love rhombus, and the plot kicks off when Harry and his daughter Penelope (Dakota Johnson) crash Marianne and Pauls island looking to make trouble. Every character were annoying and not likable at all. I've said before that she is such a fascinating actress that I would probably buy a ticket to watch Tilda Swinton just stand on stage. In 'A Bigger Splash', rock legend Marianne Lane is recuperating on the volcanic island of Pantelleria with her partner Paul when iconoclast record producer and old flame Harry unexpectedly arrives with his daughter Penelope and interrupts their holiday, bringing with him an A-bomb blast of nostalgia from which there can be no rescue. Some of her gesticulation might be a little over the top, but on the whole, shes a fully developed, critical character that just happens to be hampered from speaking properly. 'I wouldn't have made the film if I could not have made it on Pantelleria. And I'm the human (and hair) behind Almost Ginger. I understand the circumstances before she took on the role, but if she didn't feel up to it, she shouldn't have taken it. A Bigger Splash A convalescing rockstar and her boyfriend vacationing on the Mediterranean island of Pantelleria see their private holiday disrupted when they receive an unexpected visit. Let me know in the comments below! She tells him that she does love him, but that she cannot be with him and that she is with Paul. Meanwhile, their holiday is interrupted when Harry (Fiennes), a very lively music producer and former Lane flame, arrives unannounced with his newly discovered daughter Penelope (Dakota Johnson). In an isolated villa on the small Italian island of Pantelleria, world-famous rock singer Marianne Lane is on holiday with her filmmaker lover Paul De Smedt. Paul and Marianne, spend their vacation in Italy and experience trouble when Marianne invites a former lover and his teenage daughter to visit, which leads to jealousy and dangerous sexual scenarios. Ilike that!, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, uca Guadagnino assembles a very intimidating quartet for this chamber piece of sexual tension. World famous singer Marianne Lane (Swinton), temporarily mute from a recent throat operation, is enjoying a relaxing holiday with her doting film-maker boyfriend Paul De Smedt (Schoenaerts) on a remote idyllic Italian island. Matthias Schoenaerts intelligently conveys the way Paul feels constrained by gratitude and good manners Harry actually introduced him to Marianne. Fienness performance is exhilarating and exhausting in equal measure, a jolt of fun for a film thats mostly about characters who want to languidly relax by the pool and make eyes at each other. [4] It is the second instalment in Guadagnino's self-described Desire trilogy, following I Am Love (2009) and preceding Call Me by Your Name (2017). There's a lot more than just sun and sex . I live for visiting filming locations, attending top film festivals and binge-watching travel inspiring films. Much to their initial annoyance, Lane's manic music producer and ex-boyfriend Harry Hawkes (Fiennes) turns up with his newly discovered daughter Penelope (Johnson) to gate- crash the tranquillity. Complete load of rubbish, masquerading as an art(y) film. In her latest collaboration with director Luca Guadagnino (I Am Love, 2009), Ms. Swinton's character remains mostly silent, save a few well placed whispers and one uncontrollable outburst, and she is certainly worth the price of that ticket. . Read next: The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou Filming Locations in Italy, Hey! While Matthias wasn't at his best, Tilda Swinton was, even voiceless, remarkably well cast. The foursome, along with Harrys two local pals, heads towards Chiesa Parrocchiale di San Gaetanoin Pantelleria along Vicolo dell Atturawhich is a cracking little scenic walk. [20][21] It was also selected to screen at the Busan International Film Festival on 2 October 2015[22] and at the London Film Festival[23] on 9 October 2015. My late uncle was the pastor of a Catholic parish on Pantelleria for many years and I have long wanted to visit the island! Shagging, sunbathing, and swimming in Sicily, what more could you ask for in a romantic break? I despair of professional critics who go weak at the knees if they can describe a film as arty. Having competed for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, which saw it receive rave reviews from many critics, can "A Bigger Splash" live up to its impactful title? "A Bigger Splash" is an Italian-French erotic drama (with English dialogue) that's inspired by the 1969 film, "La Piscine." Marianne, a pop star who's recovering from vocal surgery, goes on a. The new title brings in the swoony blueness of David Hockneys painting and alludes also to the unsubtle male competition at work in these poolside encounters. 8/10. 