ADRIFT // A FILM REVIEW OF "MARTIN EDEN"

BY MATEO MORENO

Jack London's work has been brought to the cinema over and over throughout the years. From The Call of the Wild, White Fang and countless others, his imagination has found its way on the big and small screen for decades. MARTIN EDEN, which has been adapted before (on the big screen in 1914 and 1942 and a mini-series in 1979), is the most biographical of London's work but perhaps not that well known in America. Hopefully this luscious Italian adaptation will change that. 

Luca Marinelli plays Martin, a young sailor who witnesses a young man named Arturo being attacked. He intervenes and saves the young man. Arturo takes Martin back to his family home to thank him for his help. Martin is blown away by the wealth of the family and size of their home. He is also immediately taken aback by Arturo's sister Elena (Jessica Cressy). They are both drawn to each other, despite the class difference, and Elena begins to introduce him to literature as well as helps Martin with his grammar. Determined to win her love, Martin sets out to become a more educated man. He devours the books he reads, hungry to learn more. Elena is impressed and quite smitten herself, as they find themselves in a love that few in her family will be supportive of. Martin becomes more sure of himself and begins to write himself. Though each time he sends one away to a publisher, they come right back to him, rejection after rejection. Elena thinks his writing is too dark, too sad and wants him to write more inspirational tales. But Martin is writing from his own life experiences, which are vastly different than her own. Finally, one of his stories is published and just like that, he becomes an overnight sensation. But success changes Martin, and the joy and light that was once spilling out of him threatens to become pure bitterness and anger.

There's a lot of ground covered in MARTIN EDEN, but director Pietro Marcello takes all of the subjects (class divide, star-crossed lovers, socialism, individualism) and spins them into a beautiful film. As Martin, Marinelli is dynamic (he won Best Actor at the Venice International Film Festival last year). He screams of a young Robert DeNiro, fresh faced, tough but tender and ready to take over the world. He also handles the changing of Martin over the years with a tremendous success. The gorgeous cinematography from Alessandro Abate & Francesco Di Giacomo is spliced together with archival footage from the early 1900's Italy. 16mm film of a working class life trying desperately to not be forgotten. It's quite powerful, as is the film itself. Though Martin can sometimes be a bit of a pain, you never stop understanding his struggle and journey. The passion is always there (largely thanks to the performances by Marinelli and the ensemble of a cast). It's a sublime film, one that feels like it could have been made during the Italian Neorealism period of the 40's/50's. It's already timeless.

GRADE: A

BASED ON THE NOVEL BY Jack London SCREENPLAY BY Maurizio Braucci, Pietro Marcello DIRECTED BY Pietro Marcello STARRING Luca Marinelli, Jessica Cressy, Vincenzo Nemolato, Marco Leonardi, Denise Sardisco, Carlo Cecchi. Now playing in select cinemas and in Virtual Cinemas through Kino Marquee.