Juliet of the Spirits

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.

Rating:
Summary: Status Quoth the Raven Nevermore!
Review: Juliet of the Spirits is perhaps one of the most visually stunning DVD releases I have ever seen. I can only give the highest praise to those at Criterion for this digital transfer. The images are so clear, and the cinematography was so masterfully done that the picture color is what one artist might describe as "crushed jewels".

Kaleidoscopic visuals, lovely Italian women, and stereotyped 1960's pop culture hedonism are prevalent throughout. Considering that this movie was released in 1965, one might argue that this movie inspired the formation of certain facets of free love, flower power American society that would come a few years later, including San Francisco's hippie Haight-Ashbury district. Quite interesting is the living establishment of idealistic youths who dwell together, party, drink, and be merry in a house that is essentially owned and run by a middle-aged dominatrix. A viewer, such as myself, now wonders if this movie, in conjunction with the widespread distrust of U.S. political leaders who were perceived by then-teenagers and twenty-somethings to represent an elderly status quo, somehow fostered the creation of communes that would later be developed all over America in remote areas as portrayed in the 1969 classic Easy Rider.

Throughout the movie, the main character, Juliet, who is an Italian housewife well into her thirties, becomes disillusioned with life when she is strongly suspicious that her husband is carrying on an extramarital affair. In trying to confront her ever-surmounting distrust, Juliet leaves her home to find out if her spouse is cheating on her. Simultaneously, Juliet is also going on a journey of self-discovery through astrology, an androgynous fortune-teller, dabblings with the occult, and acquaintances with multinational, sun-worshipping ladies and gents of the world. The avenues that Juliet enters as the story proceeds from one scene to the next all serve as a conglomerated mix that will help her determine how important her marriage is and whether it is an asset or hindrance to fulfilling her ultimate needs in life.

Juliet of the Spirits, as I have read, was largely panned by critics who were accustomed to Fellini's masterpiece forerunners, including La Dolce Vita and 8 ½. Almost forty years after the fact, a reviewer nowadays may likely have a much deeper appreciation for Fellini's brilliance in this movie. If nothing else, one who has seen this film will have many a strong case to suggest that 1960's Italy was, in a large way, the pop culture engine of the world.


Rating:
Summary: What a Transfer!
Review: Juliet of the Spirits, Fellini's first film in color, is one of his most surreal. Giulietta Masina plays Juliet, a meek bourgeois housewife haunted by various "spirits," each with its own psychological agenda. Ultimately the film is life affirming, presenting a longing but repressed sexuality and its crises with childhood memories and psychic yearnings.

This film is very special to me because it was my first encounter with Fellini's cinema. When I found out Criterion has released it, I had to buy it. The transfer is simply unbelievable! The film's restoration makes it look completely new. This is not the Juliet of the Spirits I watched on VHS.

There is only one extra feature accompanying this DVD--"Familiar Spirits," a 20-minute talk between Fellini and Ian Dallas, the Brit who played the magician/psychic in 8 1/2.

A great film in a great Criterion presentation.

Rating:
Summary: My favorite Fellini's!
Review: My five stars are not for the DVD transfer wich I haven't seen yet but for the importance of this film. I sent a e-mail to the Criterion a few time ago asking if they were by any chance planning to release this title and I was very happy to receive the positive answer.
Though I agree with most people that 8 1/2 is a good work, it is this Fellini film (his first film in color) that I keep mostly carefully in my memory and in my heart. I love this film. Fellini himself once said that this film was very misunderstood by the european audience and was better received in the EUA, for the motive he gave to the psycological matter of the film. Sequences like Juliet daydreams and saving the child in the little room are impressive.
I recommend this title very much for anyone who likes Fellini's movies.

Rating:
Summary: Masterfully surreal
Review: Not as well known as some of Fellini's other films, but certainly one of his most interesting creations.
As this was his first colour film, he must have decided to make that landmark memorable, and so it is - one of the most striking colour schemes you will ever see.
High praise to Criterion for this fantastic transfer to DVD - it is a triumph (unlike their Amarcord which left much to be desired...).

The film itself is a tapestry of themes and images that flow in and out of each other seamlessly. That is one of the distinguishing features of Fellini's best films - they are so complete. There is a whole world to enjoy here. The surreal quality that infuses every aspect of the film is a joy - it is so refreshing to see a film where you can detect some true creativity at work!

