It works well in the melodrama genre because people act differently when brought together, especially in a luxurious or exotic location where they can let go and be who they really are: recent examples include Youth (2015) and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014). Set on an Italian island slithering with snakes and beautiful people, the movie is something of a reluctant thriller about a rock star, her current lover, her former lover and a pretty young thing. Its important to know the context behind A Bigger Splash and the original film, because its not a great film on its own (the score only takes into account the film itself, and not its source material). While they are out mingling with the crowds at a local festival, Harry toe-curlingly insists on taking Marianne to a bar with a karaoke machine, dangerously forcing her to be on display, like a drug-dealer getting a former customer to tumble back off the wagon, exploiting her celebrity and feeding off it. The nymphet does what you expect nymphets to do. A Bigger Splash: Sex, sun and rock'n'roll. But oh no, not right now. My late uncle was the pastor of a Catholic parish on Pantelleria for many years and I have long wanted to visit the island! The action takes place in a gorgeous villa with a swimming pool, way up in the hills and far from the harbour where increasing numbers of migrants are being held. Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? Yours to own now: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bigger-SplasFind out more at http://www.studiocanal.co.uk Sign up for our newsletter http://studiocanalnewsletter.co.uk/subscribe #TildaSwinton #DakotaJohnson #RalphFiennes #StudioCanal #StudioCanalUK The sexual machinations of these beautiful people are easy to enjoy, but its just as satisfying when things all start tumbling down. "A Bigger Splash" is the title of a David Hockney painting from 1967an ejaculatory shot of white on the surface of a calm California pool. Franois Ozons 2003 movie Swimming Pool used the artificial blue depths of the pool to incubate a similar tension. The former footballer, 55, had recounted an X . As the former lover of a recuperating rock star re-enters her life, complications between him, her and her current lover ensue. The best out of all theA Bigger Splashlocations and where the majority of the movie unfolds. Matthias Schoenaerts and Ralph Fiennes are the stars of the movie, and both of their performances are exceptional, especially the former's. Taken in this light, the music is one of the most incongruous aspects of an already incongruous movie. Its not long before we join Marianne and Paul on their holidays. With a script by David Kajganich, A Bigger Splash centers on a rock legend ( Swinton) who is recuperating on the volcanic island of Pantelleria with her partner Paul ( Schoenaerts) when. Luckily, a table recognises music sensation Marianne Lane so a table happens to free up. Enjoy the clip from A Bigger Splash, in which irresistible Penelope (Dakota Johnson) seduces Paul, a married acquaintance of her fathers (Matthias Schoenaerts).A modern take on Jacques Derays iconic psychological thriller La Piscine (1969), A Bigger Splash is a dazzling portrayal of summer ennui and a meditation on the dangers of attraction, set on the sun-drenched Italian island of Pantelleria. Their quiet Italian Island break is quickly cut short by Harrys unprompted arrival at the local airport. His swimming pool is a pure rectangular swamp of desire. It stars Tilda Swinton (Marianne Lane), Matthias Schoenaerts (Paul De Smedt), Ralph Fiennes (Harry Hawkes), and Dakota Johnson (Penelope Lanier). Out on DVD/ Blu-ray 27 June and on digital download 20 June. The cool screenplay is credited to David Kajganich with adaptation and dialogues byLa Piscinedirector Jacques Deray and Jean-Claude Carriere. Theyre a delectable pair of sexy beasts, ensconced on a jaw-slackening compound on Pantelleria, a volcanic island in the strait of Sicily thats within viewing distance of Tunisia. I hadn't seen A Bigger Splash but after being dazzled by Call Me By Your Name, I rushed to find and see this Luca Guadagnino 2015 film and it confirmed without a doubt that Luca Guadagnino is a remarkable filmmaker with a retro eye and a futuristic sensibility. 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. Mariannes radio silence is a storytelling contrivance (for personal reasons, Ms. Swinton agreed to appear in the movie if she didnt speak), but it adds to the characters celebrity aura and deepens the sense of isolation conveyed by the location. The swimming pool is a secular temple of near-nakedness, and sex perfumes everything like the tang of chlorine. Ralph Fiennes doing manic is the most irritating and pointless character I can remember on screen. Yes. Tilda Swinton and Ralph Fiennes are in irresistible form in this heady romantic thriller from Luca Guadagnino. 