The screen as a canvas: Youth Without Youth

A review of Youth Without Youth

The main reason for most people wanting to watch Youth Without Youth will probably be simple and indisputable. In three words, Francis Ford Coppola. When you think of the doyen of filmmaking, it is but natural that The Godfather trilogy, Coppola’s directorial masterpieces, will come to mind. But Youth Without Youth, which marks his return to directing after a hiatus of ten years, is a complete departure from the saga of the Corleone dynasty’s ascent and downfall in the Italian crime syndicate. Let’s get that straight. It is a film which is likely to draw extreme reactions. It is a film where one nagging thought will keep burrowing itself into the back of your mind as the film progresses: why did Francis Ford Coppola make a film like Youth Without Youth?

One look at Coppola’s perhaps not-so-varied filmmaking history may make things a bit clearer: his films were largely either based on books (The Rainmaker (1997), Dracula (1992), Gardens of Stone (1987), Rumble Fish (1983), The Outsiders (1983)) or they had a theme of aging or reincarnation in some form (Jack (1996), Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)), or, sometimes, both. Youth Without Youth falls in the last category: it is based on the book by Mircea Eliade and also stays faithful to the second thread of filmmaking that Coppola usually chooses to weave.

Septuagenarian professor Dominic Matei (Tim Roth) specializes in linguistics. He is struck by lightning one day and finds his youth miraculously restored, also giving him a highly developed intelligence. This piques the interest of Nazi scientists, forcing him to go into hiding under an alias where he chances upon his lost love Laura (Alexandra Maria Lara), who is reincarnated as Veronica, a young teacher. The pair retreat to an idyllic Mediterranean island, where Dominic tries to focus his efforts on his life’s work, a study into the origins of language itself. But he soon finds that he has to make a choice between successfully completing his research and permanently losing his love.

Youth Without Youth intermittently shows scenes shot upside-down, which lend an altogether unique perspective to the story, but it is questionable as to whether they are really necessary. It seems as if Coppola is trying to be a student again (he graduated from UCLA’s film school in 1967), and is simply indulging his interest in time and rebirth with this film. Granted, so many of his films were based on books - perhaps that limited his creativity - but this film was based on one too. It seems as if he really is just using the film as a platform for his thoughts, after so many years. Whether it is worthy of him, is doubtful.