Amarcord (The Criterion Collection) [DVD]

Federico Fellini's charming, yet bittersweet nostalgia driven late masterpiece focusing on a year in the lives of the eccentric citizens of the small town where he grew up. The title is itself is the regional dialect of "I Remember", but these hilariously vulgar and entertaining vignettes are more than the memories of an annus mirabilis told through the incredible filter of Fellini's genius. The film also serves as a capstone on Fellini's ruminations on youth, women, his entire career and art itself. Like many of his films, under the gloss and jovial atmosphere there is a great deal of subtext. The dark fog of fascism, the disintegration of small town society and it's institutions, the dysfunction of family life, patriarchy, and the various role of women and femininity are among the themes explored in a subtle and non-pretentious way. In fact the one pedantic character in the film is memorably mocked. Other memorable scenes include the wonderful bonfire of the winter witch sequence, uncle's day out, the ocean liner, the grand hotel, the tobacconist, and my favourite snowball fight in cinema. An Oscar winner, beaming with great cinematography and a beautiful score by the great Nino Rota. Criterion's Blu Ray is superb. An excellent restoration of the film, a completely informative and scholarly audio commentary, interviews, and a nice thick booklet in a slip-sleeve case. Highly recommended to fans of Italian film, especially reminiscent of Fellini's Roma, and I vitelloni.

Fabulous film of Fellini's peak. An absolute riot of characters color and sound and music . I waited a very very long time to get a good copy of this film. I think this is one of the very finest films ever shot And one of the finest restorations I have ever seen! It is absolutely breathtaking on so many levels. If you think it's expensive you're dead wrong. I have searched hi and lo for copies of this and 8 1/2 Fellini film, finally got 8 1/2 recently used in DVD in Austin and it was $19 . It was such a hot item the clerks had to remove the discs from the jacket . So when I told them the film discs were missing they produced them. Fellini is great great great and Armacord is the best I have seen maybe but there is 8 1/2 which is simply an enduring super classic in b& w. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to write this blu ray review-- finally got a masterfully crafted restoration in state of the art format in this 1973 hard to find film.

Amarcord is an oddball film. It does not have a specific plot or story and there is not a main character with a purpose. Instead, we are introduced to an array of unique individuals each one with its own plots and conflicts. Amarcord follows the life of this town and the characters that populates it. Although there is no story "per se", the movie is very engaging and you'll never feel bored. One of the film merits is that fills the screen with unforgettable characters such as Gradisca, Titta, his parents, the priest, the narrator and more. Also the score by Nino Rota is amazing and enhances the whole experience. Unlike other films by Fellini, Amarcord is pure fun without much subcontext or political themes, the characters just live there, watch each other, tease each other, fight, laugh, etc. Many have said that this film is a biographical one but although it does contain elements that undoubtedly belong to Fellini's life, this film is a creation of his own with dream like sequences, surrealistic scenes and character exaggeration. Amarcord may not be Fellini's finest film but it surely his most delightful one and a true classic in its own right. Video & Audio Amarcord comes to BD courtesy of Criterion and, as expected, the results are spectacular. The transfer is very strong with superb detail, well reproduced colors and a well preserved grain layer that gives the film a natural look. Sometimes some mild noise creeps in the screen but it's nothing of serious concern. A fantastic transfer. The uncompressed monoaural soundtrack is also superb with astounding clarity and no signs of damage. Bonus Features Amarcord comes with a healthy collection of bonus material that are very interesting to watch: First you have a very informative documentary with professors Peter Brunette and Frank Burke, they analize key scenes in the movie and deconstruct the characters in the film. You should hear it alongside the film. "Fellini's Homecoming" is a great documentary dealing with the complicated relationship between Fellini and his hometown Rimini in which the film is partially based. Then you have an interesting interview with actress Magali Noel (Gradisca) in which she talks about her relationship with Fellini. "Fellini's Drawings" are a collection of sketches that Fellini did during the production on Amarcord. "Felliana" is a collection of publicity material for the film. "Gideon Bachmann Interviews" are a series of interviews that Bachmann conducted with Fellini and his friends and family members. You also have a deleted scene, the trailer, an optional English language for the film and a restoration demonstration. A 64 page booklet is also included which features an essay by San Rohdie "Federico of the Spirits" as well as a collection of remiscences by Fellini called "My Rimini". Closing Thoughts Amarcord is one of the many Fellini masterpieces and it's a must own film. It may not be a very complex film but is pure good quality entertainment. Is a must see for everyone. This Criterion BD features superb picture and sound and a lot of bonus features. This BD is Very Highly Recommended!!

if you are a felini fan and do not have this criterion edition of 'amacord', go get it. such amazing packaging, full insert...a mini biography of the filmmaker! just gorgeous. and of course for all those w/italian heritage that goes back to...sicily or napaliano circa the 50's, it is a valentine...as seen through the exaggerated lens and florid style of fellini. an excellent film and robust experience if you ask me and azon did so there it is.

