Review of Satyricon (1969) by Ricardo O — 20 Jan 2011

This is a pure visual treat. Once again Federico Fellini makes a commentary on the decadence of 1960s Rome (much like his earlier La Dolce Vita) by loosely adapting a classic piece of literature from Ancient Rome where all kinds of perversions are normal.

There has been many pages that have been lost in the book which makes it a very fractured piece of literature and Fellini duplicates it, even going so far to make it almost more confusing. Still, as confusing as it does get, mostly in the first half, Fellini creates such trippy and mesmerizing visuals that one can't help but be intrigued by all that is going on on-screen.

It's certainly one of the trippiest films you will ever watch about Ancient Rome. This film is better suited for those that are well acquainted with Fellini's earlier films and I would not recommend anyone to watch this as his or hers first Fellini to watch.

But for those that have watched plenty of his movies, I do recommend it, even if it doesn't quite compare to his earlier films or even his last great film Amarcord. Even if the story, etc. isn't as good as one would hope, one must applaud for the high production values.

The set design is extraordinary. 8/10.