Amarcord (1974)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Tim S

  
  I admit I've never been a huge Fellini fan, but I found Amarcord to be quite engaging. If anything, it's a portrait of humanity at its most interesting. The movie is funny, strange and surreal, but all at the same time being grounded in the reality of the story. The only… More
  I admit I've never been a huge Fellini fan, but I found Amarcord to be quite engaging. If anything, it's a portrait of humanity at its most interesting. The movie is funny, strange and surreal, but all at the same time being grounded in the reality of the story. The only minor problem that I had with it is its leisurely pace during portions of the film when you just want to move on to the next adventure. I may be alone in that, but I felt it watching it. Otherwise, the film is a wonderful look at growing up in Italy through the eyes of Frederico Fellini.

• Jan Marc M

  
  An unorthodox semi-autobiography of director Federico Fellini, 1930's Italy, Amarcord is a vivid and ill-tempered mock of the personal youth of the director-author enriched by adolescent desires and social-political subtexts. Bellissima!

• Reid V

  
  As you watch the film, you can tell you are on an incredibly personal journey. Fellini displays the delinquency of youth put against the backdrop of a land with such rich history. All within the context of Fascist rule in Italy. I didn't know Fellini had such a great sense of… More
  As you watch the film, you can tell you are on an incredibly personal journey. Fellini displays the delinquency of youth put against the backdrop of a land with such rich history. All within the context of Fascist rule in Italy. I didn't know Fellini had such a great sense of humor.

• Jim H

  
  Dear Federico Fellini: I just watched <i>Amarcord</i>, and I'm left wondering: if this was what your youth was like, why am I not more famous? After all, most of the film is spent on the "you" character chasing tail, getting into trouble, listening to… More
  Dear Federico Fellini: I just watched <i>Amarcord</i>, and I'm left wondering: if this was what your youth was like, why am I not more famous? After all, most of the film is spent on the "you" character chasing tail, getting into trouble, listening to "your" parents yell, pissing on the classroom floor, and not really doing much of anything. Your youth was more wasted than Lindsay Lohan on New Years. I understand that this film is a love letter to the town more than a chronicle of your youth, but once you put this film out there for the public, aren't you supposed to elevate the particular to the universal? What I really want to know is why does everybody like you? I mean Woody Allen thinks you're amazing; Roger Ebert would let you skull fuck him. But I've watched two of your critically acclaimed films - movies that <i>everybody</i> said were good - and I still can't understand the attraction. What is it about you that people like so much? I'm genuinely curious. I read other reviews of <i>Amarcord</i>, and they said it was a comedy. I was shocked. The guy in the tree screaming "I want a woman" was funny? The fart jokes were material for a film auteur? I'm confused, man. In the end, what I really want is this: I know you're dead and all that, but if you could make a re-appearance and explain the attraction, I would really appreciate it. Or - and this would make me <i>really</i> happy - could you possibly tell us that your entire canon was a massive practical joke? Basically state that you were drunk most of the time and just threw shit at the wall - wrote the dialogue on the way to the set - and that you were as surprised as anyone when you got awards. I know your busy in the afterlife taking a harp lesson or fucking Marilyn Monroe, but I'm feeling like I'm missing out on something when I watch your movies, and I really want to know what it is. Thanks, Jim

• Anthony L

  
  Many would suggest that Amarcord is now a little dated, maybe it is but what a time. This film is hilarious and riddled with classic funny scenes that you've just got to love. Fellini's childhood, warts and all, are remembered here, all fondly, no matter what regret or want… More
  Many would suggest that Amarcord is now a little dated, maybe it is but what a time. This film is hilarious and riddled with classic funny scenes that you've just got to love. Fellini's childhood, warts and all, are remembered here, all fondly, no matter what regret or want to forget exist. It is a magical window into the life of a colourful village set in the 1930's, with all walks of life, emotion and personal issues covered. The scenes on Fascism are piratically poignant and all though it can seem a little 'Carry on' at times, there is nothing I can say I dislike about it, quite the opposite in fact.

• Ross C

  
  Seminal comedy of 30s life in a small Italian town. As a Brit the caricatures remind me of the "Carry On" series, "Carry on Mussolini" perhaps, but I can see why the Mediterranean types like it so much. "Voglio una donnaaaa!"

