Underestimated Gem
Added 2/18/2009
In general I do not have much affinity with the work of Fellini as I rarely feel a connection to the worlds and thoughts he puts in his films. There are two exceptions to this (of about ten or so movies of his I've seen): "Amarcord" and "Prova d'Orchestra". The latter movie, made in 1978, was originally meant for tv, hence probably its limited length of around 70 minutes. It was the last movie Fellini made with legendary composer Nino Rota, who died a year after. As the subject matter involves an orchestra rehearsal one can safely assume that Rota's involvement in this film was more than average.
"Prova d'Orchestra" among many critics is considered a 'lesser' Fellini, a qualification that I, needless to say, don't agree with, but certainly it's a movie that has undeservedly receded into obscurity somewhat, speculations as to the reasons why later, but first a short synopsis:
It takes place in an old oratory where graves of popes and bishops have received a cool little spot. An elderly caretaker, copyist more accurately, narrates apparently to us, the viewer, at the start of the movie about the splendor of the place in the old days. Nowadays though things are different: it's a space for an orchestra rehearsal and as it turns out the old man wasn't talking to us, but to a camera team making a documentary about the orchestra that turns to interviewing individual members of the orchestra that drop in for the rehearsal one at a time and for the most part testify of their love for their instrument and its importance within the orchestra as a whole.
Oddly enough there's also a union rep present who keeps reassuring the musicians that it's ok to give interviews, but that they won't receive any extra financial benefits for doing so. Then he turns back to hectic phone calls to get five trumpet players, even though the orchestra only needs one.
Finally the conductor arrives, who has a rather pronounced German accent, who starts with the rehearsal with positive confidence, but soon starts to lose patience with his musicians and lashes out more and more with vehemence to such an extent, that the union rep notifies him that he has insulted the orchestra and that as a result a punitive measure has been decided on and the musicians will be granted an immediate break double in length, which is what happens.
Back in his private room the conductor complains about the role of music in general and the lacking work ethic of his musical subjects in particular.
After the break the orchestra revolts and as a representative of the 'ruling class' the conductor is their main target. The world quite literally is bent out of shape (unforgettable scene) and tentatively conductor and orchestra try to retrace their steps to find a way to perform music again, but Fellini makes abundantly clear that most likely it's simply the start of a new cycle which will share the fate of the previous attempt.
It is not surprising that the entire movie is a quite obvious metaphor for the socio-political situation in Italy of the seventies, which indeed is not what fascinated me so much about this movie, even though it's realized in such a touching and amusing manner. The power of this movie to me lay in the way Fellini with some broad and general strokes of a pen was able to sketch characters that are obviously allegorical and so identifiable. As a music lover I so much enjoyed Rota's farewell to the silver screen and his music in splendid symbiosis with the images made me laugh so much at times it brought tears to my eyes.
As I saw the movie again fairly recent after a twenty plus years hiatus it was so refreshing to view such an "old school" work of cinema, which exudes a particular atmosphere and represents and honors a personal authenticity by its maker that can be rarely experienced these days.
Why this movie is considered to be a lesser Fellini? One usually hears complaints concerning the rather simplistic and superficial layer of meaning of this movie. This aspect to me is secondary and I simply enjoyed a completely outrageous movie in a dramatic and visual style which invites you as a viewer to step into a world that rips you out of your comfy chair and makes you eagerly anticipate every next unexpected minute which is such a breath of fresh air in this endless parade of predictable fair that generally spoken dull our cinemas today.
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A sublime metaphor!
Added 5/22/2006
Only the kaleidoscopic mind of Fellini could materialize this sinister allegory that turns around the members of an Orchestra who decide to rebel against a dictatorial conductor.
Mesmerizing and unforgettable.
