MARTIN EDEN 2019 - A Film Review

 

 

MARTIN EDEN is a Italian-French produced drama film based on Jack London's 1909 novel with the same name.

Instead of Oakland, California that the story is taking place in the original, in the film Martin Eden is placed in the old Naples, Italy.

A poor young man with no educational background is striving to become a succesful writer. The film is the journey of a man, starts as a sailor and ends with his suicide in the moment of his highest glory as a famous, rich writer who is touring the world. This and everything in between is a spiritual quest, a battle against all and even with one's self.
Its without doubt a semi-autobiographical work based on Jack London himself and its there that we will find many things taking from the life of the writer himself.

Philosophically the film is full of Nietzschean references as well as other writers. 

Firstly it is Baudelaire's Fleurs du Mal that Martin Eden consumes in nights at his bed, later he is refering to T.S. Eliot at a public meeeting. But as it seems the writer that has the biggest impact on him is Herbert Spencer, the social darwinist English philosopher of "Survival of the Fittest" and the concept of natural selection.

In politics, It also clearly protrayed in the film that Martin Eden,  rejects Socialism as well as Liberalism. Even though his close friend Russ Brissenden is a devout socialist and his lover's family (Orsini) are Liberals. Martin Eden violently opposes both sides because of their mentality thats its for the weak, the slaves and the herd.

In Martin Eden there is also elements of previous work of London such The Sea Wolf (the rough sea life if a simple sailor) and also the Iron Heel (the poor surroundings and encounters with socialists, strikes and injustices in daily work).
Also like the other heroes of Jack London, the spirit of adventure is really strong in Martin Eden too. Instead of a conventional life with the safety and good payment from a daily work, Martin Eden prefer the life of a drifter. The wanderer who goes from place to place, do mostly farming works and spend most of its time on writing.

In the end he finally become a succeful writer but at the same time more despair than ever before. He still have of his old spirit in him as it portrayed in the man to man combat scene. But in the end his publisher saved him by paying his enemy.

In the end, it is clear that Jack London write about his preferred way to die. And so he had done some years after his "Martin Eden".

All in All, "Martin Eden" is a really well made film, that approached with respect Jack London's novel.

Ranked : 7,5/10

 Below are some of the best scenes of the film

 

 

"Heroica" is the name of the magazine that published the first story of Martin Eden as a writter. The symbolism is obvious.

The spirit of the old Naples is oftenly portrayedin the movie. From its low poor districts to some of its monuments in a rainy day.

 

Martin Eden encouraged by his friend Russ Brissenden to speak at a socialist meeting. There he openly reject socialist ideas and warn the public what will happen when the weak and the slaves will take control. In the end throw him out of the hall.

"All around me I see slaves, slaves for hundreds or thousand years. The healthy people are better organized, owning slaves and control the weak. How it possible the natural law to be abolished by a moral law?"

 

 

Dinner with the Orsini family. It is there that Martin Eden now rejects also the ideas of liberalism and the economy of the free market.

 

Near to the end the feeling of despair is getting stronger. Here Martin Edden visits an old harbor.

As the end get closer, Martin Eden walks amongst ruins

The grand finale of a writter. Death in the sunset. In the final scene of the movie, the hero fell in sea and while swiming, he is lost in the horizon. Here Jack London forewarn about his own end too (but using different way).