Youth

Paolo Sorrentino’s second film in English followed The Great Beauty. The main location was the Waldhaus in Flims, a five star hotel from the 19th century, where cast and crew stayed for the shoot. Other scenes were taken at the Hotel Schatzalp in Davos, the building behind Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain. The hinge is an invitation: an emissary of the Queen offers the retired composer Fred a knighthood and asks him to perform Simple Song #3 at Prince Philip’s birthday concert. Fred turns it down. His friend Mick is working with a room of writers on the screenplay he calls his testament. The performance that closes the film was recorded with the soprano Sumi Jo, the violinist Viktoria Mullova, the BBC Concert Orchestra and the Berlin Radio Choir. David Lang’s piece was nominated for Best Original Song at the 88th Academy Awards. It premiered in competition at Cannes. At the 28th European Film Awards the film won European Film, Sorrentino won European Director and Michael Caine won European Actor; Sorrentino was also nominated for screenplay and Rachel Weisz for actress. A good fit if you accept the hotel routine as the event, with a Maradona and a Miss Universe along the same corridors. Not for anyone waiting for the refused royal invitation to become a plot.