Martin Eden

Directed by Pietro Marcello

Year: 2019

Country: Italy

Language: Italian with English Subtitles

Adapted from a 1909 novel by Jack London yet set in a provocatively unspecified moment in Italy’s history, Martin Eden is a passionate and enthralling narrative fresco in the tradition of the great Italian classics. Martin (played by the marvelously committed Luca Marinelli) is a self-taught proletarian with artistic aspirations who hopes that his dreams of becoming a writer will help him rise above his station and marry a wealthy young university student (Jessica Cressy). The dissatisfactions of working-class toil and bourgeois success lead to political awakening and destructive anxiety in this enveloping, superbly mounted bildungsroman. Winner of the Best Actor prize at the Venice Film Festival and the Platform Prize at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Watch a virtual Q&A with director Pietro Marcello and star Luca Marinelli hosted by Film at Lincoln Center:

Reviews

"Critic’s Pick! Audacious and thrilling. An ingenious adaptation of the Jack London novel. pure cinema."

- Manohla Dargis, The New York Times

“A movie that arrives like a bolt out of the blue, bursting with ideas, not unlike its hero.”

- J. Hoberman, The New York Review of Books

"Vibrant and passionate. A dazzling showcase for Luca Marinelli. It’s as if the whole 20th century had been distilled, or scrambled, into an eternal, mercurial now."

- Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times

“A collage of shifting surfaces… lusty with political intent.”

- Anthony Lane, The New Yorker

“Old-school cinematic soul food – a sweepingly stylish and smart Italian coming-of-age drama that feels as if it could have been made 60 years ago, during the heyday of Visconti.”

- Ty Burr, Boston Globe

"A masterpiece... see it any way you can."

- Bilge Ebiri, Vulture

“Everything I love in movies. An absolute blast."

- A.O. Scott, The New York Times.

“One of the most epic-feeling Italian movies in years, a throwback to ’70s-era big-canvas statements. Lead actor Luca Marinelli, rousing in every scene, comes within hailing distance of the young Robert De Niro.”

- Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York

“A kaleidoscopic historical fantasia that seems possessed by the ghosts of Italian cinema.”

- Imogen Sara Smith, Film Comment

“A spectacular performance. Marinelli is a force of nature in every scene and doesn’t play Eden so much as inhabit him.”

- Boyd van Hoeij, The Hollywood Reporter

“This could be the international break-out of the season."

- Jordan Raup, The Film Stage

“Momentous. Distinctly big, dramatic, and affecting, Martin Eden confirms Marcello’s burgeoning talents without sacrificing the beauty, rigor, and intelligence that has built Marcello’s reputation as one of European cinema’s foremost fusionists. Marcello’s decade-long evolution from idiosyncratic film essayist to grand narrative storyteller represents one of the most significant artistic flowerings in contemporary cinema.”

- Jordan Cronk, Cinemascope

“A wonderful mix of 19th-century Romanticism and 20th-century neorealism."

- Rodrigo Perez, The Playlist

Awards

Platform Award – Toronto International Film Festival
Best Actor (Luca Marinelli) – Venice Film Festival
Official Selection – New York Film Festival

Cast

Luca Marinelli
Jessica Cressy
Carlo Cecchi
Vincenzo Nemolato
Marco Leonardi
Denise Sardisco

Luca Marinelli in a scene from Martin Eden, photo by Francesca Errichiello, courtesy Kino Lorber

Luca Marinelli and Jessica Cressy in a scene from Martin Eden, photo by Francesca Errichiello, courtesy Kino Lorber

Carlo Cecchi and Luca Marinelli in a scene from Martin Eden, photo by Francesca Errichiello, courtesy Kino Lorber

