Paolo Sorrentino's Cinema and Television

Paolo Sorrentino is a Naples-born director and screenwriter who has written and directed nine films, winning an Oscar, a Bafta, and a Golden Globe for The Great Beauty in 2013. He created and directed his first TV series, The Young Pope, in 2016, and John Malkovich joined the cast in 2020. This is the first English-language collection dedicated to Sorrentino, offering original interpretations of his work and addressing important and current themes such as eco-cinema and post-secularism. The majority of the chapters are original, and it includes a Foreword by Giancarlo Lombardi and an interview with renowned costume designer Carlo Poggioli. The new collection makes a significant coherent contribution to the field, with primary readership being academics, researchers, and scholars of Italian film and media studies.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 302 pages
Publication date: 14 June 2021
Publisher: Intellect Books

Paolo Sorrentino, a director and screenwriter born in Naples, has created an impressive body of work that includes nine films, winning an Oscar, a Bafta, and a Golden Globe for "The Great Beauty" in 2013. In 2016, he ventured into television with "The Young Pope," a critically acclaimed series starring Jude Law. The series continued with the addition of John Malkovich in 2020 for its follow-up series. Sorrentino's films have garnered widespread acclaim and numerous awards, solidifying his position as a world-leading auteur.

This comprehensive collection, the first in English dedicated to Sorrentino, offers valuable insights into his artistic journey. International contributors from various countries, including the UK, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Australia, Israel, Canada, and the United States, contribute original interpretations of Sorrentino's work. They explore his recurring themes of memory, nostalgia, aging, love, fulfillment, self-discovery, identity crisis, human estrangement, marginality, irony, and power. By offering fresh perspectives and unique cues for discussion, these chapters challenge established assumptions and interpretations, fostering a deeper understanding of Sorrentino's cinematic universe.

In addition to addressing important and contemporary themes such as eco-cinema and post-secularism, the book, explores the connections between Sorrentino's highly visual cinema and artistic practices like painting and architecture. While there are several books on Sorrentino available in Italian, none provide an authoritative account of his work, largely due to language barriers. This collection fills that gap, offering a comprehensive and accessible English-language exploration of Sorrentino's remarkable career.

The majority of the chapters included in this collection are written by renowned scholars and experts in the field, ensuring a rigorous and scholarly approach to Sorrentino's work. The book is organized into three sections: "Introduction," "Chapters," and "Conclusion." The introduction provides an overview of Sorrentino's career, highlighting his significant contributions to Italian cinema and his emergence as a global filmmaker. The chapters delve into the thematic and stylistic elements of Sorrentino's films, exploring his use of music, color, and visual style to convey his messages and create powerful cinematic experiences. The conclusion summarizes the key findings and offers further avenues for research and discussion.

Overall, "Paolo Sorrentino: A Critical Companion" is a indispensable resource for anyone interested in Italian cinema, film studies, and the works of Paolo Sorrentino. It provides a comprehensive and insightful examination of Sorrentino's artistic achievements, challenging established narratives and offering new perspectives on his films. This collection will be of great value to students, scholars, and enthusiasts alike, contributing to the growing body of literature on this prolific director.

Weight: 602g
Dimension: 215 x 319 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781789383751
Edition number: New ed