Juliet of the Spirits

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Film, Fair Fellini
Review: How can one resist the smile and acting of Giulietta Masina together with the imagination of her husband/director Federico Fellini? If you have never seen this team in action, I suggest you begin with "La Strada," and "Nights of Cabiria" before diving into the more surreal worlds of this film, "8 1/2" or even "La Dolce Vita."
Not lacking in several of the thematic and cinematic Fellini trademarks such as a creepy, confused lead male; the circus; the road/mind trip; the spirituality vs. religion strain; and the huge heart of teeny-weeny Masina, "Juliet Of The Spirits" will set you thinking and reaching for the rewind button on your VCR.
Is this a good first choice for Fellini virgins? I'd say not, as other films (mentioned above) can warm you up to the Fellini style while the pathos is also better presented and sustained elsewhere.
If you'd genuinely like to have your heart broken, see two of the three best films ever acted/presented: "La Strada" and "Nights of Cabiria."

Rating:
Summary: So Disappointed! DVD version
Review: How could they leave out one of the MOST IMPORTANT DVD options?? This DVD is not DUBBED in English!! I have a dubbed VHS copy of this movie from TV. It's wonderful!! 'Black Orpheus','Das Boot", "Seven Beauties", etc. can be heard in their native tongues & English. To bad:-(

Rating:
Summary: good picture quality, terrible sound!
Review: I buy the Criterion's DVD of "Giulietta degli spiriti". Fantastic colors, no cuts, finally a good restoration of this famous movie. But the sound! The sound in this movie it is very important, because it supports many of the "sensations" given by the pictures. The sound was totally not restorad, it was simply cleaned, and it is MONO too... I have an old italian (6 years old) VHS tape of this film, but it is in full stero hi fi and it sounds much better than the DVD. In some parts of the movie, especially where the sound is high, the sound turn to a "noise", obbliging to "turn down" the volume knob. The original italian language seems to come from a telefon unit... Why they did not restore the sound? I dont really understand. Was it so heavy to elaborate stero digital sound? My opinion: fantastic DVD pictures with old 8 tracks sound. Ciao from Southern Switzerland.

Rating:
Summary: Another Swedish opinion!
Review: I just happened to read a review of this DVD written by a Swedish viewer! He strongly adviced people not to buy it because it is cut by ten minutes! Really? Did he see it in a cinema in Italy way back in the sixties at a preview screening? I saw it on a Swedish screen in February of 1966, and it's running time was exactly the same as Image's DVD! (I just checked with a reliable fact file; the length of the print was 3.750 meters.)Maybe Fellini had a first cut that was even longer, but the DVD is a rather good presentation of the way people saw this masterpiece in theatres. Of course, the colors could be stronger in some scenes, and the sound is often a strain on the ears - but how many Italian films from this era have decent soundtracks? So my advice is to buy this DVD without hesitation if you have fond memories of this film. And if you love the art of filmmaking, it's a must have in any collection!

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Transfer...........
Review: I like 'Juliet of the Spirits' every bit as much as 8 1/2 (is this blasphemous?). It is truly a unique experience and one that proves Fellini and Gianni di Venanzo (director of photography) are equally at home shooting in color as they are in black and white.
The film also raises a lot of questions (like every great film). What are the spirits? Did Giulietta create them? Is it her unconcious mind? Is she simply going crazy? When things go wrong in a relationship do we try to slip into the world of imagination in order to make up for a love that isn't real? What is reality in this film?
Anyway, this is really one of the most visually stunning movies you will ever see - especially as criterion has restored it - a must see.

Rating:
Summary: Lovely, witty and colorful
Review: I love Fellini, and this one is definately one of the magical movies of the genious...Enchanting with the colors used, implications of those colors, the embedded passion throughout the movie, its like a realistic fairytale. If you wonder how can THAT be, you better watch the film and see it for yourself.

Rating:
Summary: wonderful in any format
Review: i really love this film (it's pointless to argue whether or not it's fellini's best), and it's a nice complement to the recently rereleased "8 1/2": in that film an alienated male protagonist discovers his deep connection to other people, while in "juliet" a housebound female discovers her uniqueness, and separateness from other people. masina is splendid in the title role, attractive yet mousy, yielding yet strong, and she captures the stages of disillusionment, denial, pain, wandering and final clarity with incredible directness. her final liberation, as she walks alone out of her prim garden and into a stately mysterious forest, is a beautiful affirmation. this is also a film where fellini's elliptical, dreamlike techniques work extremely well to increase rather than diffuse the mood of tension and pain. the ample sandra milo is amusingly sexy as the free spirited neighbor, and some of the cut footage mentioned by other viewers include her "over the top" costume scenes. i hope the new theatrical release restores the original version (which i saw as a teenager in the late '60s), as this often precedes an authoritative dvd release. but despite the cuts and the annoying white on white subtitles, this is a film to treasure in any format you can find it.

Rating:
Summary: wonderful in any format
Review: i really love this film (it's pointless to argue whether or not it's fellini's best), and it's a nice complement to the recently rereleased "8 1/2": in that film an alienated male protagonist discovers his deep connection to other people, while in "juliet" a housebound female discovers her uniqueness, and separateness from other people. masina is splendid in the title role, attractive yet mousy, yielding yet strong, and she captures the stages of disillusionment, denial, pain, wandering and final clarity with incredible directness. her final liberation, as she walks alone out of her prim garden and into a stately mysterious forest, is a beautiful affirmation. this is also a film where fellini's elliptical, dreamlike techniques work extremely well to increase rather than diffuse the mood of tension and pain. the ample sandra milo is amusingly sexy as the free spirited neighbor, and some of the cut footage mentioned by other viewers include her "over the top" costume scenes. i hope the new theatrical release restores the original version (which i saw as a teenager in the late '60s), as this often precedes an authoritative dvd release. but despite the cuts and the annoying white on white subtitles, this is a film to treasure in any format you can find it.

Rating:
Summary: Cinematographic Depiction of Marriage and Infidelity
Review: I saw this movie on the Sundance Channel and thought of it as fascinating as Guilietta goes through these hallucinating fantasies of what to do when she learns of her husband's affair with a model. The cinematography of the movie leads the viewer as to what is happening when a wife discovers her husband's infidelity. She goes back into her childhood detailing accounts of her grandfather's affair with a dancer and how it affected the family and the community. Guilietta visits an eccentric and flamboyant neighbor and is drawn and fascinated by the way she lives but realizes that this isn't her kind of lifestyle. She does go to the model's apartment to confront the woman but doesn't find her there but does have a telephone conversation with her. Guilietta must decide whether to stay married to a man who neglects her or live a life of her own.
I never knew about Federico Fellini until I heard of his death nine years ago. I recently seen a movie he directed where his wife played a prostitute looking for love. He has a unique style of directing movies to express emotions of is characters and what is happening around them. His movies are a treasured classic among viewers around the world.

Rating:
Summary: One of Fellini's best films
Review: I started watching Fellini films as a young teen, seeing the older ones in the revival theatres, and eagerly anticipating his newest films. Juliet of the Spirits is truly my favorite Fellini film. The camera visuals and color are stunning. The wide screen format is imperative. I only wish that Criterion had also added the (bad) English language soundtrack. It's better for first time viewers. Some of Fellini's imagery is easily missed by reading too many subtitles.