Amarcord (1973)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Federico Fellini

Writers:

Federico Fellini (writer)
Tonino Guerra (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

19 September 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

The Fantastic World of Fellini!

Plot:

A year in the life of a small Italian coastal town in the nineteen-thirties, as is recalled by a director...

Plot Keywords:

Small Town | Motorcycle | Harem | Tobacconist | Breaking The Fourth Wall

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 13 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Pupella Maggio	...	Miranda Biondi, Titta's Mother
Armando Brancia	...	Aurelio Biondi, Titta's Father
Magali Noël	...	Gradisca, The hairdresser (as Magali' Noel)
Ciccio Ingrassia	...	Teo - the mad uncle
Nando Orfei	...	Patacca, Titta's Uncle
Luigi Rossi	...	Lawyer
Bruno Zanin	...	Titta Biondi
Gianfilippo Carcano	...	Don Baravelli
Josiane Tanzilli	...	Volpina, prostitute
Maria Antonietta Beluzzi	...	Tobacconist
Giuseppe Ianigro	...	Titta's Grandfather
Ferruccio Brembilla	...	Fascist Leader
Antonino Faa Di Bruno	...	Count Lovignano (as Antonino Faa' Di Bruno)
Mauro Misul	...	Philosophy Teacher
Ferdinando Villella	...	Fighetta, Greek Teacher
Antonio Spaccatini	...	Federale
Aristide Caporale	...	Giudizio
Gennaro Ombra	...	Biscein
Domenico Pertica	...	Blind Man
Marcello Di Falco	...	The Prince
Stefano Proietti	...	Oliva, Titta' brother
Alvaro Vitali	...	Naso
Bruno Scagnetti	...	Ovo
Fernando De Felice	...	Ciccio
Bruno Lenzi	...	Gigliozzi
Gianfranco Marrocco	...	Son of Count Poltavo
Francesco Vona	...	Candela
Donatella Gambini	...	Aldina Cordini
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dina Adorni	...	Mrs. De Leonardis, Mathematics Teacher (uncredited)
Paolo Baroni	...	Student (uncredited)
Bruno Bertocci	...	Matteo - Gradisca's husband (uncredited)
Marcello Bonini Olas	...	Gymnastic teacher (uncredited)
Dante Cleri	...	History teacher (uncredited)
Mario Del Vago	...	Motorcyclist (uncredited)
Veriano Genesi	...	Life-guard (uncredited)
Dario Giacomelli	...	Patacca's friend (uncredited)
Mario Liberati	...	Ronald Coleman, The Theater Owner (uncredited)
Franco Magno	...	Zeus - High school headmaster (uncredited)
Cesare Martignon	...	Barber (uncredited)
Francesco Maselli	...	Bongioanni, Science Teacher (uncredited)
Lino Patruno	...	Bobo (uncredited)
Fredo Pistoni	...	Colonia (uncredited)
Eros Ramazzotti	...	Boy playing with snow (uncredited)
Faustone Signoretti	...	Il vetturino Madonna (uncredited)
Mario Silvestri	...	Italian Teacher (uncredited)
Fides Stagni	...	Art Teacher (uncredited)

Directed by
Federico Fellini

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Federico Fellini		writer
Tonino Guerra		screenplay
Tonino Guerra		story

Produced by
Franco Cristaldi	....	producer

Original Music by
Nino Rota

Cinematography by
Giuseppe Rotunno

Film Editing by
Ruggero Mastroianni

Production Design by
Danilo Donati

Art Direction by
Giorgio Giovannini

Costume Design by
Danilo Donati

Makeup Department
Rino Carboni	....	key makeup artist
Amalia Paoletti	....	key hair stylist

Production Management
Alessandro Gori	....	production supervisor
Lamberto Pippia	....	production manager
Gilberto Scarpellini	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Liliane Betti	....	second assistant director (as Liliana Betti)
Mario Garriba	....	second assistant director
Maurizio Mein	....	first assistant director
Gerald Morin	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Andrea Fantacci	....	set dresser
Massimo Antonello Geleng	....	assistant production designer (as Antonello Geleng)
Italo Tomassi	....	scenic artist

Sound Department
Oscar De Arcangelis	....	sound

Special Effects by
Adriano Pischiutta	....	special effects (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Roberto Aristarco	....	assistant camera
Massimo Di Venanzo	....	assistant camera
Giuseppe Maccari	....	camera operator
Pierluigi Praturlon	....	still photographer (as Pierluigi)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Mario Ambrosino	....	assistant costume designer
Rita Giacchero	....	assistant costumer
Aldo Giuliani	....	assistant costumer

Editorial Department
Adriana Olasio	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Carlo Savina	....	musical director

Other crew
Giuseppe Bruno Bossio	....	production secretary
Enzo Consolini	....	cashier
Jean Paul De La Motte	....	technical co-author
Norma Giacchero	....	script supervisor
Enzo Lucarini	....	cashier
Mario Maldesi	....	dubbing director
Fernando Rossi	....	production secretary
Adriana Asti	....	voice dubbing: Magali Noël (uncredited)
Renato Cortesi	....	voice dubbing (uncredited)
Renato Cortesi	....	voice dubbing: various characters (uncredited)
Solveyg D'Assunta	....	voice dubbing: Maria Antonietta Beluzzi (uncredited)
Corrado Gaipa	....	voice dubbing: Armando Brancia (uncredited)
Oreste Lionello	....	voice dubbing: Ferdinando Villella and Gennaro Ombra (uncredited)
Ave Ninchi	....	voice dubbing: Pupella Maggio (uncredited)
Enzo Robutti	....	voice dubbing: Ciccio Ingrassia (uncredited)
Piero Tiberi	....	voice dubbing: Bruno Zanin (uncredited)
Romolo Valli	....	voice dubbing: Nando Orfei (uncredited)

