E la nave Va (And the Ship Sails On) (1983)

89% of critics liked it
(9 reviews)
80% of users liked it
(2,747 ratings)

This evocative look at a 1914 ocean voyage to scatter the ashes of a world-famous opera singer (Janet Suzman) is by turns charming, funny, and bizarre. Among the ship's passengers are aristocrats, politicians, singers, and a rhinoceros. Their episodic interactions form the core of the film, with… More This evocative look at a 1914 ocean voyage to scatter the ashes of a world-famous opera singer (Janet Suzman) is by turns charming, funny, and bizarre. Among the ship's passengers are aristocrats, politicians, singers, and a rhinoceros. Their episodic interactions form the core of the film, with complications (including a group of refugee Serbs boarding the vessel) carefully orchestrated by screenwriters Federico Fellini and Tonino Guerra to highlight the decay of European society prior to World War I. The ship sails on an artificial ocean against an artificial sky, crafted by art director Dante Ferretti in the studios of Cinecitta, with a result that is both disconcerting and oddly comforting. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG, 2 hr. 12 min.
Directed By: Federico Fellini, Mike Hodges
Written By: Federico Fellini, Catherine Breillat
Genres: Drama, Art House & International, Comedy

On DVD: Aug 24, 1999

Critic Reviews

Vincent Canby, New York Times
[The film] is to most movies what the Folies-Bergere was to the theater, a celebration of spectacle, even when it exists only for its own sake.
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
Obviously, it isn't the intellectual content that's meant to carry the picture, but even Fellini's elaborate visuals seem timid and uninspired this time around.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
For a movie that revels in its very artificiality, And the Ship Sails On possesses an astonishing emotional resonance in its last scenes.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Veers from the tedious to the fascinating.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
The picture is worth watching, if only for the scenes with the rhino and the lengthy opening sequence, which begins as a scratchy, sepia-toned silent film that gradually but gloriously develops into a colorful sound picture.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
Can be seen as a highly imaginative history lesson of the passing of an era
Dan Jardine, Apollo Guide
A lesser Fellini is still much greater than most of the product presented for our consumption.

Read all 7 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Anthony L

A fantastic character piece by Federico Fellini, could this be one of the most overlooked films of all time? For me, this is definitely one of his funnier films, Freddie Jones steals the show as the quirky, often surreal narrator who goes from character to character as Orlando the… More
A fantastic character piece by Federico Fellini, could this be one of the most overlooked films of all time? For me, this is definitely one of his funnier films, Freddie Jones steals the show as the quirky, often surreal narrator who goes from character to character as Orlando the journalist aboard a ship full of colourful mourners attending the funeral at sea of one of the worlds greatest Opera singers. Even the premise screams brilliant comedy and it certainly doesn't disappoint, the ending being particularly memorable and absolutely brilliant.
Arash X

Better than Intervista but still not that interesting
Ken S

A very interesting film but very uneven, the opening is fantastic though...