Amarcord Movie Review

Amarcord [I Remember] (1973)

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Written by: Federico Fellini & Tonino Guerra (story), Federico Fellini & Tonino Guerra (screenplay)
Directed by: Federico Fellini
Starring: Bruno Zanin, Magali Noël, Pupella Maggio, Armando Brancia
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
A series of comedic and nostalgic vignettes set in a 1930s Italian coastal town.

Verdict
If you like film history and want to see one of the great directors, this is something to see. I understand why it's well regarded, but I don't have the nostalgia for it as it's a bit before my time. It does capture a community, it's inhabitants, and growing up quite timelessly. It seems, certainly lately, that top tier directors want to create a movie inspired by their childhood. This captures that aspect very well, thought it's a film history class type movie.
It depends.

Review
Fellini's movie is a nod to his childhood as he depicts 1930s Italy. This opens with the town gathering in the square to ritually 'burn the witch' as a symbol to welcome spring. This builds the town through its inhabitants and moments between them.

This movie feels a lot like looking back at your hometown and childhood, sharing the stories you heard about people in town and experienced growing up. It makes sense that this movie comes later in his career. There's a sense of community, but nearly every scene is a struggle of sorts; a struggle with authority, a struggle to survive, or a struggle of wills.

It does require you to dig up some backstory to understand the world implications when fascists following Mussolini come into town and create havoc. Mussolini was an infamous Italian dictator that allied with Hitler, ruling over Italy for twenty years.

I don't have the nostalgia for this movie as it's well before my time, but I understand why it's well regarded. It captures a time period effortlessly, creating a sense of unity with the people depicted. It's a film class movie to study how Fellini generates these feelings while creating a great looking movie.