2023 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. Marianne Lanes muteness is a gimmick rather than a necessity. But Luca Guadagninos new film comes into sharper focus much later, as the viewer realizes Europes ongoing migrant crisis is playing out in the background, largely ignored by the high-wattage ensemble until it becomes impossible not to. Rock-star Marianne (Tilda Swinton) is recuperating on an Italian island after throat surgery, with her film-maker lover (Mattias Schoenaerts) for company. Their quiet Italian Island break is quickly cut short by Harrys unprompted arrival at the local airport. Work with the band began with the filmmakers screening I Am Love (2009) for Mick Jagger and the rest of the band to introduce them to Luca Guadagnino's work. And those are all the topA Bigger Splashfilming locations in Italy! No. Chris Eubank launched a furious rant after Paul Gascoigne told a very crude story during Sunday's series premiere of Channel 4's Scared Of The Dark.. When I finally got what I was waiting for it was an awkward fight that was only mildly satisfying. The director's prior "I Am Love" ultimately transcended its more pretentious, arbitrary aspects with a certain feeling of epic emotionality. Guadagnino elegantly draws on influences from fact and fiction: Harry is a former acquaintance of the Rolling Stones and the movie refers to Brian Jones in an early interview scene. In a standout scene, Harry launches into a frenzied, shirtless dance to the Rolling Stones' 'Emotional Rescue' around the beautifully tiled pool at Tenuta Borgia estate, above and below left. Filming took place in the ancient village of Scauri and the surrounding coast: in one of the opening scenes, Marianne and Paul slather themselves in sulphuric mud scooped from the milky, turquoise waters of the Lago di Venere. But discord lurks on the edges of the film from the beginning, as Guadagnino and the writer David Kajganich hint at the influx of refugees to the island (and Italy at large), and the problems fermenting around this idyllic slice of life. Ralph Fiennes as Harry in A Bigger Splash with Dakota Johnson as his daughter, Penelope. In A BIGGER SPLASH, rock legend Marianne Lane (Tilda Swinton) is recuperating on the volcanic island of Pantelleria with her partner Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts) when iconoclast record producer and old flame Harry (Ralph Fiennes) unexpectedly arrives with his daughter Penelope (Dakota Johnson)and . Subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. He is in recovery from alcohol addiction and a suicide attempt. . The Graham Norton Show: Ralph Fiennes/Tracey Ullman/James Nesbitt/James Bay. But it's the island's brooding allure that proved the linchpin for the whole project. His swimming pool is a pure rectangular swamp of desire. Do you plan to seeA Bigger Splash? And now to the negative. A Bigger Splash seems to announce its intentions from minute one, cutting from the rockstar Marianne Lane (Tilda Swinton) electrifying a stadium of thousands to a shot of her sunbathing nude by. By weaving the realities of the Mediterranean island's refugee crisis into the updated plot, there's topical seriousness too. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. My gut was telling me that nothing of real interest was going to happen in this movie. At least after that Harry shut up, so that's a plus. Tensions flare as Harry's ulterior motives to steal Marianne back after having 'given her' to Paul, while Penelope's relationships with her father and Paul come into question. A Bigger Splash is a sensuous delight of a film, but it has a darker heart that brands itself in the viewers mind. Paul lies, saying he went to bed before the time of death, and is believed. Somehow this global hodgepodge actuallyworks,asA Bigger Splash which premiered at last years Venice Film Festival is lots of fun if you let yourself go and dont worry about how sleazy the whole thing really is. This is a terrifically assured switch to English-language film-making from Guadagnino, and like his interesting but faintly overvalued movie I Am Love, it has something of the drifting ennui of Antonioni. They have more urgent business with refugees landing from North Africa, some floating ashore dead, but take the occupants of the villa in for questioning. We see it and we love each other anyway. A Bigger Splash: The Young One-Penelope (Featurette) 0:33 1. I'm not really sure what the point of the movie was. I'm a fan of Tilda Swinton, but her performance here was awful. It also helps to have an A-list cast of superb actors along for the trip. She is recovering from surgery and has lost her voice, communicating only by signs and occasional whispers. The screenplay of the . Bigger is Not Better: A Watered Down Version of "La Piscine". But, you know, stranger things have happened. . Neither speaks Italian and their togetherness is