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. For Fiennes, Swinton, some great costumes and several breathtaking locations, 'A Bigger Splash' is worth watching, but is that alone enough? A Bigger Splash: The Young One-Penelope (Featurette) 0:33 1. A pop singer who cant speak (albeit temporarily) is one of the most contrived characters youll find in film, and perhaps one of the most bluntly ironic ones too. Let us know what you think. A remake of the 1969 cult classic La Piscine, this is a tale of recuperating rock star Marianne (played by Tilda Swinton) and her boyfriend Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts), who are holed up on a romantic holiday until the peace is shattered by the arrival of record producer and old flame Harry (Ralph Fiennes) and his daughter Penelope (Dakota Johnson). I have never heard of this film, but will look for it. Tilda Swinton, who has worked with Guadagnino in the past, stars as voiceless rockstar Marianne Lane, who has retired to a remote island off the coast of Italy in order to recover from an operation on her vocal chords. They are both wounded in some way, but happy in each others company. Not too flashy, but has all the luxurious amenities and authentic fixtures youd want to find in a large traditional, Sicilian villa. 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. The longer it went on, the more obnoxious it became, and what was initially interesting and intriguing became really lazy and uninspired. See production, box office & company info, (based on the film "La piscine" directed by) (adaptation by) (dialogue by), (based on an original screenplay by) (based on his novel "La piscine"). Mr. Guadagnino may be actually trying to assuage his conscience (or ours), as if to do penance for all this careless opulence. I'm a fan of Tilda Swinton, but her performance here was awful. Worst, perhaps, is the way Guadignino cynically salts in occasional references to the Mediterranean migrant crisis in an attempt to add political meaning to this addled, indulgent trifle. As in that film . Your email address will not be published. They were annoyed and didn't want him around and yet kept him and didn't say a word. 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? The director's prior "I Am Love" ultimately transcended its more pretentious, arbitrary aspects with a certain feeling of epic emotionality. The getaway-retreat scenario is a common film device for creating a chaotic crossroad where divergent character types can bring their shady pasts, chronic problems and deviant desires. 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. 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. Is there even a moral to be had from this? Its essentially a small, stone shack with a few plastic picnic tables dotted around outside. Paul had killed someone, yet this 17-year-old with an attitude problem is the real culprit. At one point in "A Bigger Splash," there is an exchange of dialogue that goes as follows: --"We're all obscene." [27] Originally scheduled to open in the United States on 13 May 2016, it was brought forward to 4 May. "[33] On Metacritic the film has a score of 74 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". 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. She is saving her voice while vacationing peacefully with filmmaker boyfriend Paul De Smedt (Matthias Schoenaerts) on a remote Italian island. When I finally got what I was waiting for it was an awkward fight that was only mildly satisfying. Consciously or not, Mr. Guadagnino makes a more convincing political case when he just lets his characters meander and do what they do best, which is living idly, fabulously. 2 talking about this. 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. 24 juillet 2021 0 . Guadagnino charts the building tension as Harry and Paul jockey for Mariannes attention, though Penelope also wedges herself into the action. Their holiday is hijacked by Mariannes eccentric former flame Harry (Ralph Fiennes) and his long-lost daughter Penelope (Dakota Johnson). 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. Shot in the torpid heat of summer, the story unfolds around the sun-bleached landscape of the island, whose increasingly menacing majesty becomes a metaphor for the mounting desire, passion and regret experienced by the four main characters. [10][11] In a work of fiction co-authored by Swinton, Glenn O'Brien, Luca Guadagnino, and Dave Kajganich, Marianne Lane gave an interview for the magazine based around events in the film. Overt sexuality (even incest), infidelity, hedonism are all on the table. Does it add to the story or characterisation to have her be mute? She is recovering from surgery and has lost her voice, communicating only by signs and occasional whispers. Even rockstars have to eat. Harry surprises them again by inviting over Sylvie and Mireille. The body in the swimming pool perhaps connotes the terrible guilt and shame with which gilded youth and gilded middle age pay for their pleasures. I don't know the director but Ralph Fiennes, Matthias Schoenaerts and Tilda Swinton are all talented actors. Wealthy and worldly, his characters are broadly the same as in the 1969 film, which is transplanted from the South of France setting to the Italian island of Pantelleria off the Sicilian coast. Its a very stylish and engaged remake of Jacques Derays 1969 psychological thriller La Piscine (The Swimming Pool). And to make things even more difficult, Harry has brought along his outrageously sexy and poutingly entitled daughter Penelope, played by Dakota Johnson. She tells him that she does love him, but that she cannot be with him and that she is with Paul. This is a genuine mess of a movie, boring as a bad dinner party for 7/8s of its length, nonsensical for the rest and exuding an irksome pretentiousness throughout. Watch A Guide to the Films of Luca Guadagnino, Watch A Bigger Splash: Poolside Seduction. R 2 hr 5 min May 13th, 2016 Drama. Set on Italys volcanic island of Pantelleria, the story centers on an idyllic holiday where rock superstar Marianne Lane (a terrific Tilda Swinton) is recovering from vocal-cord damage with her current boyfriend Paul (Belgiums Matthias Schoenaerts). Dakota Johnson was just being Dakota Johnson the whole time. Marianne Lane hates the guy, seems almost disgusted by him and yet let's him come so close physically. 