In the early 20th century, American novelist Jack London rose to prominence thanks to expansive wilderness tales such as The Call of the Wild and White Fang, among a litany of other acclaimed work. Yet, none of his work came close to capturing the essence of London as well as his 1909 novel Martin Eden, a semi-autobiographical tale about the development of a young California man from uneducated sailor to disillusioned writer. This is the novel that really harnessed all of his political musings and anger at class structures, not to mention the dissatisfaction that accompanied the fame he had earned. While not as widely discussed as his wilderness tales in the United States, Martin Eden remains a landmark novel in European countries. It only makes sense that Italian director Pietro Marcello (Lost and Beautiful) has chosen to adapt this story for a feature film, and in the process shift the setting from Oakland to Naples, in the Campania region of Italy, during a nondescript time period during the 20th century. The details may be different, but Marcello retains the story’s core conceit of the perils of self-interest.
Martin Eden (Luca Marinelli, The Old Guard) is a deep-featured sailor who has brains but no formal education. One morning, Martin saves a Neapolitan aristocrat named Arturo Orsini (Giustiniano Alpi) from an unfortunate beatdown, an act which will change the course of his life. As an act of gratitude, Arturo brings Martin home to meet his family, at which point he falls instantly in love with Arturo’s gorgeous sister, Elena (Jessica Cressy). Although honored as hero for his bravery, Martin is ill at ease amongst this wealthy, upper-class clan with his grammatical faux pas and general uncouth nature. He is not content to remain this way, and he takes Elena’s recommendation to pursue an education to heart as he devours any book on which he can get his hands. Martin believes that if he can become a successful, respected writer he will be worthy of her love in her family’s eyes. Along his journey, Martin learns a great number of things; an education is an essential tool in bettering yourself and making yourself understood, and an education cannot necessarily secure the happiness that he believes this culture will bring.
Martin Eden is broken up into two distinct parts. In the first part, which happens to be the one that works the best, Martin is on a journey of knowledge that is relatable – even if he does not always know where to find it. As he seeks to raise his station, Martin continues to work hard manual labor in order to support himself between rejection letters from literary magazines. His relationship with Elena grows deeper and more complex the more he learns, evolving from simple infatuation to something more hard to pin down. Martin is not pursuing a formal education as Elena wishes, but is instead learning through his own means. His experiences and writing are more suited to the voice of the common man, tapping into the struggles that are going on in this world. Elena finds the dour nature of his work off-putting, but his work means something to him and others that a person of means could never understand. It is the first crack in a relationship that reality is just waiting to tear apart.
As Martin, Luca Marinelli brings a ferocious quality to his performance that is captivating at every turn. His trajectory from an innocent, knowledge-hungry young man to bitter, politically-minded author is nuanced in its portrayal, even if the script does not always support the narrative as it should. It is the second of the two distinct halves where the film gets a little murky. Martin does eventually become the literary success he has always dreamt of being, but he has also lived a life in the interim that the audience is left to imagine – a decision that keeps you at an emotional distance. Martin is a figure in the midst of existential despair as he does not even try to hide the disdain for the praise he is getting from those who he has raged against, which the crowd eats up all the more. This struggle between who Martin is and how society views him is fascinating development, but it is hard to connect back with who he once was. The dream-like atmosphere of the conclusion is intellectually intriguing, if not emotionally hollow.
From a filmmaking perspective, Martin Eden has been crafted in a manner that is beyond reproach. Not only has Marcello and his cinematographers been blessed with beautiful shooting locations, shot on stunning 16-millimeter film, they have presented them in a way with particular color grading that enhances the ethos of the story. Marcello also taps into his penchant for blending documentary with narrative with the intercutting of archival footage that seeks to highlight the industrialization of the country. As an American watching this film, there are some linguistic subtext of the story that I know were lost on me – catching the subtleties of the class distinction between Neapolitan, Italian and French is not my forte. The same could be said for some of the political machinations and labor viewpoints that can be a bit muddled for amateurs. This is what makes the idea of returning to this film so exciting, though, as there is more to unpack as I further edify myself. Martin Eden is not a perfect film, but is a very rich narrative that tackles thoughtful subjects in an engrossing manner.
Video Quality
Martin Eden comes to Blu-Ray in a 1080p presentation that is truly stunning. This is a visually rich film with beautiful shots of nature and the sea throughout where you can see an incredible amount of detail. The film is not bursting with vivid colors, but there are specific moments that really pop from the lush nature to some of the costumes on display. The interiors are typically a more dour and dark environment that presents with a cooler tone that the presentation represents perfectly with a pleasing richness. The white levels are handled beautifully, along with the intensely deep blacks that do not appear to suffer from any compression artifacts. The skin tones look very detailed and natural all around. This presentation is definitely a knockout on the Blu-Ray format.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray disc comes with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track in the original Italian that conjures a very specific mood that transports you back to this era in history. The luscious score is showcased beautifully here with a gently enveloping use of the surround speakers. The dialogue comes through crystal clear without ever being overpowered by the sound effects or the score. The sound design is just as precisely thought-out as the on screen visuals with all of the sounds positioned just right in the mix. The environmental effects create a really nice soundscape of wildlife and subtle seaside sounds. This is not an action-heavy film, so the activity in the low end is employed sparingly throughout the presentation. This is a lovely sounding release that brings the movie to life in a really beautiful way.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Film scholar Giovanna De Luca, PhD gives a very insightful commentary track in which she discusses the importance of words to the tale, the filmmaking techniques of director Pietro Marcello, the music in the film, the narrative developments and more.
- Interview with Director Pietro Marcello: A 13-minute interview in which the director discusses how he came to this story, why he changed the location, his reasons for casting certain performers, his love of film and editing, the importance of film critics and more worthwhile insights into the narrative.
- Virtual Q&A: A 58-minute Q&A hosted by Film At Lincoln Center with director Pietro Marcello and actor Luca Marinelli (along with an interpreter) in which they discuss their relationship with the material, the process of adapting the novel, bringing the character of Martin Eden to life, the experience of shooting in Naples and finding the correct dialect, and many more facts that help put the film into greater context.
- Theatrical Trailer: A two-minute trailer that does a great job of selling the film without spoiling any major developments.
Final Thoughts
Martin Eden is a thoughtful adaptation that uses its source material to create something transfixing and uniquely out of time. The direction from Pietro Marcello is truly a wonder, but there are times when his screenplay becomes slightly nebulous and hard to connect with – the underdevelopment of certain supporting characters does not help matters. Despite this, the performances on display here are simply magnificent in roles big and small. Kino Lorber has presented a Blu-Ray that features a really amazing A/V presentation and a nice assortment of special features that will help increase your appreciation of the film. Martin Eden has a few stumbling blocks, but the big-picture narrative is one that will reward the more you engage with it. Recommended
Martin Eden is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Kino Lorber has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
