Review of Satyricon (1969) by Ryan V — 19 Jul 2015
Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita was an episodic satire of the excesses of Rome's idle rich; this loose adaptation of Petronius' epic poem moves this motif to the reign of Emperor Nero. The storyline follows a pair of sex-crazed youths through various acts of violence and vulgarity, but there's also plenty of room for Jungian archetypes and dream-like backdrops.
The source material only exists in fragments, so Fellini has plenty of room to add his own ideas and impressions (Still, like the poem itself, the film ends mid-sentence). Fellini's Satyricon is so idiosyncratic that it's apt to alienate as many people as it beguiles.
It probably shouldn't be anyone's first exposure to its director's work, but people who enjoyed 8 1/2 or La Dolce Vita will be able to get something out of this movie.
This review of Satyricon (1969) was written by Ryan V on 19 Jul 2015.
Satyricon has generally received positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