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. Hes a man on a desperate mission, one that Mr. Fiennes, with a wildly flapping mouth and manic limbs, turns into a raw, indelible portrait of loss. So lets find out exactly where theA Bigger Splashfilm locations are in Pantelleria and elsewhere in Italy! And what's the point of annoying the audience so much they want to leave the cinema? I n an early scene of Luca Guadagnino's A Bigger Splash, his follow-up to 2009's I Am Love, dinner companions admonish Harry (Ralph Fiennes) over his choice of urinal - "Harry, that's a grave!" "Yeah, well," he quips . Harrys arrival on a plane is surreally announced by the jets shadow passing ominously over Marianne and Pauls reclining bodies. Its a rare film that pulls off a Rules of the Game-style satireportraying the lives of the wealthy and the famous to deliver a heavier social messagebut it also manages to be an otherwise straightforward and enjoyable romantic drama. Why does she have to be mute? Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networks. But then "A Bigger Splash" goes slack and silly toward the end, just as it should be at its most gripping. Bellocchio, Guadagnino, Caligari and Maresco among the 11 Italians on the . Would be a dream come true. My gut was telling me that nothing of real interest was going to happen in this movie. ", "2016 IndieWire Critics Poll: Full List of Results", "San Francisco Film Critics Circle Nominations! There are some great direct sightlines into camera and point-of-view shifts. Paul holds Harry underwater to subdue him, but Harry drowns. Ralph Fienness was very good as well at least his acting was. Ms. Swinton conveys casual entitlement like someone to the manner born, which gives Mariannes teasing exchanges with Harry an increasingly discomfiting quality. [14] The second clip from the film was released on 15 January 2016. We know it's all . Paul lies, saying he went to bed before the time of death, and is believed. Henry is very entertaining, and one of the few larger than life characters where their flamboyance is actually warranted by their background. 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. 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. Her record producer, mutual friend of both and former flame of Marianne, Harry (Ralph Fiennes), brings his estranged daughter, Penelope (Dakota Johnson), to spend time with the couple and, mostly, interrupt the vacation. ", "LIVE: The winners of the 72nd Venice Film Festival", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=A_Bigger_Splash_(2015_film)&oldid=1145616178, This page was last edited on 20 March 2023, at 02:14. Send us a tip using our annonymous form. Just like the rest of the movie. 'The last thing I wanted was to show people just lounging around by the pool,' says Guadagnino. Best wishes, James. 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. Jagger was intrigued. In fact, the tophighlight of this film is a Fiennes dance to theStones Emotional Rescue. He, like most of the cast, also is called upon to be casually naked in some scenes, but he plays it about as uninhibited and natural as possible. 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. My research tells me that Arco dell Elefante (a rock formation by the sea that looks like an elephants trunk) is one of theA Bigger Splashfilming locations. The police have urgent business with illegal immigrants landing from North Africa, some found floating and dead, but they take the occupants of the villa in for questioning. "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. A Bigger Splash Filming Locations in Italy. Murder in the Mediterranean. Penelope likes to do so sans clothes. While Matthias wasn't at his best, Tilda Swinton was, even voiceless, remarkably well cast. Harry, a parody of a coked-up 80s record producer who still manages to feel like a real person, is creepily close to his daughter, a gorgeous poolside temptress he claims to have met as a grown-up. Signup for Breaking News Alerts & Newsletters. 03/09/2015 Venezia 2015 - Mercato. 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. A Bigger Splash is a sensuous portrait of desire, jealousy and rock and roll. [34], the 1967 David Hockney painting of the same name, "Luca Guadagnino, Tilda Swinton & Dakota Johnson", "A Bigger Splash: Luca Guadagnino Interview", "Venice Film Festival: Lido Lineup Builds Awards Season Buzz Full List", "Venice Fest Reveals Robust Lineup Featuring Hollywood Stars and International Auteurs", "First still of "A Bigger Splash": Matthias Schoenaerts, Tilda Swinton, Dakota Johnson and Ralph Fiennes", "Exclusive 'A Bigger Splash' Photos Show Tilda Swinton's Beautiful Calm Before The Storm", "Watch: First Clip From 'A Bigger Splash' With Tilda Swinton, Dakota Johnson, Ralph Fiennes & Matthias Schoenaerts", "Tilda Swinton Covers AnOther Magazine, But Not as herself", "A Bigger Splash official teaser trailer", "WHY on Earth is Ralph Fiennes doing karaoke? Luca Guadagninos new film sees Tilda Swinton caught in the middle of two mens affections, while a weightier crisis plays out in the background. It is rated M-18. He knows Marianne is on voice rest. Marianne and