Movie Natters: September 20, 2007 Archive

Forgive me Federico

Posted at 5:35 PM on September 20, 2007 by Euan Kerr

An admission of a guilty pleasure: I have a copy of Federico Fellini's "Amarcord" at home at present. It's the movie based on memories ('amacord') of his youth.

While there is a narrative line of sorts in the film, it's basically a string of delightful episodes involving the people from around a small Italian town just before Mussolini took power in the 1930s. We meet academics and prostitutes, teachers and drag racers, there's even a smoke-shrouded visit by Il Duce himself.

The movie is two hours long and should probably be enjoyed at one sitting. Yet I have taken great pleasure at just sipping it, a few scenes at a time over the last week. I have half an hour left: can I make it last another couple of nights?