Amarcord [M]

A proud woman in red draws leers and attention from the men and the boys, and relishes in it. A busty tobacconist sparks sexual fantasies in every adolescent boy. On a family outing, a mentally challenged uncle climbs up a tree and moans to the world “I want a woman.” To celebrate the coming of Spring, a great bonfire is lit in the street. The boys torment their teachers in class by pissing on the floor. All these happenings have but one thing in common…they are memories. 

The copy that I rented was unfortunately dubbed over in English, which added a certain silly and comic element, as the dubbing wasn’t entirely in sync with the actors. However, I still was able to look past this and appreciate the simplicity and beauty of Amarcord (“I remember”). 

Federico Fellini’s cinematic memoir proves to have that similar standing and nostalgia element that was predominant in Cinema Paradiso, the reflection and indeed the personal feelings associated with such reflection are as equally felt by the audience as though they were watching a home movie. 

A proud woman in red draws leers and attention from the men and the boys, and relishes in it. A busty tobacconist sparks sexual fantasies in every adolescent boy. On a family outing, a mentally challenged uncle climbs up a tree and moans to the world “I want a woman.” To celebrate the coming of Spring, a great bonfire is lit in the street. The boys torment their teachers in class by pissing on the floor. All these happenings have but one thing in common…they are memories. 

I have to admit that it took me a while to get into the swing of this movie because there is no central character, there are many. Indeed the film centres on an entire community and, although the adolescent boy Titta is the ‘protagonist’, the story is not about him and does not always feature him. Amarcord is rather like a photo album: the separate pictures or scenes depicting certain memories are jaggedly thrown onto a page or into a frame together, with only a fade to black moment to indicate that something new and different is about to happen. It is pointless to try and piece the scenes together to find meaning and plot shape, there is no plot shape: it is one long bout of anecdotes and memories that are not meant to be pieced together to form anything. 

Despite the time it takes to become accustomed to the jagged procession of scenes and anecdotes, there is a sensual and raw beauty that flows all throughout the film. We see all sorts of raw beauty in this movie from women to snow to fire to a peacock and there are delightful segments that escalate from comic to dramatic to melancholic. The radical speed at which this film flows is something to be admired, more so when you consider that it runs for duration of 2 hours without any Hollywood action or considerable plotlines and you barely notice the time. 

Starring Pupella Maggio, Armando Brancia, Ciccio Ingrassia, Nando Orfei, Bruno Zanin, Maria Antonietta Beluzzi, and Giuseppe Ianigro, Amarcord is a lovely little film, but a the same time it is an acquired taste. I saw the beauty in it, but I don’t think that I could watch it again. Filled with sex, romance, drama, Fascism, comedy, and set against a 1930s Italian seacoast community backdrop, there is much to see and appreciate in it.