Paul pull up to the arrivals terminal at Pantelleria Airport. Permalink. Stylistically and directorially very much in the same vein as Director Luca Guadagnino's earlier and equally impressive 'I am Love'. That insufferable hedonist Harry is forever showing the group a good time; forever making everyone take second place to the good time he is having. I'm here to inspire you to do the same! Their luxury villa with a guest house and swimming pool is one of seven restored dammusi estates. A Bigger Splash . My gut was right. Review: A Bigger Splash, With a Speechless Tilda Swinton, Is Ready for Its Close-Up, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/04/movies/a-bigger-splash-review-tilda-swinton.html, Ralph Fiennes and Tilda Swinton in A Bigger Splash., The Times critic Manohla Dargis reviews A Bigger Splash., Jack English/Fox Searchlight , via Associated Press. I live for visiting filming locations, attending top film festivals and binge-watching travel inspiring films. WATCH the hilarious video here", "72nd Venice International Film Festival Screening Schedule A Bigger Splash", "Luca Guadagnino's 'I Am Love' Follow-Up 'A Bigger Splash' Leads Our Venice Film Festival To-Sees", "Two Matthias Schoenaerts' movies at Venice Film Festival", "Venice Festival: Dakota Johnson, Matthias Schoenaerts to Pull Double Duty", "BIFF 2015 Gala Presentation A Bigger Splash", "BFI London Film Festival Adds 'Steve Jobs,' 'A Bigger Splash,' 'High-Rise,' 'Black Mass' & More", "2015 BFI London Film Festival Love Gala A Bigger Splash", "Watch: First Trailer For Luca Guadagnino's 'A Bigger Splash' With Tilda Swinton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Ralph Fiennes & Dakota Johnson", "SORTIES SALLES FRANCE 20162017 Studiocanal", "Tilda Swinton's 'A Bigger Splash' Set for May Release", "Denzel Washington's 'Fences' Leads Nominations for AARP's Movies for Grownups Awards", "Local critics: 'Moonlight', 'Manchester' best of 2016", "Evening Standard British Film Awards - The Longlist", "2017 Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominations Announced! Marianne and Pauls private bliss-out is disrupted by the unexpected arrival of an old friend, a music producer, Harry (a sensational Ralph Fiennes), a motormouth who roars in with his daughter, Penelope (Dakota Johnson). [30], An extended version running for 195 minutes, titled An Even Bigger Splash, screened at the Gothenburg Film Festival on 5 February 2022. And the A Bigger Splashfilming locations in Italy are so gorgeous, they almost make me want to trade my safety for the chance to stay on this stunning Sicilian hideaway. A famous rock star's vacation in Italy with her boyfriend is disrupted by the unexpected visit of an old friend and his daughter. And pretentious, meandering, poorly paced, self-indulgent, and shallow. euroGary 18 October 2015. Haha, Thanks so much for your comment, James! Greetings again from the darkness. Swinton can play just about anything and previously worked in Italy with Guadagnino in the acclaimedI Am Love. His elegance makes cinematic the most unpalatable of tales and this one, a four sided triangle, it's unpalatable and scrumptious all at the same time. Above: The terrace of Tenuta Borgia Estate in Pantelleria. [25] The film was released in the United Kingdom on 12 February 2016 by StudioCanal. Dun dun DUN. Intriguing as all this might sound though, it adds up to precious little. I wrote this. 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. A Bigger Splash has something of the erotic languor and implied daddy-daughter issues of Franoise Sagans Bonjour Tristesse the complicated four-way nexus of desire even reminded me a little of Alan Hollinghursts novel The Spell. They first walk upVia Arciprete D Aiettiand turn left up Via Dante Alighieriwhich is a hill with stairs. Probably still very nice hotels, but less painful on the wallet. A Bigger Splash director: Italian cinema is mostly a bureau for tourism, Ralph Fiennes: loosey-goosey? 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. A Bigger Splash is based on Jacques Derays 1969 film La Piscine (The Swimming Pool), one of those idle-rich soaps in which trouble pulls up in a Maserati. Moving into the villa, Harry starts inviting friends around as if it were his home and taking everybody out to various sights and festivities. 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. Finally! 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. Polignano Amare and surrounding area was a festival of the senses from the beauriful sounds, vistas and aromas and I am sure this part of Italy will not disappoint. Bad things happen, because, you know, life is pain in the meantime, though, do enjoy the magnificent digs, the designer threads and the frolicking nude stars. Four characters, only one of whom is remotely sane, three of whom are both uninteresting and unpleasant. Jacques Deray adapted this story once before in his 1969 film La Piscine, but Luca Guadagnino's 2015 iteration relies on its sharp sense for revelations of secrets and lies to draw us into its narrative and wrap us up in the impression of its characters. Harrys carefree (and careless) spirit forces Marianne and Paul to put him and his daughter up when they fail to book accommodation during a busy festival. A Bigger Splash is unable to stand on its own merits, and relies on a lot of historical knowledge for full appreciation and understanding. Honestly, this villa is perfect.
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