#4 - Amarcord

I'll just start this one by coming right out and saying it - I had no idea what to expect.   I was totally unaware of the cinema of Federico Fellini and I think I've only seen one or two Italian films in my lifetime.   Evidently he's quite a character who in some ways, has defined how the world views Italians

So I went into this pretty wide open - I found it to be beautifully shot, and a very entertaining comedic film.  The title is translated as "I Remember" and the film apparently is a look back at some of Federico's early memories of an Italian seaside town on the Cusp of Fascism, with Il Duce taking center stage in one of the town's scenes.   It is meant to be reminiscent of the town of Remini, on the Adriatic Sea

It is more than anything else, an examination of a year in a small Italian village with a rambunctious cast of characters.    There is no discernable plot, as it were, so much as a photograph of time.   It offered some risqué humor, and some sad moments as well as the year goes on.  It primarily focuses on a young teenager, Titta, and the people and places around him, including his obsession with the town's (and DVD cover's) curvaceous Lady in Red, Gradisca, who often reminded me of Sophia Loren.

The film flows from one moment to another, starting in Spring, to the arrival of regional fascists, to the summer and great events like the arrival of a famous Italian Cruise liner, to a country picnic, and later, to foggy fall, to winter, and death, and life again in the spring with the wedding of Gradisca, (sadly, to a Fascist.)   I did not walk away from this movie feeling nostalgic for that time, interestingly, but perhaps that is because in some respects, the characters and the depictions are a bit cartoonish.  (One essay said it was a circus and they were circus performers)   There is also a general theme here where it is implied (mostly in the School scenes) that the older generation is not doing right by the younger generation and not giving them what they need to be full adults.

However, as I said at the start, it is a beautifully shot and entertaining film and I enjoyed it throughly.

The usual DVD extras, interviews, commentary, and restoration clips are here in the two disk edition.   I did something I won't always do here which is I re-watched the DVD with the commentary to learn more about Fellini, his life, history, and extras about the film.  The one thing I was slightly aware of and only more so on the second viewing is that the town and it's togetherness is slowly disintegrating and the implication is that the cause is Fascism.  It was a powerful point that you could miss in all the comedy and surrealist behavior, but once it was pointed out to me in the commentary I couldn't help but notice it.  

And of course, being an American in the 21st Century under the impending presidency of Donald Trump, the disintegration of community under fascism or authoritarianism feels extra close and may make for a great film about us in 40 years time - let's hope not...but enough digression

RB