Martin Eden is a sweeping biopic transposing Jack London’s novel and setting it in Italy
Pietro Marcello, like Kelly Reichardt and others, uses 16mm here. We’re at an interesting point in history when some are using 16mm like the 1960’s again.
The film stars Luca Marinelli as the titular character—broken into two distinct halves. First it is about his origins- his struggle becoming a writer, lovestruck, romantic, ambitious, poverty-stricken. The second half of the film he has arrived, he is a renowned author, rich, but beaten down by life. His hair is now bleached his teeth are rotting. He’s angry. “Life disgusts me”
Marcello makes the choices of having these great cutaways to archiveable footage throughout the film. These are used for establishing shots (clearly not Marcello shooting Marinelli), but also to show Eden’s inner mood (in one poignant moment he cuts to old black and white footage of a ship submerging into water when Eden is devastated). This use of cutaway doc footage seems to have roots in Resnais’ Mon oncle d’Amérique (1980)- an important text to Martin Eden
Eden is into knowledge, books, a masculine figure though as well- a bounder, fist fights. He slaves for his writing; he is dedicated and stubborn. When he does finally get something published it is a momentous feeling that comes across as well earned. Some very solid writing- “I don’t dream like you do- I look life straight in the face”
A great shot of a gambling hall in shadow at 102 minutes
The scope of the story has epic in it– politics, speeches, war, and the passage of time
A Star Is Born (1954 Cukor version) with Marinelli’s Eden going into the sun-splashed sea
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