Bizarre work of genius
Added 10/18/2009
There is nothing like Satyricon that I've ever seen (ok, except maybe The Serpent's Egg, which is very shocking and disturbing). Visually orgiastic, pagan, sadistic, earnest, creepy, and disgusting; but also featuring some of the most beautiful actors ever to stand in front of a lens.
To me, this is by far the most interesting and arresting of Fellini's films.
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So far out that it's in
Added 9/30/2009
I exhibited this film when it was first released. Fellini had always been a favorite director. What creative imagination he had. This has two young good looking men in ancient days, Hiram Keller and Martin Potter. There is a lot of homosexual situations and a real cast of characters. I love this film and it is at the top of my list of favorites. The last DVD transfer was very good. Satyricon will be a film remembered for many years.
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Fellini Satyricon is self-indulgent, and made as though everyone on the crew were wasted.
The film can't seem to decide whether it wanted to be filmed in English or in Italian. Some of the actors are clearly speaking in English, but were dubbed (poorly) into Italian. It comes across as haphazard and unnecessary. The acting itself is over-the-top to begin with.
The visuals are excessive as well. Although it intended to show the excesses of Roman life, it does so in such a blunt, repetitive way that it insults the viewer. How many times do we need to see animals sliced open and plates full of snouts? Or people farting or drinking to excess? Or people grabbing for Gitone? It lacks the creativity, wit, subtlety and imagination that the original book may have had (which I have not read).
Surrealism is much more creatively handled by films such as Un chien andalou, and sadly, Satyricon is even more confusing than that. The plot attempts to take on the fragmented remains of the book, but it ultimately leaves the viewer confused. Supposedly the film is about redemption, but the film has few, if any, redeeming qualities, thanks to Fellini's autocratic and heavy-handed approach.
0 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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Dude, it's Fellini
Added 5/7/2009
Creepy.
Disturbing.
Weird.
Fellini takes us to ancient Rome in Satyricon; a world of greed, lust, and gluttony.
I don't want to kill it for anyone, but if you are open for an eerie adventure, check it out.
1 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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stunning visual poem on Nero's Rome
Added 2/24/2009
This is a powerful evocation of pagan Rome under an emperor of questionable sanity. We are witnesses of gutter characters, poets, and nouveau rich as Nero is deposed. Viewed in this way, the cacophony of bizarre characters, pagan style and custom, and simple chaos is very fun - it is meant to stimulate emotion rather than set out a coherent story. What emerges in a sensual and frightening portrait that is poetic and visceral.
As a classics major, this is a great treat. I read a lot of historical analysis, but little about how it felt to live then. You can get that here.
REcommended. A lot of people run into trouble with this film as they are seeking a traditional narrative, which it isn't. There are different films that tell coherent stories, such as HBO's Rome.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Bizarre work of genius
Added 10/18/2009
There is nothing like Satyricon that I've ever seen (ok, except maybe The Serpent's Egg, which is very shocking and disturbing). Visually orgiastic, pagan, sadistic, earnest, creepy, and disgusting; but also featuring some of the most beautiful actors ever to stand in front of a lens.
To me, this is by far the most interesting and arresting of Fellini's films.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
So far out that it's in
Added 9/30/2009
I exhibited this film when it was first released. Fellini had always been a favorite director. What creative imagination he had. This has two young good looking men in ancient days, Hiram Keller and Martin Potter. There is a lot of homosexual situations and a real cast of characters. I love this film and it is at the top of my list of favorites. The last DVD transfer was very good. Satyricon will be a film remembered for many years.
0 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
Fellini Satyricon is self-indulgent, and made as though everyone on the crew were wasted.
The film can't seem to decide whether it wanted to be filmed in English or in Italian. Some of the actors are clearly speaking in English, but were dubbed (poorly) into Italian. It comes across as haphazard and unnecessary. The acting itself is over-the-top to begin with.
The visuals are excessive as well. Although it intended to show the excesses of Roman life, it does so in such a blunt, repetitive way that it insults the viewer. How many times do we need to see animals sliced open and plates full of snouts? Or people farting or drinking to excess? Or people grabbing for Gitone? It lacks the creativity, wit, subtlety and imagination that the original book may have had (which I have not read).
Surrealism is much more creatively handled by films such as Un chien andalou, and sadly, Satyricon is even more confusing than that. The plot attempts to take on the fragmented remains of the book, but it ultimately leaves the viewer confused. Supposedly the film is about redemption, but the film has few, if any, redeeming qualities, thanks to Fellini's autocratic and heavy-handed approach.
0 out of 3 people found this helpful.
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