But I’m not sure exactly what Fellini was trying to say with this story. It has been said that Fellini intended this film to be a love letter to his wife-his examinations of the feminine side of the emotional spectrum. Meanwhile, she starts spending time with her free-spirited neighbor Suzy (Sandra Milo) and partakes in various forms of mysticism (such as gurus and seances) to find a spiritual center in the midst of her marital dilemma. She hires a private investigator to follow him around for a week. Juliet of the Spirits is the story of Giulietta Boldrini (played by Fellini’s real-life wife Giulietta Masina), a plucky yet rather ordinary housewife who slowly begins to suspect her husband Giorgio (Mario Pisu) of having an affair. But if this is considered to be his decline, then I can’t wait to see his other ‘great’ movies! Why oh why did I wait so long to watch a Fellini movie? The Verdict: I absolutely loved this movie! I’ve seen some negative reviews of this film that indicate it’s the beginning of Fellini’s decline as a director. I figured I’d be able to approach it objectively without any preconceived notions about it being The Greatest Film of All Time, and just enjoy it on its own merits.
JULIET OF THE SPIRITS MOVIE
I picked Juliet of the Spirits because I had never even heard of the movie before. So recently I decided I was going to randomly pick one of the Fellini Films available on the Criterion Channel and talk about it here on 25YL. We all have our quirky flaws, right? This same train of thought led me to avoid listening to The Beatles until I was in my 30s, and I eventually ended up loving them. Occasionally I ascribe characteristics to things that turn out to be highly inaccurate, all based on nothing that exists in reality. No one could possibly be a better surrealist than David Lynch, especially a stodgy Italian guy who made films in the 50s and 60s.’ I have no idea why I thought he was ‘stodgy’.
Being subjected to all of the praise that was bestowed on the director somehow made me resistant to checking out his films-‘Everyone likes him but I’m different.
I had heard so much about Fellini and what a genius he was and how 8 1/2 was one of the greatest movies of all time and all that. But there’s another reason I’ve avoided his films-a dirtier, more shameful reason. For me to have come into contact with a Fellini film, I would have had to buy it on DVD (which can run a good $30 or more for arthouse movies) and hoped that I liked it enough to warrant the price tag. It’s not like La Dolce Vita sat on the shelves of Blockbuster Video next to Kindergarten Cop and The Best of Gallagher. My best excuse is that his films haven’t been readily available to me throughout my life.
So why haven’t I seen one of his movies before now? The answer: I don’t know. I’ve heard his name brought up every time someone discusses the greatest directors of all time. I’m into art films and I love David Lynch (who counts Fellini among his influences). I take great shame in this statement because there’s really no good reason why I’ve avoided Fellini for all these years. I have a confession to make: I’ve gone through my entire life and never seen a Fellini film.
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