Roma (Fellini's Roma) (1972)

62% of critics liked it
(13 reviews)
81% of users liked it
(5,976 ratings)

Fellini's Roma is a virtually plotless autobiographical tribute to Rome, Italy, featuring narration by Fellini himself and a mixture of real-life footage and fictional set pieces. It flows from episode to episode, beginning with the director's early years arriving in Rome in 1931 during the time of… More Fellini's Roma is a virtually plotless autobiographical tribute to Rome, Italy, featuring narration by Fellini himself and a mixture of real-life footage and fictional set pieces. It flows from episode to episode, beginning with the director's early years arriving in Rome in 1931 during the time of Mussolini. Played by Stefano Mayore as a child, he visits the city with classmates and becomes infatuated. Played by Peter Gonzales at age 18, the young Fellini moves in to a tenement building and explores the wild characters living in neighborhood. The events that follow switch between the past and contemporary times, including a story line that involves a 1970s film crew making a movie about Rome. He also incorporates segments of Roman history and problems in the government, including an improvised speech from Gore Vidal. Throughout this journey there are visits to an outdoor restaurant, a movie theater, a music hall, and a brothel. In one famously surreal segment, groups of clergymen gather together for a Catholic fashion show spectacle. After a visit to a street festival and some on-camera interviews, the film concludes with shots of motorcycles driving by the Colosseum. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 2 hr. 8 min.
Directed By: Federico Fellini
Genres: Drama, Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Oct 15, 1972 Wide
On DVD: Apr 10, 2001

Critic Reviews

Vincent Canby, New York Times
The city that Federico Fellini explores for almost two hours bears little resemblance to the real Rome.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Fellini isn't just giving us a lot of flashy scenes, he's building a narrative that has a city for its protagonist instead of a single character.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
A semi-docu, Fellini's Roma is as much about the eccentric director as it is about this endlessly fascinating city
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
Eternal City fugue
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Roma, a confounding and confused semi-documentary, tried the patience of even the most devoted Fellini fans.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
What Fellini can't give us, is what's not in him--a true sense of the political and the art.
Alex Sandell, Juicy Cerebellum
I'm pretty mixed over this film. It never did much for me, but I've never hated it, either. You either love Fellini, or you hate him. I guess I'm that weird anomaly that doesn't care.
John A. Nesbit, Old School Reviews
Fellini is as firmly associated with Rome as Julius Caesar.

Read all 8 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Anthony L

I think Fellini was quite self-indulgent during this period of his career, not really a problem if you're a fan of his work but those that are unfamiliar with his humour, editing style and love of Italy and its people should probably start with another film and leave this till… More
I think Fellini was quite self-indulgent during this period of his career, not really a problem if you're a fan of his work but those that are unfamiliar with his humour, editing style and love of Italy and its people should probably start with another film and leave this till last. I found it to be one of his funnier films, visually stunning but then also visually disappointing considering the brilliant Satyricon made just a few years previous. I really liked it though, it's a sort of mix between Satyricon and Amarcord and I find the three film compliment each other really well. If Fellini doesn't make you fall in love with Rome then no one will!
El Hombre I

Can become a bit tiresome but cannot be judged from the point of view of plot and acting. It's a personal celebration of what the city of Rome means to the director, with its' history and its' huge variety of wild characters in the neighborhood. One can't deny the… More
Can become a bit tiresome but cannot be judged from the point of view of plot and acting. It's a personal celebration of what the city of Rome means to the director, with its' history and its' huge variety of wild characters in the neighborhood. One can't deny the director's startling visuals. <a href="http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/?action=view&current=roma.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj203/goji9000/roma.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
Tim S

Really fascinating film from Fellini. One day I'll make a movie about the place where I was born: Atlantis!
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic][color=green]"Fellini's Roma" is Federico Fellini's enjoyable tribiute to the city he loved in his own inimicable style. He goes from the present to the past of World War II, while also providing an educational history lesson. Through it all,… More
[font=Century Gothic][color=green]"Fellini's Roma" is Federico Fellini's enjoyable tribiute to the city he loved in his own inimicable style. He goes from the present to the past of World War II, while also providing an educational history lesson. Through it all, Fellini showed that he most enjoyed the company of the common man over the upper classes. The movie encompasses that in a very earthy demeanor.[/color][/font]
Alex F

Surreal and funny (= felinesque), but the cinematography is awful, and that is a very important aspect in Fellini's cinema.
Dimitris S

Fellini's obsessiveness ultimately became his nemesis.Roma is an homage,cameos and fantasies (maybe his dreams and nightmares parading) and a hypnotic altogether atmosphere circulating between past and present.In order to show a prophetic future,Federico embarks on an unsafe… More
Fellini's obsessiveness ultimately became his nemesis.Roma is an homage,cameos and fantasies (maybe his dreams and nightmares parading) and a hypnotic altogether atmosphere circulating between past and present.In order to show a prophetic future,Federico embarks on an unsafe journey of image which is successful despite the many flaws.