Talk:The Best of Youth

Untitled

Shouldn't 'La Meglio Gioventu' be the primary title for this article? Outside anglophone communities, not many people know it by the title 'the Best of Youth'

Ah, but this is an anglophone encyclopedia. Pelegius 22:00, 19 February 2006 (UTC)

The film on Italian television

This note is to any wikipedians who saw this when it aired on Italian television. The current edit reads that this fine film (sorry POV I know) aired in four 90 minute episodes. Having just rewatched the film on DVD, and in looking for info about it on the web, I have a couple of observations which make me question this assertion.

1. As the run time in Italy is 400 minutes that would mean that a four part showing would be 100 minutes each, not 90.
2. My viewing seemed to find a natural break in the storyline at, or around, the 60 and 120 minute mark on each disc. The best example being when Matteo has gotten on the train after the events with Giorgia and the next scene has Nicola in Norway.

Now this is not hard evidence and there was a time variance from section to section (at least part of which may be due to losing 34 minutes from the original film) but I am posting this in the hope that any Italian, or Italian, speaking wikimembers who saw this in its original formmight stumble accross this question and make a correcting edit to the article. My thanks in advance to anyone who can clear this up for me.MarnetteD | Talk 20:39, 13 August 2006 (UTC)

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Original research moved from article:

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Analysis

“The Best of Youth” is, on the surface, a characterization film. The film is done very realistically, and due to its natural flow and incredible acting, it easily holds your attention for its entire 6 hours. But the film offers a lot more. The filmmaker applies Jungian theory, using archetypes, mythology, and the collective unconscious as ways of understanding ourselves, life, and the universe.

The characters in "The Best of Youth" represent everyone; that is, they are archetypes of all of us. Every walk of life is represented, from those institutionalized to those who are free, from the capitalist to the manual labourer, from married to single, and so on. Yet we all share one thing in common: each of us must face ourselves and the reality of the human condition and of human existence in order to live a beautiful and meaningful life. No one is better than his brother, and there are no absolutes. Each of us has potential for both good and evil, to display strength and bow down to weakness, to behave both morally and immorally, and to act either mad or sane. Many things are repeated in the film to emphasize this duality within each of us. For instance, each character at some point in the film will be labelled as crazy, mad, and/or insane. Giulia, for example, calls Matteo "mad Matteo" and "insane Matteo" upon their first meeting (we see later in the film that her analysis of Matteo is indeed correct, for Matteo proves to be the more "crazy"). And, each character is equally faced with disparate situations in which to act: one in which he or she is forced to look within, and one where he or she commands someone else to do so. One example is where Giorgia demands that Nicola seek out Mirella, the photographer, to find the "truth" about Matteo. Nicola's responds--somewhat defensively and paralleling how Matteo would respond in a similar situation--by criticizing Giorgia for not leaving the asylum. As another example, Giulia is quick to insist that Nicola's younger sister arrange for her to see Sara, but then is hesitant to play the organ upon Sara's request. Many other examples exist within the film.

"The Best of Youth" goes further. The filmmaker tells us that the many things we as a society have defined to be true have, in fact, no clear distinction. For instance, where is the dividing line between crazy and sane, between immorality and ethics, between friendship, love, incest and homosexuality, between the doctor and patient, between good parenting and neglect, etc.? These black and white lines drawn artificially by society are, in truth, unclear. Moreover, our definitions often change over time. For example, between 1950 and 1980, the film shows us a major societal shift from the perception of the mentally ill as incurable undesirables to patients who can recover with proper care. And where is the explicit boundary of insanity? Giorgia, the one hospitalized, is able to see deep inside Nicola’s soul. She is also one whom, by the end of the film, begins to lead a regular life. Matteo, the supposed "normal", handsome, role-model student, is the one who actually ends his life. And what is the true ethics of business? The man being tried for accepting kickbacks is being criminalized by the very same government that accepts bribes on a daily basis. "The Best of Youth" teaches us that we as humans do not truly understand ourselves. We desire control over our lives, but there are some things we simply do not get to decide. Life is a mystery; it is a force beyond our control and understanding where everything is connected: the death of Matteo influences Mirella's photography and brings Nicola and Mirella together; a hospital inspection reunites Nicola with Giorgia; the birth of Matteo's son brings new life to Matteo's and Nicola's mother; and Matteo’s son ventures to the same places that Nicola ventured to years earlier.

And how about the cinematography and writing for "The Best of Youth"? To call them brilliant would be an understatement. Not unlike any great novel, every scene in "The Best of Youth", including those that may appear somewhat conventional or which borderline on melodrama, has structure and meaning that make each one necessary. Each scene can be looked upon as a painting. Here are some examples. The scene where Giulia leaves Nicola illustrates a contrast of the colours blue and red. Blue, prevalent throughout the film, symbolizes love, strength, understanding, patience, kindness, and acceptance. These are the characteristics possessed by Nicola. Red, on the other hand, emphasizes Giulia's anger at the world (and at herself) as well as the dangerous political world that she is crossing into. The two characters contrast, for Giulia, unlike Nicola and similar to Matteo, looks outward for meaning because she is afraid to look within herself.

