All that we are seeing on the screen is happening with real people, real action sequences in the background, forcing the eye to watch as if we were there.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

It was not any influence of adults; the films were filled with amazing characters, each having an entire life of their own/ like they had waited & waited & waited for FELLINI to bring the cameras & just film us- I noticed that the crazy guy in the tree screaming" I want a woman!" Was repeated by Merchant/ Ivory in "ROOM WITH A VIEW"- don't know the significance- we never did it growing up- this is a great film- sit back & just enjoy

It's 1930s Fascist Italy. The movie follows the odd quirky villagers of a seaside town. The fascist local government takes control of the eager villagers with comical ridiculousness. The village is obsessed with sex which the Catholic Church tries to suppress.There are some great memorable characters and memorable scenes. The one missing thing is a good compelling lead character. Titta needs to have more scenes as the lead and he needs to be played by a charismatic actor. The vignettes start to get scattered without that central cohesive glue. Some are more surreal than other. The harem in the hotel goes a bit over the top. Otherwise I really like the quirkiness.

There's something about Fellini. I want to love his films, but they're so unashamedly self-indulgent that it's difficult to find something in them just for me. Not to say they aren't a joy for the most part, films like La Strada aside. Amarcord comes closest to love, but settles for really like. It's a difficult film at first, but once it's possible to latch onto recurring characters it gets much better. Each scene escalates into juvenile absurdity in a very entertaining way, but all are not equal as some vignettes feel like throwaways that don't add enough. The highlights are hilarious scenes like the man up in the tree yelling that he wants a woman. The sexual desires of the characters can be relatable, but it doesn't touch anything deep. It's all eventually just great entertainment. Regardless of its deliberately overdramatic topics, the rich cinematography pops in every moment. Maybe I'll find the Fellini film I love, but maybe they need a rewatch. 8 1/2 sounds built for me.8/10

This Italian film featured in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before you Die, and is rated five out of five stars, I will admit I may not have paid the fullest attention while watching, and even dozed off, this is the only reason for my rating, from Oscar nominated director Federico Fellini. Basically this is an autobiographical look at life in a small Italian coastal town during the 1930's, it is based on the town Rimini where Fellini grew up. There is no story as such, it just looks at young people and others who surround them as they live a year in the town, with amusing antics, both from a regular and grotesque cast of characters, all with peculiarities. While watching you could see this as mocking the people of the seaside town that the film is based on and in, a mock of the Roman Catholic religion, or just an excuse to see cinematography put to good use with colourful sets and likable people. I will confess, I didn't see much going on during the film that excited me, only regular everyday activities such as washing clothes and hanging them up to dry, stuff like that. Starring Pupella Maggio as Miranda Biondi, Magali Noël as Gradisca, Bruno Zanin as Titta Biondi, Armando Brancia as Aurelio Biondi, Ciccio Ingrassia as Uncle Teo, Nando Orfei as Patacca, Luigi Rossi as Lawyer, Gianfilippo Carcano as Don Baravelli, Josiane Tanzilli as Foxy Volpina, Maria Antonietta Beluzzi as Tobacconist, Giuseppe Ianigro as Titta's Grandfather and Ferruccio Brembilla as Fascist Leader. The best thing I can say about this film, having not really got it all, is that the characters are all good, the scenery of the town is really well made, and there are some amusing moments to make you giggle, I'm not sure I could recommend it unless I watched it closer again one day, but I know it is a worthwhile comedy drama. It won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, and it was nominated for Best Writing, Original Screenplay, and it was nominated the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film. Good!