Amarcord (1973)

Directed by: Federico Fellini | 123 minutes | drama, comedy | Actors: Pupella Maggio, Miranda Biondi, Armando Brancia, Aurelio Biondi, Magali Noël, Ciccio Ingrassia, Nando Orfei, Luigi Rossi, Bruno Zanin, Gianfilippo Carcano, Josiane Tanzilli, Maria Antonietta, Giuseppe Ianigro, Ferruccio Fauro Dimbilla, Antonino Misul, Ferdinando Villella

Federico Fellini’s oeuvre captures the imagination of many, but none of his films have succeeded as well as ‘Amacord’, a hometown in the Fellini circus of only weird ghosts, sexual tensions and an ode to old Italy.

Where in other works by the famous director the leading role is often played by Marcello Mastroianni, there is now no place for this charismatic actor – in fact, there is no leading role for anyone, except perhaps for the fictional village of Borgo where ‘Amarcord’ is located. plays. We are given a tour of the city and see fascism emerge in an otherwise almost narrative-free story that effortlessly switches between admirers of the architecture breaking the fourth wall and school life as Fellini would have experienced it herself. Comparisons arise with moments from the oeuvres of Terrence Malick or David Lynch, although this work from 1973 is even more refined, and above all a lot more accessible.

‘Amarcord’ – which means ‘I remember’ in an Italian dialect – brought Fellini the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and nominations for direction and screenplay. The film became worldwide – rightly so! – praised, and after ‘8½’ and ‘La Dolce Vita’ it was absolute proof that the Italian filmmaker can be counted among the best of all time.

Because above all, ‘Amacord’ breathes atmosphere. The atmosphere of an Italian town struggling with change at a time when facsism was at its peak in the 1930s, Fellini gives us a portrait like few directors could or have done; effortlessly switching between the many characters, but they all carry with them a piece of the soul of Italy, and are thus compatible in a whole. With great dialogues full of humor and references to the greats according to Fellini, this is a magnificent work of cinema; one of the best, if not the best, movies ever made. World cinema in its most accessible form. ‘Amarcord’ shows us possibilities in the smallest imaginable plane, and thus becomes bigger than all those made around it.