Amarcord (1974)

The Age of Commercialism

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Amarcord is an episodic coming of age film from Federico Fellini. The film might have some autobiographical elements but it is a fee flowing almost anecdotal film of eccentric characters including some buxom women in the village of Borgo San Giuliano in 1930s Italy where Fascism is on the rise.There is buxom Gradisca who runs a beauty parlour and arouses men's passions. Volpina the thin blond good time girl, the rotund and even more buxom tobacconist, the tiger like blond schoolteacher. In amongst this is adolescent Titta who plays pranks including on his father who gets extremely irate and his mother who always has to come to his son's defence.The other boys in the town regularly touch themselves and the local priest is obsessed with whether the boys touch themselves and accuses them of masturbating as soon as he looks at them.The film has fantasy sequences such as when a Sultan checks in the Grand Hotel with his harem. It has dark sequences as when Titta's socialist father is brought in for questioning by fascists and abused.The film consists of little vignettes, it opens with a sequence of puffballs signifying that the winter is gone. There is a sequence where fog is so heavy a man cannot find his house even though he is standing outside it.The film in some ways accompanies Fellini's 81/2 and lacks the tight narrative structure of La Strada. It does feel bloated and also strangely empty. This is signified by the ending because it just ends.

I am not one of Fellini fans. his colors are to power, his style - not very seductive. a world of forever carnival, grotesque silhouettes, a creepy universe, after promising first part of work. but Amarcord is different. it is a testimony. not of its director early years but testimony of a society, small, childish, cruel. a town. and its people. desires, politic, humor,fake adventures,a teenager and an advocate as guides in the womb of facts and impressions.a film about basic things. with nostalgic flavor of past, with aura of a lost age. it is a Fellini. but, in same measure, it is more.a kind of song from ambiguous land. or only reflection of a trip in the secret parts of past.

Amarcord, Italian for "I Remember," is a colorful and artistic film from famed Italian director Federico Fellini. It tells the story of a small Italian coastal town under a fascist regime before World War II. The film paints a grand imaginative portrait of this town as recalled by its spry director who possesses a keen knack for creative and spirited storytelling. We grow to love the characters in the film and we watch their larger-than-life stories unfold before our eyes in a beautiful and enticing way. This film makes its own rules and paints itself up as an incredibly spirited tale of joy, love, and even bittersweet remorse for a town that only could have existed the way it did in the time period it did.It isn't difficult to see the personal level of this film that Fellini includes. It is apparent how much of the story was taken from his own childhood and then injected with a wistful and almost make-believe quality of storytelling. The town in the film is based on Rimini, the town where Fellini grew up, so it is a given that this is a personal film, but you don't even have to know that to see the personal connection coursing through this film's veins. Fellini has created a nostalgic story for himself that others can also enjoy to great extents. Amarcord isn't self indulgent and it doesn't lose track of its heart and soul which makes it such a pleasurable experience.Fellini takes some liberties with the narrative style of this film as it is told in a very free-form way. It is almost a collection of short stories thrown together in a playful and creative way. The town and its strong heritage, affecting each enjoyable character, is the thread which ties the scattered pieces of the narrative together and keeps it from being uncohesive or confusing. Amarcord is the study of a town, as well as the study of people and family. It weaves all of its stories and characters in and out of each other, never losing its loving and colorful mood. The film boasts a lot of fun style throughout with plenty of humor thrown in. The film is very funny at times, but it displays a smarter and more sophisticated humor without being pompous or self important. The film's humor is an excellent display of sarcasm, irony, and cleverness all rolled into a bundle of entertainment.For everything Amarcord does, it does right and it does well. It is simplistic in its motives and care free in its narrative. It isn't anything complex or serious. It only seeks to entertain, while also provide a glorious, imaginative, and often times nostalgic look at the simpler times of life and what joys they bring us. While Amarcord isn't a film I would watch over and over again, there is absolutely no denying that it is an excellent film well worth the watch.

Having watched and loved La Dolce Vita, 8 1/2 and La Strada previous to Amarcord, I was understandably expecting good things for this film. And I got that exactly. This is said to be Fellini's most personal film, and this comes through loud and clear, as his direction is superb. So is the movie.When Amarcord is funny it is quite hilarious, and when it is poignant it is heart breaking. I can understand why someone mayn't like it, some aspects are rather coarse- not a bad thing for me- but if you see it again you may find it grows on you.The visuals as I thought it would be are beautiful. I loved the skillful cinematography, and the sets, locations and costumes are lavish and colourful. There are also some very memorable scenes, the peacock in the middle of the snow is one of the most breathtakingly beautiful images I have seen recently.I also love the score. I have always considered Nina Rota a wonderful composer; The Godfather, La Dolce Vita and 8 1/2 all to name a few have a knack of being not only beautiful and haunting but also that they stick in the mind long afterwards. Amarcord's score is no exception, if anything it adds to the film's quirks and poignancy.The script is also fine. What I loved most about it was its deft mix of humour and sentiment and also childhood memory and adult insight. The story is never less than compelling, even with the expansive running time. It has interesting themes(ie. mocking Mussolini's regime, Roman Catholicism and the prejudices and peculiarities of the bourgeoisie) and for me it had few dull moments.The characters I think grow on you. They may seem like stereotypes at first perhaps, but once you see the film more, they are as human as they are grotesque. The acting is excellent, Magali Noel is the standout lightening up the screen with her allure and acting talent.Overall, Amarcord is a wonderful film, while it wasn't my first Fellini movie, I'd say this is a good enough introduction to the work of a master director. 10/10 Bethany Cox