Juliet Of The Spirits - Criterion Collection

Starring:Giulietta Masina, Sandra Milo, Mario Pisu, Valentina Cortese, Valeska Gert, JosÃ© Luis de Villalonga, Friedrich von Ledebur, Caterina Boratto, Lou Gilbert, Luisa Della Noce, Silvana Jachino, Milena Vukotic, Fred Williams, Dany ParÃs, Anne Francine, Sylva Koscina, Elena Fondra, George Ardisson, Genius, Elisabetta Gray
Director: Federico Fellini
Studio: Criterion
Product Type: DVD

Description

Cinematographer Gianni di Venanzo's masterful use of Technicolor transforms Juliet of the Spirits, Fellini's first color feature, into a kaleidoscope of dreams, spirits, and memories. Giulietta Masina plays a betrayed wife whose inability to come to terms with reality leads her along a hallucinatory journey of self-discovery. The Criterion Collection is proud to present the fully restored version of one of Fellini's most dazzling dreams.

Customer Reviews:

Accessible film about a Fantasy life transforming and informing reality........2007-04-11

One of Fellini's most accessible films (his use of color really helps), he once again plays reality against an active fantasy life... fantasies that combine memory, fears, fleeting desires and the way we imagine the lives of others. For me, one of the things that makes a film 5 star is that it provides something that only film can provide, and this is it; while the presentation is very theatrical, this quick intercutting of time/memory/mood can only be done in film.
While the overall message is a very conservative (pre/anti-feminist) one of it's day, Fellini DOES liberate a woman's fantasy life, and this is the essence of his leading "little woman." The predominant action of the film is in her imagination.
This was the day when middle/upper class Italian women did not work, and Masina represents the "good little woman." Rich enough to have servants, there was little to occupy her time or mind, other than similar friends who have veered to the outre and wierd just to have something to do. Masina's character searches more internally, and her fantasies color her vision of the lives of others. (Note that her usual circle of friends are equated with a fantasy of death, and you'll be clued into her psyche as these begin.)
I think you have to have lived a bit to "get" Fellini - I didn't like his work when I was younger - I love this. Also note his use of color as "percieved color" not literal color and this is worth many viewings.
And finally, if you are a larger woman... nothing makes you feel so great about being a large woman as watching Fellini's glorious Amazons!

My favorite film.......2006-09-13

This was the first Fellini film I ever saw and I was awestruck. I saw it ironically on a videotape that my English teacher had taped it off of public television- channel 11 here in Chicago. However, she had erased over it(the first 3/4 of the movie), as I had asked her if she could tape the season finale of the first season of "Twin Peaks"-whoa, I'm dating myself! Thank you Mrs. Cantrell for introducing me to a master director and shaping me into what I am today; though I always tended to favor the weird, whimsical and offbeat. So, I immediately rushed to the video store and rented out a copy of "Juliet"("Giulietta degli Spiriti,") so I could watch the first part. The print on the video was pretty old and faded but I've been enjoying Criterion's excellent remaster. This dvd is stunning and the colors are so vibrant. It just reminds me of an Easter, pastel fantasy- all that is transgressing in Juliet's disturbed mind.
In the opening scene, Juliet sets up for a romantic evening with her husband to celebrate their wedding anniversary but instead is disappointed when Giorgio comes home with an entourage of their freinds. Later, Juliet and freinds engage in a seance session with the assistance of Genius, the mystic. It is determined that Juliet is also gifted and has sort of a sixth sense and gravitates to spirits. Iris, a spirit that has surfaced from the seance follows Juliet throughout the film and becomes her conscience. Juliet escapes in her fantasies and hears so-called spirits may lead the viewer to believe she has gone off her rocker! Juliet's visions and or images vary from the beautiful to frightening. She's a tormented soul since her younger days as her childhood freind Laura committed suicide for love. Now as a lonely housewife she witnesses her husband calling out another woman's name as they lie in bed together. She suspects her husband is having an affair and hires private investigators. Juliet also appears to have an inferiority complex towards her overcritical mother and more "successful" older sister. In the interim Juliet befreinds Suzy, the lady of the villa next door. Suzy head of the bordello style household throws extravagantly lavish orgy filled parties and immerses Juliet in her freinds, weird play acting, sex and wine and even sets Juliet up with her nephew for an evening rendevous. Juliet struggles with her self; she desires to fulfill her lust for sex and man but the spirit of Laura is persuading her not to act upon her desires as it is sinful.
Will Juliet find her inner peace? Will the spirits guide her or is it just all in her world of fantasy she has created for herself to escape from harsh realities of life including her husband's infidelity. Or will she follow the path of her childhood freind Laura who is in eternal peace.