Venue	City	State	Screening Options
a/perture cinema	Winston Salem	NC	Virtual Cinema
ACME Screening Room	Lambertville	NJ	Virtual Cinema
Acropolis Cinema	Los Angeles	CA	Virtual Cinema
AFI Silver	Silver Spring	MD	Virtual Cinema
After Hours Film Society	Naperville	IL	Virtual Cinema
Ambler Theater	Ambler	PA	Virtual Cinema
Art House Billings	Billings	MT	Virtual Cinema
ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks	Bethlehem	PA	Virtual Cinema
Athena Cinema	Athens	OH	Virtual Cinema
Athens Ciné	Athens	GA	Virtual Cinema
Austin Film Society	Austin	TX	Virtual Cinema
Avalon Theatre	Washington	DC	Virtual Cinema
BAM Rose Cinemas	Brooklyn	NY	Virtual Cinema
Belcourt Theatre	Nashville	TN	Virtual Cinema
Belcourt Theatre	Nashville	TN	Virtual Cinema
Bijou Theatre	Lincoln City	OR	Virtual Cinema
Bozeman Film Society	Bozeman	MT	Virtual Cinema
Bryn Mawr Film Institute	Bryn Mawr	PA	Virtual Cinema
Café Cinematheque	Boca Raton	FL	Virtual Cinema
Cameo Art House Theatre	Fayetteville	NC	Virtual Cinema
Cameo Cinema	St. Helena	CA	Virtual Cinema
Cape Cinema	Dennis	MA	Virtual Cinema
Carbon Arc Cinema	Halifax	NS	Virtual Cinema
Carolina Theatre	Durham	NC	Virtual Cinema
Catlow Arts Center	Barrington	IL	Virtual Cinema
Central Cinema	Knoxville	TN	Virtual Cinema
Charles Theatre	Baltimore	MD	Virtual Cinema
Chelsea Theater	Chapel Hill	NC	Virtual Cinema
Cinema Arts Centre	Huntington	NY	Virtual Cinema
Cinema Lamont	Oak Park	MI	Virtual Cinema
Cinema Society	San Diego	CA	Virtual Cinema
Cinemapolis	Ithaca	NY	Virtual Cinema
Cinematique of Daytona	Daytona Beach	FL	Virtual Cinema
City Lights Cinemas	Florence	OR	Virtual Cinema
Cleveland Cinemas	Cleveland	OH	Virtual Cinema
Cleveland Cinematheque	Cleveland	OH	Virtual Cinema
COLCOA	Los Angeles	CA	Virtual Cinema
Coolidge Corner Theatre	Brookline	MA	Virtual Cinema
Coral Gables Art Cinema	Coral Gables	FL	Virtual Cinema
Corazon Cinema	St Augustine	FL	Virtual Cinema
County Theater	Doylestown	PA	Virtual Cinema
Des Moines Film Society	Des Moines	IA	Virtual Cinema
Detroit Institute of Arts	Detroit	MI	Virtual Cinema
Digital Gym Cinema	San Diego	CA	Virtual Cinema
Downing Film Center	Newburgh	NY	Virtual Cinema
Downing Film Center	Newburgh	NY	Virtual Cinema
Drexel Theatre	Columbus	OH	Virtual Cinema
Enzian Theatre	Maitland	FL	Virtual Cinema
Film at Lincoln Center	New York	NY	Virtual Cinema
Film at Lincoln Center	New York	NY
Film Society of Summit	Summit	NJ	Virtual Cinema
Film Streams	Omaha	NE	Virtual Cinema
FilmBar	Phoenix	AZ	Virtual Cinema
FilmScene	Iowa City	IA	Virtual Cinema
Fine Arts Theatre	Asheville	NC	Virtual Cinema
Flicks Theatre	Boise	ID	Virtual Cinema
Fox Theatre	Toronto	ON	Virtual Cinema
Goldtown Nickelodeon Theater	Juneau	AK	Virtual Cinema
Hayesville Opera House	Hayesville	OH	Virtual Cinema
Hiway Theater	Jenkintown	PA	Virtual Cinema
Hurleyville Performing Arts Centre	Hurleyville	NY	Virtual Cinema
Images Cinema	Williamstown	MA	Virtual Cinema
International Film Series	Boulder	CO	Virtual Cinema
Jacob Burns Film Center	Pleasantville	NY	Virtual Cinema
Jane Pickens Theatre	Newport	RI	Virtual Cinema
Laemmle Theatres	Los Angeles	CA	Virtual Cinema
Literary Hub			Virtual Cinema
Lumiere Cinema	Los Angeles	CA	Virtual Cinema
Madison Museum of Contemporary Art	Madison	WI	Virtual Cinema
Majestic Theater	Gettysburg	PA	Virtual Cinema
Manlius Art Cinema	Manlius	NY	Virtual Cinema
