Review of Amarcord (1973) by Roy Rogers O — 03 Dec 2008

Amarcord may not be everybody's favorite Fellini, but more than any other of his films, it captures a perfect balance between sentiment and absurdity. Encapsulating a raft of oversize characters from the Fellini lexicon, each frame is infused with that peculiar characteristic both visual and aural that brands his work as the most unique director of all time. Reality is never an issue, fantasty is always a hallmark. Having viewed this particular film at least twenty times, my dreams still have Nino Rota as their soundtrack. His recurring them for [B]Amarcord[/B] is indelible.

A later period work, we see his usual cast of misfits, transposed from Ancient Italy or modern 60's to early twentieth century life in a small village atmosphere. A friend once remarked that rural life in Italy is in fact exactly like Amarcord. I am inclined to believe him.