August 25, 2003
Satyricon (1969)
[0 - Stinker]
How do you give a recognized classic by one of cinemas greatest filmmakers a bad review? Like this: I did not like it. At all. I disliked the surrealistic circus of ridiculous acts in Satyricon so much that I started fast-forwarding through the movie after a half an hour and saw the rest as flashing images on fast forward rather than waste the rest of my evening.
Fellini and Bergman are two that probably shaped American perceptions of what foreign cinema is for the worse for a long time. They've prompted hundreds, I'm sure, of spoofs depicting this or that in surrealistic ways. I've never been able to get into either one of their works. It just comes across like pretentious nonsense for the most part. Some nice visuals, some decent ideas sometimes, but ultimately it's bad poetry, where different is substituted for good.
Posted by: Nick on August 27, 2003 11:44 PMSatyricon, by Le Maestro Federico Fellini, is simply one of the most intriguing films ever produced. From the phantasmagorial depiction of Roman life, to our two hapless protagonists, Fellini spins a tale of deceit, duplicitous alliances and fascinating intrigues. The visual imagines are dazzling and the stunning plot arcs from bungled kidnapping to incredible travels and back to retribution and redemption.
If you just don't get this wonderful allegorical journey, do yourself a favor and watch it continually until you do, Satyricon is a perfect example of the powerful potential of film to transcend the limitations of story telling along with an incredible display of Fellini's marvelous and seemingly limitless imagination.
