Customer Reviews

Federico Fellini's Amarcord (Original Theatrical Release) [Import, All-region] (Dvd)

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4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Most of you looking at this page know about this great film so I am just going to comment on this specific dvd release from Cine Korea. Just as the Criterion release is NOT Anamorphic widescreen, neither is this version contrary to what the description says. That being said, the transfer is almost identical to the original Criterion release, but the new Criterion transfer is much better. If you really love the film, spend a couple extra bucks on the new Criterion re-release.

Director Federico Fellini was undoubtedly a film maker genius!
Since his earlier works "La Strada" (1954) and "La Dolce Vita" (1960) thru "Fellini Satyricon" (1969) and "Amarcord" (1973) till his lasts "Ginger and Fred" (1986) and "The Voice of the Moon" (1990) he has left a legacy treasure for film lovers and film makers.
Most of his films combine fantasy and reality in a rich mixture with no fixed boundaries. He displays his own personal conflicts & ideas in regard of religious belief; sex and love; youngsters' education; political and religious power; richness and poverty; all this themes and more are shown with a visceral approach.
The viewer will be attracted and repelled alternatively and at the end of each of his movies will go out of the theater (or the bed room or living-room) knowing that he/she has assisted to the show of a unique piece of art.

"Amarcord" shows reminiscences of life as it was in `30s Italy. The story encompass one year in the life of young Titta and his family. It is a coming of age tale where sex and infatuation play a major role. It also shows how confusing to a young mind are some social messages. Mussolini appears in a fantasy scene adorned with all the attributes of a demigod and in the next scene reality explodes in the form of a band of fascist thugs harassing Titta's relatives.

The cinematography in charge of Giuseppe Rotunno is a major contribution to the film's excellence. This is not a coincidence; Rotunno has been awarded with the Silver Ribbon 7 times by the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists between 1960 and 1988. Amongst his best efforts, we may mention "On the Beach" (1959), "Il Gattopardo" (The Leopard 1963) and "All That Jazz" (1979).

Music score in charge of Nino Rota is another high point of the feature.
"Amarcord" collected numerous awards including Foreign Film Oscar.
A marvelous film to see! Just a last warning some scenes may be inconvenient for young audiences.
Reviewed by Max Yofre.

Fellini's Amarcord is one of those films that exist outside of many of the stereotypes of modern film-making. The director's representation of his own provincial youth is touching and melancholic, not unlike the impeccable score composed by Nino Rota for this film.
Each character takes on the epic and iconic dimensions well known of small-town living, where every crush becomes an obsession and every story becomes a legend.
Fellini achieves a spectacular feat of film-making in captivating the viewer even without a plot. This film is really to be considered as a series of "tableux" of rural Italy in the late 30's.
A gem of art-house film-making.

I love Amarcord, for reasons given by other reviewers, but this particular Korean edition is terrible. I have seen the movie twice before, and many of the scenes that were most memorable have been edited out or shortened! How could they do this! Most of the scenes that were imprinted in my memory most vividly are missing! Even the wonderful end, with the camera moving slowly away from the last scene, was cut. This is a cinematic crime! Also, my copy did not have Italian dialogue as advertised, but only English with English subtitles. The subtitles were not the same as the English dialogue--they were awful! Don't buy this Korean fake!!!

I think the people who don't like my review of this movie are the ones selling this video! Like an early 80's film that "dared to be sexual," the movie is childish, and dumb. I can't believe they found a critic who liked it. I buy and watch a lot of foreign films, but I threw this one away. If you're spending your precious dollars on your movie collection, buy something else!