The Silver Screen Oasis

I was up all night watching TCM, enchanted by Fellini's Roma (1972) the late, poetic entry in this cinema giant's work. Seeing this was a wonderful experience--funny, surreal, warm, anarchic, irreverent, and unforgettable imagery tumbles forth as the director weaves memories of the eternal city's past with the present from his own subjective point of view. One unforgettable sequence: the opening of a chamber beneath the city as a subway is being constructed reveals vividly painted frescoes of Romans from 2,000 years before--only to disappear as the fresh air pours into the rooms, erasing the images forever.

The glorious cinematography by Giuseppe Rotunno and Danilo Donati's art direction should be seen to appreciate the glowing richness of the textures, images, scenery and decor of this beautiful film.

If you would like to see Fellini's Roma online, it is posted on youtube in segments, beginning below:

[youtube][/youtube]

I guess I just don't "get" Fellini. His movies don't entertain me. Ocasionally they disgust me. I don't see the greatness. NIGHTS OF CABIRIA is OK. I enjoyed AMARCORD. But ROMA is not for me. It revels in decadence. Even the renowned LA DOLCE VITA, a masterpiece to many fans, fails to excite me. If anything, that may be the point. Life is dull, tedious. So...movies should be?

Red, I don''t care for some of Fellini's more bawdy films, such as Fellini's Satyricon (1969) either, but Roma was different, looking at people with understanding and was not like a freak show. Sure, there were scatological moments, but it wasn't simple prurience, and far from arousing, at least for me. I thought the film reflected the foolishness and sadness beneath the tawdry surface of a world that created prostitutes out of poor women. If you give it a chance sometime you may like it too.

I'm with you, Moira. It was a masterwork from a master.

It's been more than forty years since I saw the film, but I doubt that I'll ever forget the sight of those wonderful frescoes disappearing before our eyes.

How many shots in how many movies can you say that about? Dam // rn few!

I'm not aware enough of Fellini's work, something I should remedy. Can anyone recommend me a couple of good ones to start with?

I'd suggest starting with I VITELLONI (1953) to get a feel for the early, neo-realistic Fellini, followed by 8-1/2 (1963) because it falls into the dreaded "Oh, you really should see it" category.

But you really should see it.

There are several others worth viewing, but those two should give you a sense of how far into his filmography you want to go.

Thanks, I will check them out!

Lord help me! I could keep quiet and let this pass unnoticed. But I was thinking of the wrong movie! It's actually SATYRICON that I didn't like. I haven't even seen ROMA. Had I read Moira's post thoroughly, I would have realized there were few, if any, subways in ancient Rome!

This makes two awkward exchanges I've stumbled into in as many days. Slow down.

Lomm wrote:I'm not aware enough of Fellini's work, something I should remedy. Can anyone recommend me a couple of good ones to start with?

The best way to see Fellini is to watch his work chronologically. If you jump to Roma or 8 1/2 it's very difficult to get into his mindset & realize the evolution of his work. However, if you're going to see one film, I'd recommend La Strada (1954) because it has two actors you probably know (Anthony Quinn, Richard Basehart) and a linear storyline that anyone can relate to.

Mr. Arkadin wrote:

Lomm wrote:I'm not aware enough of Fellini's work, something I should remedy. Can anyone recommend me a couple of good ones to start with?

The best way to see Fellini is to watch his work chronologically. If you jump to Roma or 8 1/2 it's very difficult to get into his mindset & realize the evolution of his work. However, if you're going to see one film, I'd recommend La Strada (1954) because it has two actors you probably know (Anthony Quinn, Richard Basehart) and a linear storyline that anyone can relate to.

Thanks, I have added that to my Netflix queue (as well as the other 2). It sounds like I should probably start here though.

The recommendations above are all excellent choices. For me, La Dolce Vita (1960) is indispensable Fellini, filled with fantastic and poetic imagery in Italian society struggling with change and modern rootlessness. Another late career movie the has considerable beauty and power is the equally episodic And the Ship Sails On (1983), set on a ship in 1914.

Red, no worries--I'm always confusing one film with another. Glad to see people interested enough to share our impressions.

OK, that makes 4; added. These are all subtitled foreign language films, right? Please pardon my ignorance!