PARTHENOPE © Gianni Fiorito
Parthenope, the other Naples by Paolo Sorrentino
From Le Conseguenze dell’Amore (The Consequences of Love, 2004) to Il Divo (Jury Prize in 2008) and This Must be the Place (2011), not forgetting La Grande Bellezza (The Great Beauty, 2013) and Youth in 2015, Paolo Sorrentino is back to present his seventh feature film in Competition. In 2017, during his time on the Jury headed by Pedro Almodóvar, the Italian filmmaker revealed his intention to capture his native city on film. Parthenope is the second film he has shot in Naples, following The Hand of God, which won an award in Venice in 2021.
Paolo Sorrentino seeks to portray his childhood home as a lively, vibrant city, open to the sea; a vision beautifully captured in his largely autobiographical film, “The Hand of God”. Now, through this take on the story of the legendary siren, who became a Neapolitan deity, “Parthenope” continues this portrayal of the city’s charms. The destiny of this guardian figure, which in Greek mythology is intertwined with the city’s fate, evokes “true and unspeakable” loves. It suggests the full repertoire of emotions experienced by Parthenope, the film’s very real protagonist, whose journey we follow from the 1950s to the present day.
“Naples is a city that belongs to my emotions. Every day, Neapolitans reinvent their lives, they decide that life should surprise them, and I want to tell it that way.”
Naples, Capri, and the Amalfi Coast take centre stage in this sun-drenched film, a true celebration of life. “Il Divo” and “La Grande Bellezza” (The Great Beauty) were led by the flamboyant Toni Servillo, the director’s alter-ego , while “This Must Be the Place” starred Sean Penn, and “Youth” brought together the incredible trio of Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, and Jane Fonda. The cast of “Parthenope” features Gary Oldman, Silvio Orlando, and Stefania Sandrelli.
