Review of Juliet of the Spirits (1965) by Astrid T — 18 Apr 2007
It's hard to tell if the world we live in is either reality or a dream. -- Bin-jip (3-Iron) This line from 3-Iron is very appropriate for describing Giulietta Masina's dilemma in Juliet of the Spirits.
In her struggle to free herself from the life she lives, Masina has moments where she wonders about whether the people she sees are in fact real. In her struggle to transcend her current situation, she at times borders on a kind of descent into madness because of her inability to distinguish between the real and the imagined.
If you want to see Masina finally win one, this is the film for you. To loosely borrow from Stephanie in Saturday Night Fever when she attempts to label Tony's life, in Juliet of the Spirits Masina is a cliche; she's going nowhere.
She manages, however, through the course of this story to turn her life around and escape from the trap, break out of the stale cliche her life has become. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Masina has an amazingly expressive face.
Beautiful. Having used the word "cliche," I want to make it clear that Fellini's films are anything but cliches. He is a master of keeping his audience on their toes. Every transition to a new scene is a mystery; you never can guess where he's going next.
And apparently, that's the way he made his movies: each is a kind of impromptu dance.
This review of Juliet of the Spirits (1965) was written by Astrid T on 18 Apr 2007.
Juliet of the Spirits has generally received very positive reviews.
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