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The worst Fellini film I've ever seen ~ 2 1/2 stars
Added 1/11/2005
And probably the shortest clocking in a little bit over an hour. It's about an orchestra who collectively argue and protest against their conductor's methods. They individully bicker amongst themselves primarily about what instrument is the most important in the orchestra. It culminates in a lukewarm climax of vandalism and destruction. A must watch for any Fellini fan because there are a few good surreal Fellini-esque moments but over all a very unengaging film visually and plot-wise. Usually Fellini films that are light on plot are heavy on surreal visual style and vice versa. Orchestra Rehearsal fails on both ends. Even without trying to understand the socio-political symbolism within there's still little to no plot and very few visuals that captured my attention. The only saving grace is Nino Roti's excellent score. So far the only disappointing film I've seen in Fellini's oeuvre.
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For Fellini fans and orchestra players only
Added 1/4/2003
A minor film by Fellini standards, Orchestra Rehearsal is a generally considered to be a thinly-veiled allegory about postwar Europe. While it lacks the joie de vivre of such later Fellini classics as Amarcord and And the Ship Sails On, it's still a thought-provoking and intelligent film. Which isn't to say that it doesn't have its share of Fellini's bizarre humor, as well. Orchestra Rehearsal captures the air of a real orchestra (each musician except for the contrabassoon player talks about how they're the most important section of the orchestra, and how the others are terrible).The film does have its flaws, however. It begins to drag somewhere in the middle, before the uprising occurs. Also, the film is badly out of sync (which is a problem of the original, as Italian films were typically recorded silent and then dubbed over), and it is very obvious that at least some of the actors have no idea how to play their assigned instrument. The sound is fairly tinny and the video (which is widescreen, despite what its Amazon.com listing says) doesn't look like it's undergone any kind of restoration whatsoever. There are virtually no extra features, so the current price tag is a bit puzzling. As this was a fairly early DVD release, we can always hope for a restored reissue. For Fellini fans and people who play in orchestras, this film is a must-see. For casual viewers and Fellini newbies, I'd advise you to start elsewhere.
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Too Bad They Did No "Rehearsal" For The Film!
Added 3/14/2002
Sadly Federico Fellini's "Orchestra Rehearsal" is, to put very nicely, a bad film. What's even sadder is all of Fellini's later works were dismissed by critics and the public alike ("City of Women", "And the Ship Sails On", & Ginger and Fred"). Worst yet, some deserved to be criticized. What makes all of this so sad is the fact that Fellini was not a bad filmmaker. I like Fellini. He was one of the great filmmakers of all-time! But, with "Orchestra Rehearsal" Fellini misses something.
Would this film have been better if he made it back in the 50's, when he was working on films like "8 1\2", "La Strada" & "La Dolce Vita"? Its hard to say. Maybe the problem wasn't exactly Fellini but the subject matter. Is it possible to make a good film about a orchestra rehearsal and use that rehearsal as a metaphor into modern day society? My gut reaction tells me no. I'm not saying it's not possible for someone to use a sly metaphor and transform it into something of deeper meaning, of course it can be done. Watch the films of Bergman, Visconti, or Bunuel. But, you have to chose the right metaphor. Godard for example once tried it in his film "Week-end". He used traffic as the metaphor. While most people called the film a masterpiece, I think the result was rather pretentious. Now, is Fellini's film pretentious? No.
"Orchestra Rehearsal" seemed to have all the ingredients to make it a good film. Fellini's directing is fine, the music by Nino Rota (his long time partner) is enjoyable, the cinematography by Giuseppe Rotunno (again Fellini regular) is first rate and even some of the acting is good. Like the character of the "Conductor" played by Balduin Baas and the part of the "Piano player" by Elizabeth Labi (OK, maybe that's just a guilty pleasure lol). With all of these things, I wanted to like this film. I wanted to be able to say this was yet another masterpiece by the great Fellini but, he just doesn't pull it off.
Is this film worth a look? Yeah. Also, it wouldn't hurt to see this film if your already a Fellini fan. Here's a nice try by a guy we know could of done better. ** 1\2 out of *****
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