Martin Eden (2019)

Directed by: Pietro Marcello | 129 minutes | drama, romance | Actors: Luca Marinelli, Jessica Cressy, Vincenzo Nemolato, Marco Leonardi, Denise Sardisco, Carmen Pommella, Carlo Cecchi, Autilia Ranieri, Elisabetta Valgoi, Pietro Ragusa, Savino Paparella, Vincenza Modica, Giustiniano Alpi, Giuseppe Iuliano, Donpe Maggio, Maurizio Gaetano Bruno, Franco Pinelli, Anna Patierno, Lana Vlady, Aniello Arena

He sailed around the world, hunted whales and worked as a prospector. The turbulent life of writer Jack London (1876-1916) may not have been long, but he experienced more than many who walk this globe twice as long. From the age of 22 he decided to write down his experiences. Because he had not even finished primary school, but was very curious and an avid reader, he gradually developed intellectually. His career as a writer started with animal novels, of which ‘White Fang’ from 1906 is perhaps the best known. But the more London read, the stronger the (socio-)political underlay in his stories became. His work was increasingly inspired by his heroes; influential thinkers such as Karl Marx, Charles Darwin, Herbert Spencer and Friedrich Nietzsche. The main characters in his stories are individualists, while he felt himself above all a socialist. Socio-economic themes such as the inequality between the different social classes formed a common thread in his oeuvre. In his most personal novel, the semi-autobiographical ‘Martin Eden’ from 1909, his political ideals and inner turmoil come together. The story has been filmed many times, including in 1942 in ‘The Adventures of Martin Eden’ with Glenn Ford in the title role. Various (mini-)series have also been made for television and now there is a twenty-first-century version of ‘Martin Eden’ (2019), made by the Italian filmmaker Pietro Marcello (‘La bocca del lupo’, 2009).

Marcello moves the story from California to Naples and plays with our sense of time. He does this, among other things, by subtly interweaving (historical) archive material in the film and by allowing alienating contemporary images to emerge, so that you cannot put your finger on exactly when things take place. Perhaps to emphasize that the story, despite being released 110 years ago, still has parallels with current events. Martin Eden (Luca Marinelli, who won best actor at the Venice Film Festival) is a sailor of humble origins who comes to the aid of the young aristocrat Arturo Orsini (Giustiniano Alpi) when he is about to be beaten up. As a thank you, Arturo invites him to his house for dinner. There Martin meets the beautiful Elena (Jessica Cressy), Arturo’s sister, whom he falls in love with instantly. When she tells him about Baudelaire, he realizes that he must quickly dive into the books to develop further if he is ever to have a chance of marrying her. His goal is to become a writer, and despite a series of humiliations and rejections, he perseveres. At a party with the Orsinis, he meets philosopher Russ Brissenden (Carlo Cecchi), who further fuels the political fire that burns within him.

It is this political layer that makes ‘Martin Eden’ complex. This is also due to the duality hidden in the character Martin himself: on the one hand, he is a convinced libertarian for whom freedom is the highest goal, a goal to which even love is subordinate. On the other hand, he is also not averse to using socialist motives if the situation calls for it. Martin is convinced that his destiny is to become a great man, a literary and political great. His megalomaniac attitude doesn’t make him any more sympathetic, and you can also feel everything that he can only go hard on his mouth. We also see this in a later stage of the film, when Martin, as a now successful author, has not only changed physically, but also emotionally: he has become a bitch who mainly uses his intellect to outdo others. Celebrated but misunderstood, he’s drowning in his own existential despair.

‘Martin Eden’ looks to be getting through a ring. Marcello shot the film on 16mm and worked with beautiful, saturated colors that you love to immerse yourself in. The historical images processed in the film blend seamlessly and also reflect a century of fascism and neoliberalism. In this way, Marcello makes a film of all times and, in passing, also obscures the sometimes obscure intellectual slur that the film pours over us. We look more at theories than at characters who carry them out with heart and soul. That is the biggest shortcoming of ‘Martin Eden’. Luca Marinelli delivers a true tour de force, with passionate and intense playing. He doesn’t play Martin Eden so much, he embodies him from head to toe. He can certainly be charming, but he is not sympathetic. He does not shy away from throwing his soul, bliss and credibility into battle in order to achieve that ultimate (political, individualistic) goal. We don’t get to see or hear why he is like this. Of course we understand why someone from humble origins tries to work their way up the social ladder. But the exact reason behind Martin’s all-encompassing and all-destructive push for the top, and what he hopes to achieve, remains uncertain. We would have liked to have seen Martin a little more humane and sympathetic, so that we could better empathize with his position. ‘Martin Eden’ is especially impressive visually. Luca Marinelli’s role is also powerful and strong. But the story is