Time: 129 Minutes
Age Rating: M – Violence & offensive language
Cast:
Luca Marinelli as Martin Eden
Carlo Cecchi as Russ Brissenden
Jessica Cressy as Elena Orsini
Vincenzo Nemolato as Nino
Marco Leonardi as Bernardo
Denise Sardisco as Margherita
Director: Pietro Marcello

Going into my Film Society screening of Martin Eden, I didn’t know what to expect from the movie. The only thing I recognised was that it starred Luca Marinelli in the lead role. I was far more enraptured with the movie than I was expecting to be.

Martin Eden is a large-scale yet intimate character study and story of classic struggle and cultural tension. I found it compelling and constantly enthralling watching Martin Eden’s change and journey over its 2 hour and 10 minute runtime.

Luca Marinelli’s acting as the title character is phenomenal. His passionate performance believably conveyed Eden’s transformative journey and it’s worth watching the film for his work alone. 

Pietro Marcello directed this very well. The cinematography is amazing and beautiful with an appealing colour scheme. At times it has a dreamlike vibe with the camera movements, and with moments that look like stock footage was inserted.

Martin Eden is a compelling, engaging and incredibly directed character study, led by an outstanding performance from Luca Marinelli.