Fellini Satyricon (1970)

Fellini’s adaption of Petronius' tale is like a theatrical leap into barbarianism. Like the genius he was, he created a window into a fantasy (based on Roman history) where people are insane and only living for pleasure. What’s unique about this film is the story isn’t straight-forward, it’s an episodic bounce from one event to the next, almost like a dream (or nightmare). Encolpio is our hero and yet there’s nothing heroic about him, he and his companion, Ascilto, survive purely by accident as they travel through the pre-Christian world without purpose. This usually would be the death of a film but the stylized glimpse into such a strange and brutal debauchery is hard to find boring. A film like this has never been made and I hope gets made again. How I’d love to see someone like Christopher Nolan or Peter Jackson take us to such a dark and vile place. Yet maybe this is Fellini’s commentary about the world we live in, maybe we’re not as civilized as we think we are. Grade: B+