Martin Eden

2019 2h 9m IT

👍

7.0

SOLID

🍅

88%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

IMDB

★7.0TMDB · 703🍅88%Rotten Tomatoes●75Metacritic★7IMDB · 7,991

RomanceDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The tale of an individualist proletarian in a time marked by the rise of mass political movements. In early 20th-century Italy, illiterate sailor Martin Eden seeks fame as a writer while torn between the love of a bourgeois girl and allegiance to his social class.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Luca Marinelli
Martin Eden
Jessica Cressy
Elena Orsini
Carlo Cecchi
Russ Brissenden
Vincenzo Nemolato
Nino
Marco Leonardi
Bernardo Fiore
Denise Sardisco
Margherita
Carmen Pommella
Maria
Autilia Ranieri
Giulia

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Pietro Marcello
Writers: Pietro Marcello, Maurizio Braucci
Languages: Italian, French
Countries: France, Germany, Italy

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $3.8M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 44% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 7 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Italian, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: France, Germany, Italy.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Pietro Marcello, shot by Francesco Di Giacomo. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Paolo Marzocchi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Aline Hervé shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Pietro Marcello directs. Francesco Di Giacomo behind the camera. Paolo Marzocchi scores. Aline Hervé cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in France, Germany, Italy. Dialogue in Italian, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $3.8M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Earned back only 44% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
3Released 7 years ago.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Italian, French.
5International production across 3 countries: France, Germany, Italy.
6Directed by Pietro Marcello, shot by Francesco Di Giacomo. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Paolo Marzocchi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Aline Hervé shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Luca Marinelli and Jessica Cressy and Carlo Cecchi carry the top of the cast.
10IMDB entry: tt4516162 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Francesco Di Giacomo
Original score: Paolo Marzocchi
Editing: Aline Hervé
Production design: Roberto De Angelis
Costume design: Andrea Cavalletto
Makeup / hair: Daniela Tartari
Runtime: 129 min · 2h 9m
Status: Released
Budget: $3,800,000
Box office: $1,681,545
Return: 44% of budget
Original language: IT
IMDB: Martin Eden (2019)
Rotten Tomatoes: 88% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 75/100
IMDB rating: 7/10 · 7,991 votes
MPAA: TV-PG

Awards

12 wins & 54 nominations

Also by

Pietro Marcello

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-03-28
★ 6/10
Now it is quite possible that I just wasn't in the right frame of mind when I saw this, but somehow it just misfired. Luca Marinelli is the eponymous character hell bent on improving his lot from a pretty meagre upbringing. His opportunity comes when he rescues the young "Arturo" from some local bullies and when he is invited to his new friend's luxury home for a thank you lunch, meets the boy's sister "Elena" (Jessica Cressy) and it's love at first sight. Determined to elevate himself even more now, he falls in with noted, if slightly dissolute, socialist "Brissenden" (Carlo Cecchi) and whilst his newly found success satisfies his desire for wealth and self-improvement, it also serves to throw some obstacles in his path to true love. It is certainly a very stylish film to enjoy - the mix of colour and monochrome cinematography delivers well, and the score works well to complement the dialogue and the feelings of desire, frustration and maybe even danger as our hero's increasingly successful, politically driven work draws enemies from his peers and the authorities. I suppose, for me, it dwells a little too much on the introspection of a man that I didn't particularly care for; and as ever with films based around one single character - it's hard to stay engaged if that character isn't working for you. I hesitate to say I found it dull, it isn't dull, but then it isn't really very good either... Perhaps after a second watch, but I can't really think I will bother.

Production companies