Fellini Satyricon

Fellini Satyricon (1969)

Directed by Federico Fellini

Fellini Satyricon hardly bears any semblance to the mores of film. What we witness is an experience, rather than a traditional narrative, which leaves its viewers, including this one, exclaiming on more than one occasion, "What the hell?"

The film presents a series of episodes in which we follow the young man, Encolpio (Martin Potter), and his journey through a depraved, fictional world that is dominated by the Roman Empire. Encolopio first rescues his insipid, though prettily androgynous, lover named Gitone (Max Born), a boy who looks like he is fifteen-years-old, from the slave trade only to have the boy run away with his best friend, Ascilto (Hiriam Keller).

The film is purely subjective as we view the world from the disillusioned perspective of Encolopio, which paints the land as a terrifying place that is rotten at its core. We witness many scantily-clad men, many terrifying-looking freaks, and many blood-thirsty Roman aristocrats, all of whom inhabit a visually engrossing world, courtesy of the excellent cinematography, Fellini's wonderful use of colors, and the beautifully grotesque set design. The movie has been described, to my recollection, as a science-fiction film; this argument would not be far-fetched. The film, in addition to its other bizarre elements, is filled with disconcerting, contrapuntal sounds - characters maniacally laugh while a hand is being chopped off and a common musical motif involves strange-sounding synthesizers that are mixed over the tranquil melody of flutes.

Unfortunately, Fellini's episodic approach does not provide much perspective on Encolopio or on the other characters. Fellini merely uses Encolopio as a plot device that allows him to show us, to an obsessive and incessant extent, the widespread depravity of this society. The terrible incidents that we witness fail to lend much more than a cursory insight into this theme of societal depravity, which is especially disappointing given the film's long running time. In the end, the film is, at once, amazing and frustrating; it is a fascinating experience that can best be described as "beautifully grotesque."

Rating: 6

First Viewed: 5/17/08
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