| Martin Potter, Hiram Keller, Max Born,
Salvo Randone, Mario Romagnoli Trippy is as trippy does, even
when you're talking about a movie set in ancient Rome. This 1969
Fellini opus was among the most visually arresting entries in a
year when the psychedelic experience was trying to claw its way
into every movie coming down the pike. But Fellini, in telling a
negligible story about two young men tasting the various pleasures
of Nero's hedonistic and priapic reign, aimed for images that jarred
as well as seduced. He found humor in freakishness, contrasting
beauty and ugliness while effortlessly passing judgment on the emptiness
of a life devoted to sensation and personal freedom. More of a fever
dream than a linear story, Fellini Satyricon crystallized the director's
reputation as a visionary--but may have trapped him into spending
the rest of his career (with the exception of Amarcord) trying to
top himself in reaching new levels of outrageousness. |