Another poignant scene is where Nicola arrives at the photo gallery. The gallery itself mimics a graveyard or tomb: dim, gray and underground, where black-clad spectators glide from one picture to the next like visitors of a cemetery reading the epitaphs. We have entered the soul of Nicola. We see that he smiles sinisterly at Matteo's picture, using his fingers to partially shield his eyes from the soul. He is beginning to understand Matteo's struggle, the same struggle he has to face for himself. One last "mise-en-scene" is where Georgia temporarily leaves the institution. Dark and mysterious, the outside world is expressed as mirror of Giorgia's own soul. A train slowly travels by, tempting her to climb aboard and follow her journey to a place that is free of her past, but one in which she is not quite ready.

Through the lives of the characters in "The Best of Youth" we learn something: that only through a deep examination of ourselves can we learn to love, live happy, and see life as truly beautiful. We must find the strength to grow our beards, so-to-speak, and look inside ourselves for peace, love, strength, and beauty. As has been illustrated above, this film is a masterpiece, and can be sidelined with the great films of Fellini, Godard, and Bergman.

Character names

Matteo: It is possible that the name Matteo was chosen by the director to reflect Saint Matthew. Matthew was a tax collector before converting to Christianity and becoming a follower of Christ (Christ represents light, purity, and the right path). Matthew is seen as a person who had originally gone wrong (a tax collector has evil biblical implications because he lacks humanity) but, eventually, achieves salvation by making the right choice.

The connection of Saint Matthew with Matteo in "The Best of Youth" is both symbolic and ironic. It is symbolic in that Matteo also adheres to the rules imposed from the outside: he joins both the army and the police force. Like Matthew, Matteo enforces rules which are often dehumanized (i.e., lack compassion) but which Matteo believes possess the esoteric value of ethics and morality. Both believe they are doing a public good by working to serve their societies while, in actuality, they are failing to question the consequences of the very rules/commands they follow.

And, the representation is ironic because, unlike Saint Matthew, Matteo does not achieve salvation but, instead, chooses to live and die in despair. He has the potential to love and be loved, as the film shows through his love for the young Francesca and his passion for Mirella, but he consistently denies his opportunity for redemption.

"The Best of Youth" is based on a poem of the same name written by Pasolini. Interestingly, he also directed a film entitled "The Gospel According to Matthew". It seems somewhat of a paradox that Pasolini, a self-professed atheist, would even make a film on Christ. However, similar to Matteo's connection with Saint Matthew mentioned above, it is not the outer designations (e.g., Christian, Jew, Muslim, atheist) that count before God but, instead, it is the state of one's innermost being that is evaluated by the Spiritual Laws and which execute God's Will in Creation. That is, it is the inner essence of a person--which usually remains hidden from human eyes and often from the person himself (this is the case with Matteo and Giulia)--that determines his or her fate. Pasolini rejected the societal, dogmatic Christ. But deep within him (though he may not have been aware of this consciously) he carried a genuine longing for there real Christ. This, one may argue, is the central reason why he was able to make a film so closely guided by the Light of Christ.

Nicola: One may argue that the name Nicola was chosen for that character because he exemplifies the characteristics of Saint Nicholas. Saint Nicholas (later to become Santa Claus in Christmas tradition) had a reputation for secret gift giving. Nicola, as we see in the film, is a very giving person: he chooses a career to help cure the mentally ill; he raises Sara for most of her life on his own; and he encourages Giorgia to live independently. Saint Nicholas is also the the patron saint of sailors and is often called upon by sailors who are in danger of drowning or being shipwrecked to save them. Nicola saves many people in his life. For instance, he saves Giorgia from continual mistreatment at the second asylum. He also saves Giulia from either killing someone or getting killed herself. And, he saves his mother from a morbid existence by bringing her to see Matteo's son.

Themes

1. Redemption, salvation, and an understanding of human existence comes through the internal examination of one's soul.

2. There are no absolutes; things are not black and white but, in fact, have many shades of grey.

3. The youth represent both idealism and a continuation of the cycle of life.

4. Everything has purpose and is connected. Everything is beautiful.

5. We do not have control over the universe, but we do have the ability to choose the right path through a deep examination of ourselves.

6. We are all equal. Each of us has an equal opportunity to choose the path to salvation.

Connections and cycles

1. Matteo's death inspires Mirella's photography.

2. Nicola's mother converts an old beach house in Sicily into a newly renovated one.

3. Nicola's friend converts an old country house into a newly renovated one.

4. Mirella meets Matteo fortuitously in a caffè. Matteo suggests that Mirella work at a library in Rome, which she eventually does. Years later, they meet by chance in that library.

5. Nicola and Matteo fall in love with the same girl.

6. Giulia is given the task of assassinating Nicola's friend. Matteo is given the task of arresting, and possibly killing, Giulia.

7. Nicola, through happenstance, comes across Giorgia for the second time during an asylum inspection.

8. Matteo causes despair in his mother through his death, resulting in her quitting her teaching job and living a morbid life. Matteo's son brings life back into Matteo's mother.

9. Nicola's nephew travels to the same places in Norway that Nicola travelled to some years earlier.

10. Nicola and Matteo meet again by chance in Florence after the floods.

11. Nicola and Matteo find themselves on opposite sides of a protest in Florence.

12. Nicola is a father to Sara (biological father), Giorgia, and Matteo's son.

13. Matteo's death causes Nicola to meet Mirella.

References

1. www.cinemaseekers.com/Christ/gospel.html