4 out 5. Federico Fellini can be a frustrating director at times. I just watched LA DOLCE VITA and by the end of it I rather preferred 8 1/2. It's clear I cannot stand SATYRICON and that's really the only thing that is clear to me about Fellini. His movies tend to float through scenes and ideas with the sharpest edge left for his characters who are clearly defined...mostly. I'm often left to interpret their real motivations as they all seem to move through a miasma of parties and debauchery that never seem to have any real affect on the story direction. His skill clearly lies in his directing and composition. The photography is beautiful and his actors are chic and interesting to look at. Part of you wants to inhabit that life and another is frustrated right along with the characters. Whatever the case if you can relax and let good cinema wash over you like an incoming tide you'll enjoy Fellini and be left picking sand out of your shorts for days to come.
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