——Film Review of Fellini Satyricon
Actually, I am not capable to write the review of Fellini Satyricon, reasons are:
First of All, we have only watched the first half of the film due to its length. Secondly, the film is dubbed in English mixed with a strong Italian accent (or just an imitation?) for me, a terrible English user, I can hardly understand what were they saying.
Even though the narration of the story is fragmented in my eyes, it hurts my subjectivity, but I am pretty sure that the unduplicable uniqueness and greatness of this film already started to sting my nerves.
For me, it is easy to associate the Tang Dynasty to the ancient Rome. Their wise, open-minded people have admiring culture and respectful aesthetic. These ancient people never try to hide their mad pursuit of desire. “Les gens, tout de même!”(People, all the same!) This association calmed me quickly. Fellini well represented that attractive era with the most impossible imagination: carnivalistic backgrounds, wild colours, exciting crowd, bewildering conversations and messy temptations.
As Fellini said himself, it is not a historic documentary, but a scientific imaginary film. It is a film clearly built on a personal fantasy basis. When I was sitting in the leopard print armchair of Odeon, I thought: This man is filming his dream! But meanwhile, I realized that he is not simply filming nonsense and pure illusion. He’s got the frankness of ancient roman people---he didn’t hide what he tries to create. At Contrast, the slightly out of sync soundtrack; the bold, abnormal colour of background; the ambiguous, confusing acts of people… That’s the total of necessary elements of every dream of every ordinary or unordinary people. That’s the reason why I can’t laugh at some scenes the others laugh at, I even feel panic:
I am awake, but I am in a dream. This is a dream of a strange person, but I feel so familiar.
Today, this kind of bold fantasy is rare, because people are caged by common sense. We are not frank enough. This is the public moral of new age. Our body and vision are covered by thick grey urban dust. We can’t touch each other directly. We are safe, but lone. I can clearly remember that some course mates who didn’t want to pick up the handout of this film said: it’s sick! Well, maybe dust is too thick on them?
In conclusion, the biggest impact on me is the boldness and dreaming. I think dreaming, as the contrary of reality(which is confront to “science” nowadays), is near its extinction. For myself, every time when I try to imagine something, it is so frustrating. I am not free anymore.
Fellini’s talent is so enviable.
Dreaming is an ability, but to let others dream with you, is a talent.
