Fellini - Satyricon (1969)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Federico Fellini

Writers:

Petronius (book)
Federico Fellini (writer) ...

Release Date:

11 March 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Romance | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Rome. Before Christ. After Fellini.

Plot:

In first century Rome, two student friends, Encolpio and Ascilto, argue about ownership of the boy Gitone...

Plot Keywords:

Hermaphrodite | Suicide | Earthquake | Bright Color | Painter

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 5 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Martin Potter	...	Encolpio
Hiram Keller	...	Ascilto
Max Born	...	Gitone
Salvo Randone	...	Eumolpo
Mario Romagnoli	...	Trimalcione (as Il Moro)
Magali Noël	...	Fortunata
Capucine	...	Trifena
Alain Cuny	...	Lica
Fanfulla	...	Vernacchio
Danika La Loggia	...	Scintilla
Giuseppe Sanvitale	...	Abinna
Genius	...	Liberto arricchito
Lucia Bosé	...	La matrona
Joseph Wheeler	...	Il suicida
Hylette Adolphe	...	La schiavetta

Also Known As:

Fellini Satyricon (UK) (USA)
Satyricon (France) (International: English title) (short title)
The Degenerates

Runtime:

128 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

Latin | Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Italy:VM14 | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:18 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Les Productions Artistes Associés

Trivia:

The Latin phrase recited by the woman about to commit suicide was: "Animula, vagula, blandula, hospes comesque corporis", the emperor Hadrian's supposed dying words. Hadrian died 72 years after Petronius, the author of "Satyricon".

Quotes:

Soldier at Tomb: They've stolen the hanged man! While I was with you, the thief's family took him away! I know what punishment I'll get... a horrible death. Why should I wait for it? I'd rather die by my own hands.
[pulls his sword out and is about to stab himself]
Wife of Ephesus: [stops him] No! No, my dear... To lose the two men in my life, one after the other, would be too much...
Wife of Ephesus: [looks at the corpse of her husband] Better to hang a dead husband than to lose a living lover.
[the couple replace the missing hanged corpse with the corpse of her husband]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Black Wine (2005)

Fellini at his strangest and I like strange!!!

It was well known that in the late 60's, famed Italian director Federico Fellini experiment with LSD. That's why "Juliet of the Spirits" was so bizarre and colorful. But the 1969 head trip "Fellini Satyricon" was even stranger than previous Fellini films. Loosely based on the novel by Petronius, the beginning of the story concerns two men in the B.C. Roman era fighting over the love of one boy. Later they have many strange and colorful misadventures. This film may be to bizarre for some; with its grotesque images, a mild orgy, dwarfs and even a hermaphrodite goddess. The set pieces are out of this world. It's like being caught in a two hour dream. Many times I had no idea what was going on, but that didn't bother me. Satyricon is a visual decadent head trip of color. Fellini considered this film a sci-fi of the past. I consider Fellini a genius; he's designed a film that makes a great substitute for drugs. If you enjoy "Fellini Satyricon" you should also watch Vera Chytilova's "Daisies" (1966), Alejandro Jodorowsky's "The Holy Mountain" (1973), Guy Maddin's "Careful" (1992) and Tsui Hark's "Green Snake". All of these film contain bright colors and surreal images. Enjoy!