interrupted by uninvited visitors. [16], In February 2015, Fox Searchlight Pictures acquired U.S distribution rights to the film. There are a lot of zooms-in and out that call attention to themselves without discernible purpose. Keeping Swinton away from his camera at first, Guadagnino finally gives us some breathtaking closeups of her face; given a new inscrutability with its slanted eye makeup. Yet at the same time, the longer it went on, the more and more I disliked it. That's the whole fucking point. A Bigger Splash (2016) A Bigger Splash. She is on holiday with her filmmaker lover Paul De Smedt (Matthias Schoenaerts), he is also recovering, from his alcohol addiction and a failed suicide attempt, neither he or Marianna speak Italian, both need the solitude. Giving the setting of the movie that would seem obvious. But this time around there isn't enough substance or originality in other departments to detract attention from howwell, pretentious and arbitrary many of his directorial choices are. In . He Tweets/Instagrams at Optimarcus and writes at marcusgohmarcusgoh.com. But why keep him around then? Harry returns to the villa one night after a night of heavy drinking, he skinny dips in the pool, Paul and him eventually get into an aggressive fight, it ends when Harry is drowned, the maid finds his corpse the next morning and calls the police, Marianna is traumatised and screaming risks her voice being damaged. [27] Originally scheduled to open in the United States on 13 May 2016, it was brought forward to 4 May. But the sign in the film is also the sign still about the cinemas door, so that seems a bit odd. Certainly thats the attitude of the actors who look like they are having a blast, particularly Ralph Fiennes, who has never been this unplugged onscreen. Franois Ozons 2003 movie Swimming Pool used the artificial blue depths of the pool to incubate a similar tension. Matthias Schoenaerts, Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes and Dakota Johnson all give incredible performances. Some superbly juxtaposed wordless scenes take us from Mariannes former life to her current situation and finally explain why they are happening in almost complete silence. This film tells the story of a rock star that is recovering from a throat surgery, and her filmmaker boyfriend going to Italy for a holiday. A Bigger Splash is an Italian-French erotic drama (with English dialogue) thats inspired by the 1969 film, La Piscine. Marianne, a pop star whos recovering from vocal surgery, goes on a holiday with her boyfriend Paul, only to find her old flame Harry is there with his daughter, Penelope. Theres a lot of Ralph Fiennes in the movie though, so prepared to see every, and I mean every, aspect of him. His arrogant manner bores Pen and annoys Paul, but Marianne starts falling under his spell again; however, when Harry and Marianne begin to become intimate, Marianne stops Harry. Their holiday is hijacked by Marianne's eccentric former flame Harry (Ralph Fiennes) and his long-lost daughter Penelope (Dakota Johnson). Her ex-boyfriend and his current girlfriend join them, and things get strange as emotions are stirred. A remake of Jacques Deray's 'La Piscine' (1969), 'A Bigger Splash' has attracted some big names: Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton, Dakota Johnson and Matthias Schoenaerts make it a star-spangled vehicle indeed. A Bigger Splash . A Bigger Splash (2015) follows Marianne (Tilda Swinton) and her boyfriend Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts) as they seek respite from Mariannes hectic music career in a remote villa. With him is Penelope "Pen" Lanier, a previously unknown daughter of his who says she is 22. Why does she have to be mute? It is rated M-18. Semi-fictionalized documentary biopic of British artist David Hockney. Let us know what you think. Out on DVD/ Blu-ray 27 June and on digital download 20 June. Its a dazzling experiment for Swinton, whos slipped into so many strange skins in recent yearsa Thatcher-esque dictator in Snowpiercer, rival twin gossip columnists in Hail, Caesar!, a bored vampire queen in Only Lovers Left Alive. I do love it when filming locations aresuperauthentic. Starring Tilda Swinton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Ralph Fiennes, and Dakota Johnson, the film is loosely based on the 1969 Jacques Deray film La Piscine[3] and named after the 1967 David Hockney painting of the same name. A famous rock star's vacation in Italy with her boyfriend is disrupted by the unexpected visit of an old friend and his daughter.A famous rock star's vacation in Italy with her boyfriend is disrupted by the unexpected visit of an old friend and his daughter.A famous rock star's vacation in Italy with her boyfriend is disrupted by the unexpected visit of an old friend and his daughter. Marianne and Pauls dammusi is, of course, the biggest and the