• Pierluigi P

  
  Fellini re visits his home town and the peculiar people living there. a magical and hilarious stay, an everlasting "festa per la dolce vita"

• Christopher M

  
  Everything I have seen by Federico Fellini thus far I have found immensely enjoyable - and this is no different. Amarcord is apparently a mosaic of Fellini's childhood in the Italian town of Rimini during the 1930's (during Italian Fascism, which plays a role in the film) -… More
  Everything I have seen by Federico Fellini thus far I have found immensely enjoyable - and this is no different. Amarcord is apparently a mosaic of Fellini's childhood in the Italian town of Rimini during the 1930's (during Italian Fascism, which plays a role in the film) - it doesn't really have a plot, it's just a series of events in a very vibrant and rich Italian town, as we take a look at the various families and characters that inhabit it, and it really is wonderful. Fellini's mastery in direction and storytelling is in full force here, the film appears utterly authentic and contains a lot of great light hearted humour I've come to expect in his films. I really loved the technique he used of ending each scene in an incomplete rather than complete fade (the screen doesn't fully fade to black before the next scene), which also gives it a cool, episodic feel. Beautifully nostalgic, and full of many truly amazing shots that are nearly unforgettable. While it's true that perhaps this film in scope is rather limited, and doesn't propose to raise itself towards some ultimate theme, as it is obviously a very personal work on Fellini's part - I still found it to be totally endearing, and pretty much on par with the rest of what I've seen from this legendary filmmaker. I think this film would be a good introduction to Fellini somehow, as it's definitely an accessible film, so if you don't know his work and want to, check this out. Do it either way, it's a great piece of work.

• Lanning :

  
  Fellini, more than many filmmakers, takes the idea of "moving pictures" to heart when he shoots his projects. The idea of the photo album put on film is no more prominent in any of his work that I've seen than it is in <i>Amarcord.</i> It is as if a… More
  Fellini, more than many filmmakers, takes the idea of "moving pictures" to heart when he shoots his projects. The idea of the photo album put on film is no more prominent in any of his work that I've seen than it is in <i>Amarcord.</i> It is as if a family photo album has been recovered after a long rest in some darkly obscure attic trunk. Brought to light after many years, it is lovingly updated for present viewing. <p> Fellini is a collector. He is an especially avid collector of faces. There are still the grotesques and the carnival atmosphere runs through the background, but all of his photo mementos, despite their warts, are warmly portrayed. His mind, like that photo album -- or perhaps a scrapbook -- recalls and weaves together reality and fantasy, memory and dream, and it is this kind of episodically flashing eclecticism and fluid portrayal that gives his best known works a kind of surreal quality of still photographs come to life.

• Michael S

  
  Fellini's Best!

• Chris B

  
  Federico Fellini's Amarcord is a deeply personal film that captures lots on Fellini's personal childhood memories while creating a population of characters each with their place in society. The film is a look into a seaside villages residents and settings, making for a… More
  Federico Fellini's Amarcord is a deeply personal film that captures lots on Fellini's personal childhood memories while creating a population of characters each with their place in society. The film is a look into a seaside villages residents and settings, making for a sentimental and personal experience for the viewer. We feel as if we are there having a tour of the village but also we are allowed into the homes and more personal aspects of the characters as well. The directing is superb and really captures the essence and traditions of the people and place with artistic beauty. The vast array of characters are portrayed with passion and perfection by the actors and are fundamentally believable. A good portion of the film is viewed by children and has their point of view which adds a coming of age element that is also transposed onto the adults as well. A surreal blend of comedy, drama, and arthouse that is a pure perspective of Italy, both the land and country but most importantly the people.

• Mike T

  
  Watching any film, I bring both my knowledge and limitations with me. I would hate to sound presumptuous enough to call Fellini's Amarcord a bad film; but I would also hate to be pretentious enough to fake a positive response when I didn't have one. I have to be honest... I… More
  Watching any film, I bring both my knowledge and limitations with me. I would hate to sound presumptuous enough to call Fellini's Amarcord a bad film; but I would also hate to be pretentious enough to fake a positive response when I didn't have one. I have to be honest... I didn't understand what Fellini was getting at here. Perhaps there is some sociopolitical message that is beyond me, or maybe there are metaphors too complex for me to understand. I'm willing to acknowledge that as a distinct possibility, but it doesn't change what I got from the film. In terms of its comic elements, Amarcord resorts constantly to humour involving bodily functions and slapstick violence. The picture is so comedy-laden that I found little else to focus on, and at a runtime of two hours it feels closer to four hours. I respect its formal originality and technical mastery, but for me it is an exhausting and uninvolving experience. Maybe I'll re-watch it in a few years and kick myself for this reaction. Who knows?

• Anthony V

  
  Memories from a small town in Italy, more than a few having to do with sex and mortality. Moments of humor, sadness and perversion. Well directed with a likable cast. Great cinematography.

• James B

  
  A delightful look into Fellini's youth. Amarcord (I Remember) takes place in a small Italian village, not unlike the one Fellini probably grew up in. Nino Rota's score is still stuck in my head! A movie that's sure to grow on me the more times I watch it!

• Stefan P

  
  Not really my type of movie. I enjoyed a few scenes though, some because they were so bizarre and funny, others for the amazing environments, inspiring dialogs and great acting.

Read all 15 featured audience ratings