Amarcord Review- By Michael Carlisle

Title: Amarcord 
Year: 1973
Director: Federico Fellini
Country: Italy
Language: Italian  

Italian Cinema has a vast history of great directors. Directors like Roberto Rosselini (Rome: Open City) and Vittorio De Sica (Bicycle Thieves) brought the Cinema of Italy to the mainstream with their popular Neo-Realist style of film-making. Afterwards geniuses like Pier Palo Pasolini (Arabian Nights) and Federico Fellini (8 1/2) emerged onto the scene and blew audiences away. Fellini is perhaps the most beloved of Italian Film-makers, often winning Academy Awards for his impressive work. American Directors like Martin Scorsese have been greatly influenced by him. One work that usually stands out as his "best" is Amarcord.

The film is essentially a year in the life of a small Italian coastal town in the nineteen-thirties. The town in the film is based on Rimini, where Mr. Fellini grew up. Yet there is now something magical, larger-than-life about the town, its citizens and many of the things that happen to them.

Amarcord is a collection of memories from a life's journey. It is carnivalesque and surrealistic yet at the same time grounded in some reality. This is said to be Fellini's most accessible film, his superstar-like budget could afford pretty much anything he wanted to have included. Fellini's film is sincere and sentimental, handled with great care. The director seems to be at his most optimistic when dealing with crowds rather than individuals as there is a big difference in mood between this and La Strada/ 8 1/2

Initially, a few hours after I watched the film I didn't like it, but after a lot of reflection I realize that it is quite a treasure. The structure of the film is marvelous, mainly because there is not real plot. Amarcord doesn't try to be a phony story, but rather a remarkable experience. The characters are incredibly human and complex, as an audience member you feel like you belong to that community. Only one character is unlikeable, but even he has his pitiful moments. A few people critique Fellini for not being too hard on the fascism in this film, indeed each character falls for the evil regime. However that is realistic, in reality very few Italians opposed the Regime; the ones who did were either shot or kept it to themselves. There is one scene that shows the destructive force of Fascism and I think one scene is enough, Amarcord is not supposed to be a grand political message.

In conclusion, Amarcord is a rarity in Cinema. I have tried to think of any modern films that embrace community in such an honest and heartfelt way and I couldn't. Fellini is what Frank Capra (It's a Wonderful Life) couldn't be. Capra's films were cheesy (Capra-corn) and too pro-American to be considered great art. Fellini is truly a master of Cinema. Praise it! 5/5