Okay, I'll admit right off that I am not a Fellini fanatic. I haven't watched his work in the past with a critical eye, nor have I made a study of his habits, tendencies, world-view, etc. So I watched AMARCORD with essentially fresh eyes, knowing only that it was considered enough of a world classic to be presented on Bluray by Criterion. I'm not sure I understand why it's a classic. But it certainly was enjoyable. Full of unbridled energy, unconcerned with narrative coherence and clearly dedicated to celebrating naughty fun, AMARCORD is a visual feast. Allegedly, Fellini said "Amarcord" means "I remember"...but it does not. Much like the film feels very much like a recollection a childhood gone by...but clearly is NOT realistic. It is set in an Italian coastal village during the early fascist era (before WWII). We basically follow one year in the life of this little town. The camera focuses primarily on one extended family, but also visits with several other characters. I hesitate to use the word "character" since what most of the citizens of this town are is "caricatures." Each actor is a visual extreme. Whether the irate father who yells far more than is realistic (and has a HUGE mole on his bald head), or the garishly dressed town trollop...no one in the film rings quite true. The best I can describe it is: imagine a full grown man remembering the town of his youth, but using the world-view and libido of a teen aged boy who is simply dying to lose his virginity. AMARCORD is full of fart jokes, crude sex jokes, and has a teen's fixation on large breasts and general mischief. Apparently, this village was just a swirling mass of horny people! This is not to say that Fellini has made an art house AMERICAN PIE...the movie is too cunning to be dismissed so simply. It is so evocative of a "simpler" time...when bonfires were held in the village square to celebrate the arrival of spring, when the whole town puts to sea in rowboats with the hope of spotting a giant cruise ship coming by, when the church ran the moral show and when fascism was still mostly harmless pomp & circumstance. We feel the pride of the people in their town and in their country (still less than 100 years old at the time). As we follow the main characters around, we get to know them at small family gatherings, at major occasions, at weddings, at funerals, at school & work. The entire movie is a string of incidents, only held together because we're seeing the same people over and over. It's like we've been invited as guests for the year and our casual wanderings through the village sometimes take us to momentous happenings and other times to trivial scenes. And occasionally, a "professorial" character will ride on his bike into our view and speak directly to us...just as though we were tourists who needed a little perspective. AMARCORD simply does a fabulous job of capturing a time and place, as well as the character of that time & place. It rambles often, but never runs out of steam. It has great forward momentum all the time, and you never know what's going to happen next because it's a series of sketches. Visually, it's quite stunning (and the BluRay is awesome) and it features some great music. The performances are quite unrealistic, but they are all very consistent with the tone Fellini is clearly aiming for. The movie feels utterly loose and random...yet it is clearly under the director's complete control. To me, the "classic" label is a bit puzzling. It's a well-made film, but seems like such a trifle too. I don't really glean a "greater meaning " from it, nor do I find it to make some universal statement. It's too garish and specific for that. I give the film very high marks for achieving its own peculiar aims so well...but can't quite put it into the pantheon of 5-star films either. The Criterion edition is stellar (although the commentary and included essay don't really enlighten as to the meaning of the film...they focus more on Fellini, and how his life compares to the life on the film, and how the film fits his overall body of work). The video is superb and the sound is excellent. Subtitles are a little better than usual (sometimes Criterion has shockingly bad subtitles.)

We watch this every couple of years and are always delighted by it. He combines sentimental reverie with sharp observation to create a unique but absolutely recognizable account of the experience of being human.

This is a classic. I’m not sophisticated enough.

I must have seen this film about a dozen times since its release in the early seventies. For many years La Strada was my favorite, but then Amarcord appeared, with all its exuberance, its humor, its wonderful cast of characters. I think I was as smitten by the glorious La Gradisca, as the boys of the small town near Rimini, where the action is set in the mid 1930's, during the horrible days of the Mussolini regime. Amarcord means " I remember " in the dialect of the Rimini region, and it is in fact the boy Titta who shares with us memories of a particular year , from winter to winter, in his hometown. Unforgettable scenes are the seduction of the tobacconist, the stories of the beggar Biscein who claims to have satisfied the complete harem of a sheik visiting the region, the hilarious scenes in the classroom and intermittently the ominous noises of fascism. This film is sheer pleasure.