Rating:
Summary: CAVEAT EMPTOR!!!!!!!!!
Review: One of the maestro's best. BUT, a terrible copy. For some reason on two tapes and the continuity between them is ineptly edited -- in midscene yet. Dumb. Most importantly, subtitles are usually impossible to read, given the generous amount of dazzling white that Fellini used in many of the scenes, for obvious reasons.

Avoid this version!

Rating:
Summary: The Spirits of Fellini!
Review: One of the most colorful and imaginative film worlds to visit are the ones created by Federico Fellini. Fellini was dazzling audiences and bringing enjoyment to them through such films as "Amarcord", "Nights of Cabiria" (My favorite of his films), and "8 1\2". And speaking of "8 1\2" here's a film most people see as the companion piece to. Which is something I can understand.

"Juliet of the Spirits" tells the story of Juliet (Giulietta Masina). A woman in her 30's or 40's, who is beginning to see the world differently, with a little help from her friends, those that are real and those that are not. You see Juliet fears that her husband, Giorgio (Mario Pisu) is cheating on her. And that would crumble Juliet's world, or would it?

"Juliet of the Spirits" is a film that to me is quintessential Fellini. All of the filmmaker's famous traits are here. The beauitful women, caricaturish view of society, and shifting back and forth between fantasy and reality. Plus, Nino Rota's fabulous score put a smile on my face. Then again, I can't think of a time when he didn't do a good job. I feel the score is on par with "Amarcord". And what about the cinematography and the art direction! Fellini seems to be spinning his movie magic here. But sadly this was a time in Fellini's career when the critics and the public were starting to divide. "Juliet of the Spirits" was not, and still believe is not considered one of his best films. For example his next film after this would be "Satyricon". Another movie that had people split. What about "Roma", "Fellini's Casanova", and "City of Women"? These are all movies that to some people are proof Fellini lost his touch. But, I don't think that's the case with this movie. It's just too enjoyable. It's too lighthearted. We're put in such a good mood after this, that I just can't understand why someone wouldn't like this movie. And even if we were to cross out the cinematography, the art direction, the music, and Fellini's directing, surely no one can deny that Giulietta Masina's performance carries the film. Even when the film may seem to be getting a bit odd. She holds the film together. And if for no other reason, see the movie for her performance. So, while the lines may be drawn on this one, I think of it as one of Fellini's best film. A real dazzling experience showing us that Fellini was an original.

This film was nominated for two Oscars; "Best Costume Design" and "Best Art Direction". And, it won the "Golden Globe" for best foreign film.

Bottom-line: Clearly one of the better films Fellini made late in his career. And for me, one of his all-time best. Great music, wonderful cinematography and a performance by Masina that almost steals the show!

Rating:
Summary: The Spirits of Fellini!
Review: One of the most colorful and imaginative film worlds to visit are the ones created by Federico Fellini. Fellini was dazzling audiences and bringing enjoyment to them through such films as "Amarcord", "Nights of Cabiria" (My favorite of his films), and "8 1\2". And speaking of "8 1\2" here's a film most people see as the companion piece to. Which is something I can understand.

"Juliet of the Spirits" tells the story of Juliet (Giulietta Masina). A woman in her 30's or 40's, who is beginning to see the world differently, with a little help from her friends, those that are real and those that are not. You see Juliet fears that her husband, Giorgio (Mario Pisu) is cheating on her. And that would crumble Juliet's world, or would it?

"Juliet of the Spirits" is a film that to me is quintessential Fellini. All of the filmmaker's famous traits are here. The beauitful women, caricaturish view of society, and shifting back and forth between fantasy and reality. Plus, Nino Rota's fabulous score put a smile on my face. Then again, I can't think of a time when he didn't do a good job. I feel the score is on par with "Amarcord". And what about the cinematography and the art direction! Fellini seems to be spinning his movie magic here. But sadly this was a time in Fellini's career when the critics and the public were starting to divide. "Juliet of the Spirits" was not, and still believe is not considered one of his best films. For example his next film after this would be "Satyricon". Another movie that had people split. What about "Roma", "Fellini's Casanova", and "City of Women"? These are all movies that to some people are proof Fellini lost his touch. But, I don't think that's the case with this movie. It's just too enjoyable. It's too lighthearted. We're put in such a good mood after this, that I just can't understand why someone wouldn't like this movie. And even if we were to cross out the cinematography, the art direction, the music, and Fellini's directing, surely no one can deny that Giulietta Masina's performance carries the film. Even when the film may seem to be getting a bit odd. She holds the film together. And if for no other reason, see the movie for her performance. So, while the lines may be drawn on this one, I think of it as one of Fellini's best film. A real dazzling experience showing us that Fellini was an original.