Michigan Theater	Ann Arbor	MI	Virtual Cinema
Midtown Cinema	Harrisburg	PA	Virtual Cinema
Minor Theater	Arcata	CA	Virtual Cinema
Moxie Cinema	Springfield	MO	Virtual Cinema
MSP Film Society	Minneapolis	MN	Virtual Cinema
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston	Houston	TX	Virtual Cinema
Music Box Theatre	Chicago	IL	Virtual Cinema
Naro Expanded Cinema	Norfolk	VA	Virtual Cinema
New Plaza Cinema	New York	NY	Virtual Cinema
North Park Theatre	Buffalo	NY	Virtual Cinema
Northwest Film Center	Portland	OR	Virtual Cinema
Oklahoma City Museum of Art	Oklahoma City	OK	Virtual Cinema
Olympia Film Society	Olympia	WA	Virtual Cinema
Oxnard Film Society	Oxnard	CA	Virtual Cinema
Pageant Theatre	Chico	CA	Virtual Cinema
Palm Springs Cultural Center	Palm Springs	CA	Virtual Cinema
Pensacola Cinema Art	Pensacola	FL	Virtual Cinema
Philadelphia Film Society	Philadelphia	PA	Virtual Cinema
Pickford Film Center	Bellingham	WA	Virtual Cinema
Plaza Cinema & Media Arts Center	Patchogue	NY	Virtual Cinema
Portland Museum of Art	Portland	ME	Virtual Cinema
Princeton Garden Theatre	Princeton	NJ	Virtual Cinema
Red River Theatres	Concord	NH	Virtual Cinema
Reg Lenna Center for the Arts	Jamestown	NY	Virtual Cinema
Rivertown Film Society	Nyack	NY	Virtual Cinema
Rose Theatre	Port Townsend	WA	Virtual Cinema
Rosendale Theatre	Rosendale	NY	Virtual Cinema
Row House Cinema	Pittsburgh	PA	Virtual Cinema
Roxie Theater	San Francisco	CA	Virtual Cinema
Roxy Theater	Missoula	MT	Virtual Cinema
Sag Harbor Cinema	Sag Harbor	NY	Virtual Cinema
Salem Cinema	Salem	OR	Virtual Cinema
Salina Art Center	Salina	KS	Virtual Cinema
SIFF Film Center	Seattle	WA	Virtual Cinema
Smith Rafael Film Center	San Rafael	CA	Virtual Cinema
Sonoma Film Institute at SSU	Rohnert Park	CA	Virtual Cinema
South Bay Film Society	Torrance	CA	Virtual Cinema
Speed Art Museum	Louisville	KY	Virtual Cinema
Strand Theatre	Rockland	ME	Virtual Cinema
Sudbury Indie Cinema	Sudbury	ON	Virtual Cinema
Suns Cinema	Washington	DC	Virtual Cinema
Symphony Space	New York	NY	Virtual Cinema
Tampa Theatre	Tampa	FL	Virtual Cinema
The Cary Theater	Cary	NC	Virtual Cinema
The Little Theatre	Rochester	NY	Virtual Cinema
The Loft Cinema	Tucson	AZ	Virtual Cinema
The Moviehouse	Millerton	NY	Virtual Cinema
The Nightlight Cinema	Akron	OH	Virtual Cinema
The Ryder Film Series	Bloomington	IN	Virtual Cinema
The Screening Room	Newburyport	MA	Virtual Cinema
The Tull Family Theater	Sewickley	PA	Virtual Cinema
Time & Space Limited	Hudson	NY	Virtual Cinema
Tivoli at the Nelson-Atkins	Kansas City	MO	Virtual Cinema
United Theatre	Westerly	RI	Virtual Cinema
Upstate Films - Starr Cinema	Rhinebeck	NY	Virtual Cinema
Varsity Theatre	Davis	CA	Virtual Cinema
Vermont International Film Festival	Burlington	VT	Virtual Cinema
Vickers Theatre	Three Oaks	MI	Virtual Cinema
VIFF Centre	Vancouver	BC	Virtual Cinema
Violet Crown Austin	Austin	TX	Virtual Cinema
Violet Crown Charlottesville	Charlottesville	VA	Virtual Cinema
Violet Crown Santa Fe	Santa Fe	NM	Virtual Cinema
Waters Edge Cinema	Provincetown	MA	Virtual Cinema
Wexner Center for the Arts	Columbus	OH	Virtual Cinema
Zinema 2	Duluth	MN	Virtual Cinema

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Martin Eden

Directed by Pietro Marcello

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Directed by Pietro Marcello

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