Federico Fellini's Amarcord (1973)

In his carnivalesque portrait of provincial Italy during the Fascist period, Federico Fellini satirizes his youth and turns daily life into a circus of social rituals, adolescent desires, male fantasies, and political subterfuge, all set to Nino Rota's classic, nostalgia-tinged score. The Academy Award-winning Amarcord was one of Fellini's most personal -- and popular -- films, and it remains one of cinema's enduring treasures. Product Description

Reminiscences of a Genius.

Director Federico Fellini was undoubtedly a film maker genius!
Since his earlier works "La Strada" (1954) and "La Dolce Vita" (1960) thru "Fellini Satyricon" (1969) and "Amarcord" (1973) till his lasts "Ginger and Fred" (1986) and "The Voice of the Moon" (1990) he has left a legacy treasure for film lovers and film makers.
Most of his films combine fantasy and reality in a rich mixture with no fixed boundaries. He displays his own personal conflicts & ideas in regard of religious belief; sex and love; youngsters' education; political and religious power; richness and poverty; all this themes and more are shown with a visceral approach.
The viewer will be attracted and repelled alternatively and at the end of each of his movies will go out of the theater (or the bed room or living-room) knowing that he/she has assisted to the show of a unique piece of art.

"Amarcord" shows reminiscences of life as it was in `30s Italy. The story encompass one year in the life of young Titta and his family. It is a coming of age tale where sex and infatuation play a major role. It also shows how confusing to a young mind are some social messages. Mussolini appears in a fantasy scene adorned with all the attributes of a demigod and in the next scene reality explodes in the form of a band of fascist thugs harassing Titta's relatives.

The cinematography in charge of Giuseppe Rotunno is a major contribution to the film's excellence. This is not a coincidence; Rotunno has been awarded with the Silver Ribbon 7 times by the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists between 1960 and 1988. Amongst his best efforts, we may mention "On the Beach" (1959), "Il Gattopardo" (The Leopard 1963) and "All That Jazz" (1979).

Music score in charge of Nino Rota is another high point of the feature.
"Amarcord" collected numerous awards including Foreign Film Oscar.
A marvelous film to see! Just a last warning some scenes may be inconvenient for young audiences.
Reviewed by Max Yofre.

January 22, 2008

Great movie but beware....

Most of you looking at this page know about this great film so I am just going to comment on this specific dvd release from Cine Korea. Just as the Criterion release is NOT Anamorphic widescreen, neither is this version contrary to what the description says. That being said, the transfer is almost identical to the original Criterion release, but the new Criterion transfer is much better. If you really love the film, spend a couple extra bucks on the new Criterion re-release. February 28, 2007

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