There's rarely been a winner of the Best Foreign Language film at the Academy Awards that hasn't be a feast for the senses.
Often European in origin, the cinematography on its own is award-wining, not to mention storylines that often offer something a little differentfrom the standard British-American fare.
The Great Beauty is Italian and is set in the Eternal City of Rome.
It tells the story of 65-year-old Jep Gambardella (Toni Servillo), a journalist and one-time novelist who is forced to look at his life and how he got to be who he is today. As a young man he showed enormous promise as a novelist with his first book, but rather than build on his success he chose instead to enjoy it.
He became a regular on the party scene and loved and left many women around town. Living in a luxury apartment overlooking the Colosseum, Jep's life would seem perfect.
But he is forced to re-examine his golden world when he hears that his one true love has died.
Taking stock of his life, Jep also feels it's time to bring some reality to the party-goers around him and lay bare their decadent lives.