only one with a private swimming pool. A Bigger Splash. Would be a dream come true. I saw the trailer for this movie at the cinemas and thought it looked interesting, and then I accidentally sponsored it to be added to the movie trivia app Popcorn Trivia, alongside my intended title Splash (1984), so I was definitely going to watch it. Taken in this light, the music is one of the most incongruous aspects of an already incongruous movie. There is some talent here. In fact, because the film is so precise for long in both its beauty and its weirdness, the tonal shift toward uncomfortable farce feels that much more . While she rests her voice after throat surgery, a David Bowie-esque rock legend, Marianne (Tilda Swinton), and her documentary-filmmaker boyfriend of 6 years, Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts), relax in the remote Italian paradise of Pantelleria. Harry sings Worried About You by the Rolling Stones to Marianne when Paul and Penelope walk through the door. The music itself must be able to add to the movie without having to rely on the viewers foreknowledge. Mild spoiler: One of them will not be returning home from this holiday. [17] The film made its world premiere at the 72nd Venice Film Festival[18][19] on 6 September 2015. Realising his mistake, Paul pulls Harry to the surface and attempts to resuscitate him, but is unsuccessful and leaves Harry to drift to the bottom of the pool. . Tensions brew. These are traditional, ancient houses and there are seven different properties in total run by the Tenuta Borgia EstateinPantelleria. There is still a spark between Marianne and Harry; no less of one between Paul and Penelope. Then, they turn a corner and stroll down Str. Hes effing annoying, but he knows how to start a fun party. There's something that made this film really come together well in the beginning. The happy couple drives to this idyllic place and take a quick dip in this small, circular enclosed body of water and smear smelly sulphuric mud on each other. [7] A new set of movie stills were released on 3 September 2015. I have never heard of this film, but will look for it. The cool screenplay is credited to David Kajganich with adaptation and dialogues byLa Piscinedirector Jacques Deray and Jean-Claude Carriere. Setting operatic music to frivolity is one of the most questionable decisions in the film until you realise that its meant as a reference to its source. Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networks. Learn how your comment data is processed. The four leads all give great performances, but Fiennes absolutely steals the show, dominating every scene with his over-the- top eccentricity and dancing, the film uses the Italian locations to its advantage, presenting beautiful scenery, the use of colour is good, and what follows is a funny and interesting series of passionate exchanges and tensions between the characters, a most watchable drama. With Steve Zissou filming locations in Italy, Hey same time, more. Love him, but her performance here was awful inspired by the Rolling Stones to Marianne Paul feels by! Spark between Marianne and Harry ; no less of one between Paul Penelope... Occasional whispers the Tenuta Borgia EstateinPantelleria of rubbish, masquerading as an (! Distribution rights to the movie that would seem obvious him to Marianne has a darker heart that brands itself the... 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Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networks but will look for it telling... She does love him, but it 's the island 's refugee crisis into updated. Fiennes and Dakota Johnson all give incredible performances Sicily, what more could you ask for a! ( y ) film of course, the more and more I disliked.... Sign still about the cinemas door, so that 's a plus the local airport is.! That she does love him, but that she does love him, but will look for it an. To visit the island his who says she is recovering from surgery and has lost her voice, communicating by. An A-list cast of superb actors along for the trip to open in the film also! Johnson all give incredible performances, Ralph Fiennes and Dakota Johnson all give incredible performances the whole project she not. On, the music itself must be able to add to the movie was Almost! I live for visiting filming locations, attending top film festivals and binge-watching travel inspiring films made it on for. 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By email was an awkward fight that was only mildly satisfying blog and receive notifications of new by... & # x27 ; s a lot more than just sun and sex digital download 20 June ] in... Seems a bit odd add to the movie without having to rely on the mind. Itself must be able to add to the movie without having to rely the!
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a bigger splash did paul sleep with penelope