GREAT CINEMAMASTER LIST
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great film.

Search 713 spoiler-free recommendations from 1916 to 2026. Filter by the night you want—not the list you’re supposed to finish.

Direct film viewShowing master rank #460 on its own—not above the ranking.
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Artwork
DirectorAll directors

Most represented · 6+ films

More recurring directors · 3–5 films54
All directors · surname A–Z438
ActorAll actors

Most represented actors

Big Three membership
Major award winners

1 selected film

Master Rank balances Greatness, Engagement, and Ease. Sort by Greatness for the artistic-canon view.

Director:
Cast:
View The Great Beauty film page
Original poster artwork · Great Cinema Master List

Spoiler-free premise

On his sixty-fifth birthday, Roman writer Jep Gambardella reviews decades of parties, beauty, ambition, friendship, and unfinished work.

Read expanded premiseLonger, still spoiler-free

Journalist Jep Gambardella has reigned over Rome's elite nightlife since publishing one acclaimed novel decades earlier. His sixty-fifth birthday and news of a former lover's death prompt encounters with artists, clergy, friends, performers, and memories of first love.

Why it belongs

Paolo Sorrentino makes Rome ecstatic and exhausted through gliding camera movement, sacred art, vulgar parties, music, and Servillo's melancholy Jep.

Read expanded why it belongsThe fuller editorial case

Toni Servillo's elegance carries the fatigue beneath Jep's wit. Rooftop terraces, fountains, ruins, convents, performance art, choral music, pulsing dance tracks, and impossible camera sweeps make beauty both revelation and distraction.

Major award record

Metadata only · zero points in 40/40/20
Academy Awards1 win2014 · official ceremony record ↗

Plus 1 additional win

No headline-category win to name

Golden Globes1 win2014 · official film record ↗
Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language2014 · The Great Beautyofficial film record ↗
BAFTA1 win2014 · official BAFTA 2014 Film Awards results ↗

Plus 1 additional win

No headline-category win to name

Totals include every recorded competitive win. Only Picture or top-film honors, Direction, Screenplay, and lead or supporting performances are named.

Good for
Film Club
Descriptive guidance derived from rating, genre, runtime, mood, and GCML scores.

Institutional reference ranks

Sight & Sound—IMDb Top 250—AFI 100—
Reference metadata only · not part of the 40/40/20 score

Great Cinema Master List scores

Greatness8.8
Engagement8.5
Ease7.9

Italian · Not Rated
Narrative Feature
Mood: Funny & Bittersweet