Fellini: Satyricon
"A tour-de-force." -Los Angeles Times
"A truly literate and sophisticated film spectacle...by perhaps the greatest of all film artists" (Saturday Review), this Oscar®-nominated masterpiece by Federico Fellini, the director of such world renowned classics, as La Dolce Vita, La Strada and 8 1/2, is a "fabulous trip into a totally decadent civilization" (Playboy) delivering "a brilliant visual fantasy... unlike anything we have seen" (The Hollywood Reporter).
Step into the bawdy, erotic and titillating world of Rome during the days of Emperor Nero, where two competing teachers play tricks on each other while vying for the same lover's charms. Paralleling the self-indulgence of modern society, these Roman citizens pursue their own gratification above all else, resulting in both intense pleasure and enormous despair displayed in visually seductive scenes that are both shocking , unprecedented and brilliantly stunning.
Member Reviews
A mirror of humanity at it's most prosperous - swissguy
This is the first Fellini film I see and I do hope to see more. I liked this film, it evoked the mystery, grandeur, wealth, decadence and humanity of ancient Rome. As I watched the film I kept thinking the people overeating, over drinking, being seductive, being lascivious, being overweight, being ugly and selfish were exactly like people I can think of now. The instinct for instant gratification depicted in Satyricon is just as strong and just as alive in our prosperous, wealthy Western society as it was in ancient Rome. The music, sets, costumes, activities depicted are weird, original, grand, colourful and had me feeling seduced and uncomfortable at the same time. The film itself is decadent instant gratification as it gives us 2 plus hours of grand spectacle, colour, sex, violence, and beautiful main characters. It is weird so be warned but for those with an open mind who don't mind seeing Fellini's interpretation of what ancient Rome was like it can be fascinating. I suspect that if we could travel back in time we'd find ancient Rome very strange. Hats off to Fellini for evoking that mood.I simply didn't like it ! - kap0n3
I think this would (and probably did) work well as a play but the movie is simply void on any emotion. This is the kind of film i am sure did not do well when first released and hasn't gained any momentum since because of the lack of emotion and from the cast and crew. I am a big fan of Fellini's work but this was quite poor at best, i strongly recomend anything and evrything else he did before watching this one.Un autre genre pour Fellini... - Jaylefou
Film très différent, autant dans sa forme que dans son propos, de tous les autres que j’ai pu voir de Fellini, « Satyricon » est une œuvre , tout d’abord, surprenante!
Comme le dit le titre du film, cet ouvrage se veut une satire de L’Empire Romain dans sa période la plus faste et la plus prospère…avec sa splendeur et sa décadence, sa richesse et ses catastrophes, s’est festins excessifs, sa convoitise au dépourvue de son art, ses excès qui menèrent à sa destruction, etc….
Avec ce film, on entre dans la deuxième période de ce grand réalisateur : une phase colorée et provocante de son répertoire. Fellini mise sur un visuel hallucinant pour faire ressortir le message de son film : Costumes, décors, paysages et reconstitutions aux airs baroques grandioses qui nous font étrangement pensé à notre société actuelle qui tant vers cette même démesure et cette même avidité…
Les dialogues fascinants, en grande partie basés sur des légendes gréco-romaines, apportent une touche poétique au film. En fait, c’est sur l’œuvre de Pétrone que se base principalement le scénario se situant sous le règne de Néron. C’est donc à travers cette histoire que l’on suit les aventures de deux jeunes libertins et leurs rencontres avec plusieurs individus originaux ayant, tout comme eux, certaines déviances tant sur le plan sexuel que mental.
L’interprétation d’ensemble est approprié et les personnages secondaires captivants. La photographie splendide, l’utilisation juste des couleurs et la musique forme un tout riche et inspiré. Certaines touches d’humour noir viennent parsemées le récit qui souffre néanmoins de quelques longueurs…
Mais somme toute, cet exercice de style haut en couleurs vaut le détour, ne serait-ce que pour découvrir un aspect complètement différent de l’œuvre de Fellini.
Member Reviews
Read All...
A mirror of humanity at it's most prosperous - swissguy
This is the first Fellini film I see and I do hope to see more. I liked this film, it evoked the mystery, grandeur, wealth, decadence and humanity of ancient Rome. As I watched the film I kept thinking the people overeating, over drinking, being seductive, ...I simply didn't like it ! - kap0n3
I think this would (and probably did) work well as a play but the movie is simply void on any emotion. This is the kind of film i am sure did not do well when first released and hasn't gained any momentum since because of the lack of emotion and from the cast ...Un autre genre pour Fellini... - Jaylefou
Film très différent, autant dans sa forme que dans son propos, de tous les autres que j’ai pu voir de Fellini, « Satyricon » est une œuvre , tout d’abord, surprenante!
Comme le dit le titre du film, cet ouvrage se veut une satire de L’Empire Romain ...