Retro Film Review: Amarcord (1973)

over 4 years ago

(source: tmdb.org)

According to Hollywood movies made in last few decades, life in small town is one of the worst things that could happen to a human being. Even worse fate awaits those who were unfortunate to grow up in those dark, God-forsaken places and later forced to live forever traumatised by the experience. On the other hand, it seems that something more than Atlantic Ocean divides Europe from America, because one of the most popular and beloved European films takes exactly the opposite view. This film is Amarcord, 1973 comedy by famous Italian director Federico Fellini, which later gave inspiration to numerous imitations and homages, and even led few American screen artists to adopt its heretical views about benefits of small town life.

The film is based on the screenplay by Fellini and Tonino Guerra and it lacks the plot in usual sense. Instead we follow one year in 1930s Italian summer resort town of Rimini through the series of short vignettes that depict various local events and customs, as well as series of local, often very colourful characters. Although many of those characters occasionally take the role of narrator, movie concentrates on its nominal protagonist, 14-year old boy Titta (played by Bruno Zanin) and chronicles his sexual frustrations, obsession with local beauty queen named Gradisca (played by Magali Noel), problems in his lovingly dysfunctional family, as well as troubles his father (played by Armando Brancia) has with Mussolini's fascist regime.

Amarcord was often noted as the ultimate nostalgia film, and it probably explains why it is very popular, even among those people who actually don't like Federico Fellini's work very much. Every member of its potential audience would find part of himself or herself in this film, because Fellini in this film clearly illustrates natural human desire to paint past in the best way possible. Distortion between actual past and its subjective interpretation could be found even in the title of the film – word "Amarcord" is nothing more than badly pronounced phrase "I remember" in local Italian dialect. In the same way the word is distorted, so is the past in memories of those who remember it. After the premiere, Fellini rejected any claims about autobiographical character of this film, but it doesn't matter whether Rimini of Amarcord actually resembles Rimini of Fellini's childhood or not; any place and any time could resemble characters and situations of this film.

Fellini's views on nostalgia are clearly illustrated with a way he mixes reality and fantasy in this film. Even the most naturalistic scenes are laced with dark humour andgrotesque images. Characters look like caricatures, actors playing them often deliberately overact, and women, especially those who fuel Titta's sexual fantasies, often have certain body parts with gargantuan proportions. Every now and then, scenes that depict 1930s reality gradually slide into fantasies of movie's characters and Rimini becomes almost indistinguishable from the magical place in characters' visions. Because of that, almost everything in this film looks different, and in most cases better, than it would have looked in the real life. Even the Fascism gets Fellinian make-over – Fellini views Mussolini's totalitarian regime as nothing more than visual spectacle (explaining why similar regimes enjoyed such popular support throughout history) and opportunity for comedy. When Fascists finally show their true colours and begin torturing their opponents, even this becomes opportunity for scenes of macabre humour.

Unlike many of his Italian colleagues in 1970s, who had used 1930s period setting to explicitly condemn Fascism and serve fashionable political agenda, Fellini doesn't care that much about politics. Lack of self-righteous moral perspective is compensated with Fellini's humanistic approach to his characters. Each of them, regardless of age, gender, social class or physical appearance, is given opportunity to express his or her views, dreams and fears. Fellini treats all those characters with warmth and affection, even when he paints them as grotesque caricatures of real people. Because of this warmth and democratic spirit, Amarcord could be viewed as one of the most humane films of 20th Century, and it keeps its general feel good atmosphere despite depicting having many uncomfortable, melancholic and even tragic moments.

Fellini couldn't produce such effects without using his own directorial talent that gave a very personal touch to this movie. Vignettes aren't memorable because of the characters only; Fellini uses camera, painting film in bright colours, especially in the scenes that depict character's fantasies. Fellini also knows how to use locations, whether such location happens to be luxurious hotel, bright-coloured beach or rural countryside. Even the down-to-earth streets of Rimini, where everyone knows everyone, gets magical dimension during the snowfall. On the other hand, lack of credible special effects somewhat diminished the same effect during the ocean liner scene. This atmosphere is also provided by incredible talent of composer and Fellini's long-time associate Nino Rota. His Amarcord theme is probably one of the most recognisable, most popular and most relaxing and uplifting pieces of film music ever produced. That music alone should be the reason to view Amarcord as one of the indisputable classics of the Seventh Art.

RATING: 9/10 (++++)

(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.movies.reviews on June 23rd 2000)