This film was nominated for two Oscars; "Best Costume Design" and "Best Art Direction". And, it won the "Golden Globe" for best foreign film.

Bottom-line: Clearly one of the better films Fellini made late in his career. And for me, one of his all-time best. Great music, wonderful cinematography and a performance by Masina that almost steals the show!

Rating:
Summary: Underrated in its own day...Classic in Ours
Review: Perhaps no other Fellini film has benefitted more from the sweet, sound passage of time than 'Juliet of the Spirits.' Regarded as an ambitious but indulgent fantasy at the time of its release, critics and audiences were also unprepared for its strikingly spiritual feminist undertones. The concept was ahead of its time, and further aggravating its reception was Fellini's immense budget...which was seen as an extravagance, particularly regarding the subject matter. The fact that this extravagance was communicated in blazing color (a Fellini first) only highlighted doubts about certain allegedly excessive aspects of the film. In any event, the tone has changed radically over the years. Critics and audiences found themselves faced with the severe and genuine indulgences of later Fellini misfires like 'Satyricon,' and came to realize that 'Juliet'was tame in comparison, and held more sublime treasures than had previously been believed. A greater understanding of women's issues also facilitated a huge turnabout in critical perception of this remarkable film over the years. Now, it seems not indulgent, but rather like the vision of a masterful, shrewdly-written poem experienced through a carefully-crafted kaleidoscope of the senses. In many areas, this may one day be considerd to be Fellini's greatest film...particularly for its visual juxtapositions to the themes he is continually seeking to elaborate: mysticism, false-spirituality, female spiritual independence, sexual independence, female fashion excesses, female-to-female abuse, mother-to-child abuse, the pitfalls of psychology, the keys of psychology, and...yes...ghosts of all kinds. The underlying denominator of all these themes is 'spirit,' and Fellini's way of communicating the many issues so diversely and yet so simply is nothing short of amazing. Giulietta Masina is sublime...THIS is her finest hour, for her performance is subtle and elegantly removed from her usual physical(and just as valid) schtick.In this film, the viewer must look into the window of Giulietta's soul to perceive her struggle, whereas she made her struggles quite obvious to us in previous classic performances. Yes, the sets and costumes are lavish and often racy, but what more than a few critics are now noting is that all of this lavishness is POWERFULLY countered by a stark,pervasive desolation, a constant child-like presence that is not only emanating from Giulietta, but from the very scenery surrounding her throughout the film. When watched with a careful eye and heard with a perceptive ear, the effect is nothing short of guttural, devastating. This DVD version captures all of the magic of a film that will, perhaps one hundred years from now, be regarded as Fellini's magnnum opus.

(yes, Rota's score is particularly haunting here).

Rating:
Summary: Well worth seeing; wish it were even better
Review: The film was generally panned when it was first released, and you can still see why. It doesn't live up to the standards Fellini set earlier with his early masterpieces "La Strada" and "Nights of Cabiria" or his later international hits "8 1/2" and "La Dolce Vita." The visuals are almost hallucinatory, but the story of a repressed middle-aged woman (played by the wonderful Mrs. Fellini, Giulietta Masina)coming to grips with her husband's infidelity and her own childhood demons is woefully underdeveloped and gives Masina very little to do--other than rely on trademark twitches and outlandish costumes. Still, some of the fantasies are mindboggling and incredibly creative. (Ever since I first saw this film, I've wanted to visit a treehouse like the one Juliet's neighbor takes her to.) And I'm particularly fond of the hoards of faceless nuns forcing school-girl Juliet to act out the martyrdom of some saint on a grill--from which her eccentric grandfather rescues his "little Bifsteak." Sandra Milo is a vision and fantasy come-true as Suzi, one of the spirits who leads Juliet to eventually free herself. Some of the sixties touches make for fun nostalgia now--like the twisting twins on the beach and Juliet's family's psychodelic couture. Regretfully the film never quite achieves its potential, but it's still well worth a watch. Any Fellini movie scored by the fabulous Nino Rota is worth watching for the music alone. (A previous post claims this to be Giulietta Masina's "swan song." Nope...she later co-starred in Fellini's disappointing "Ginger & Fred.") Regarding the pre-"Criterion Collection" DVD release; it would have been nice to have a fuller restoration, and this film especially seems ripe for including lots of additional extras that aren't there. I look forward to the new Criterion Collection release!