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"I am examining ancient Rome as if this were a documentary about the customs and habits of the Martians."
-- Federico Fellini in an Interview, 1969
"Federico Fellini describes his "Fellini Satyricon" as a science-fiction film, but one in which we journey to the past rather than to the future. Directors are notoriously unreliable as sources of opinions about their own movies, but in this case I think Fellini is dead right.
His film is a fantastical journey to a pre-Christian Rome that resembles no civilization that ever was, in heaven or on Earth. And it is a masterpiece. Some will say it is a bloody, depraved, disgusting film; indeed, people by the dozens were escaping from the sneak preview I attended. But "Fellini Satyricon" is a masterpiece all the same, and films that dare everything cannot please everybody." Roger Ebert
From Roger Ebert's illuminating review
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/fellini-satyricon-2001
The film follows the adventures of Encolpius, a young poet, and his companions, Ascyltus and Gitone, as they navigate the bizarre underbelly of Roman society. They encounter everything from orgies and feasts to gladiatorial battles and mythological creatures. The film is visually stunning, with Fellini creating a world that is both beautiful and unsettling. His use of costumes, sets, and special effects . Released in 1969, it's a loose adaptation of the Roman satire of the same name by Petronius, set in the decadent days of Emperor Nero. Fellini's take on the story is anything but conventional. It's a surreal, episodic journey through a world of hedonism, grotesquerie, and mythical encounters, all filtered through the maestro's unique and fantastical
Here are some of the things that I find most interesting about Fellini Satyricon:
The film's visual style: Fellini's use of color, lighting, and composition is truly masterful. He creates a world that is both dreamlike and nightmarish, and it's impossible to take your eyes off the screen.
The film's humor: Satyricon is a very funny film, even though it deals with some dark subject matter. Fellini's use of slapstick and satire is always on point, and he has a knack for finding the humor in the most unexpected places.
The film's meaning: Satyricon is a film that is open to interpretation. There is no one right way to understand it. But I think it's a film that is about the human condition, about our search for meaning and pleasure in a world that is often chaotic and absurd.
I suppose the capacity to find humour in the strangest and most challenging situations is an essential life skill. I've only seen a couple of Fellini's films and not this one, but I can understand the appeal!
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