Production Companies

• F.C. Produzioni
• PECF

Distributors

• New World Pictures (1974) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Warner Bros. (1974) (France) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (Argentina) (video)
• Asociace Ceských Filmových Klubu (ACFK) (Czech Republic) (re-release)
• Criterion Collection, The (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (video)

Other Companies

• Cine Audio Effects  sound effects and foley design
• Farani  costumes
• L.C.P. di Pompei  foot-gear
• Rocchetti e Carboni  wigs
• Sanchini  upholstery
• Studio Longardi  press relations
• Tirelli Costumi  costumes
• Veste RTC  costumes

Also Known As:

Amarcord (France) (USA)
I Remember (International: English title) (literal title)

Runtime:

123 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

Italian | Greek

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Italy:T | Hungary:16 | Netherlands:12 | South Korea:15 (2002) | UK:X (original rating) | Spain:T | Argentina:18 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:12 | Peru:18 | Portugal:17 (original rating) | Portugal:M/12 (DVD rating) | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 (re-rating) (2004) | USA:R | France:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Anzio, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

F.C. Produzioni

Trivia:

The title is the phonetic translation of the words "Mi ricordo" (I remember) as spelled in the dialect of Rimini, the town in which the director Federico Fellini was born, and where the film is set. The correct spelling should be "A m'arcord".

Quotes:

Teo, Titta's Uncle: I want a woman!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Nino Rota: la musique du maestro (2004) (V)

More intelligible and informed comment

I wrote the previous review having just walked to my room after viewing Amarcord. I was ecstatic, and my comments were vague. Now that I have raved, I would now like to show a few of this film's merits.

I had previously thought that Fellini as a filmmaker had died after 8 1/2. His films following that seemed utterly pretentious, as if the director had lost his touch and was trying desperately to figure out what people had liked so much about his films (the exemplary masterpieces being La Strada, Nights of Cabiria, La Dolce Vita, and 8 1/2). I thought that he had decided that it was off-the-wall flamboyancy and densely-layered symbolism that made his films great, and that he was mistaken. I still think this is true for his immediately post-8 1/2 films (Giulietta of the Spirits, Satyricon, and Roma, to be exact). Then, I have now discovered, he made a new discovery.

To be truthful, Amarcord is not much like his pre-Juliette of the Spirits films, his Golden Age. It is, in fact, a lot like the three films of his that I truly dislike, again, Juliette of the Spirits, Satyricon, and Roma. Amarcord, like those films, is quite flamboyant - the colors are orgasmic, as they were in those three bad films, the sex is exaggerated (sort of as if these films all took place in that fantasy world where Guido from 8 1/2 had his harem), and the characters are sort of typical or stereotypical.

So what is different about Amarcord? Well, I think the difference is sincerity. In fact, I would say that Fellini's major trait as a director is not flamboyancy, but sentimentalism. UH-OH! That dreaded word! To call a film "sentimental" is an insult. I do not understand this. In all his best films, Federico Fellini absolutely loves his characters. Often, you will notice that a director loathes the characters of his film, either loathes or just feels cynical and indifferent. This is the trait of such much-ballyhooed films as Pulp Fiction, Fight Club, The Matrix, Lola Rennt, etc. Fellini's characters are his children. A couple of filmmakers have restarted this trend, Paul Thomas Anderson of Boogie Nights and Magnolia fame is the best example. While I think that he is still a maturing filmmaker, he is already a great one. And even towards his most despicible characters he shows love.

Anyway, back to Amarcord, the structure of this film is exquisite. It has no real plot line, which is great. Plot is unnecessary. I would much rather experience a world than a contrived story. Fellini has realized this forever. Even his first film, Variety Lights (it was co-directed, actually) has a lack of plot. The wonderful characters just exist, and you exist along with them. Amarcord's script is revolutionary. How to describe it... Actually, I think of Roma as Fellini's failed attempt to make Amarcord. It is a tourists' guide of sorts to Rome. There, Fellini tried to make a love poem to Rome while also mixing in a decay-of-Europe theme, and it never worked. It felt awfully forced. Amarcord also has one very serious subject: the rise of Fascism in Italy. Many critics have complained about Fellini not criticizing the Fascist Party in this film, but rather treating it kindly, for the most part. In fact, all of the characters whom you fall in love with in the film, except for one man (who we identify, though incorrectly, as Fellini's own father), love and support Mussolini. Some people are absolutely outraged at this prospect, believing that Fellini is doing a great disservice to his country. This is nuts! I think we're lucky he had any of his characters criticize the Fascist party, because, truth be told, the people of the Italian countryside loved the Fascist Party until after the onset of WWII (see Vittorio de Sica's rather pretentious _Two Women_ to see this; he actually creates a very unbelievable character to oppose the Fascists in that film). The same goes for the Nazis in Germany. The fascist parties of Europe helped them out of the Great Depression (and consequently threw them into a horrible war), so it is no wonder they were beloved by their countrymen. To say different is simply revisionist history.

I don't have much more I want to say, although there is plenty left to discuss. This film is a masterpiece. And though it may be sacrilige, this is my favorite Fellini film. 10/10