Julius-Allan H.

Not up to the best of Criterion.......2006-06-28

Simply put, the sound sucks on this DVD (the music soundtrack especially - it sucked on VHS and sucks on this DVD) - with so much technology around, the sound quality could have been improved -
Visually, the main body of the film is cleaned up, with a decent (if not overwhelming) color palette, but irritating when you can see specks during the opening credits (not the first Criterion Edition to do this ) -

Becuase I find the film endearing I'll put up with these deficiencies - But this is not one of Criterion's best efforts -

Juliet of the Spirits (1965) - Federico Fellini.......2005-10-16

Juliet of the Spirits is a film that contains such lush colors, such nice cinematography, and enough visual, dreamlike imagery that it's a shame it all covers a rather emotionally shallow interior. The film has too much of a whimsical feel to it to really cut deep into the human psyche, but often times Fellini fills the screen with such nice imagery that you can excuse most of the film's shortcomings. Similar to 8 1/2 (1963), but from a woman's standpoint, Juliet of the Spirits is mostly an interesting experimentation in color and image because Fellini has a hard time finding the emotional core that makes his best films work so well. Still, Juliet of the Spirits is enjoyable, especially to look at, and there are a few scenes that will leave you in awe.

The Spirits are with us ..........2005-08-11

I cannot wait to get my hands on my next adventure into the world of Fellini. I was more than impressed, I was captivated. I watched Giulietta degli spiriti (aka Juliet of the Spirits) and I couldn't help but think of other directors that have used Fellini's tactic in today's modern cinema. I think the reason I enjoyed this film so much is because I love the work of these directors, and I could see the homage they were paying in their films to Fellini. I am speaking of directors like David Lynch, Oliver Stone, and Akira Kurosawa. The colors, the images, and the overall elements of this film are original and provocative at the same time. You wouldn't expect this film a film created in 1965. I didn't when I put this film into the DVD player, but then I wasn't sure what to expect when I put Fellini into the player.

The colors are one of the boldest marks of the film. For this to be Fellini's first color film he pulls it off like a professional. The darkened shades to represent insecurity and the unknown, while the bold colors represent happiness and control. You wouldn't expect these emotions could be combined with ease, but Fellini's master brush never misses a beat. This film is told through its colors. From the opening scene where Juliet is choosing which color hair to wear, all the way to the ending where she leaves the bright white house into the darkened unknown, it is the vivacious colors that lead us from point A to point B. The characters are important, but these colors are used to represent the true emotions of the characters even when they are lying to themselves. These colors tell the truth and Fellini controls them.

I was always a believer that Oliver Stone's style of filmmaking was absurd and at times random, but little did I know that his odd placement of certain images is nothing more than a deep homage to Fellini. Since I have only seen one film, Giulietta degli spiriti, I can only take reference to it, but there were moments when I could have guessed Stone's hand was somewhere in the process. When Juliet sees the spirits, we are suddenly whisked away to a world of haunting images and imagination. We are afraid, yet excited at the same time. The scenes that come to mind are those when Juliet is at the beach and at the end when she finally confronts her demons. While some may see these as a director's "wet dream", I saw these as an insight into Juliet's character. We learn about her troubles, her life, her childhood, and her fears. It is these spirits that help us understand why Juliet is the way that she is, and why she has trouble leaving her cheating husband. They are a "guardian angel" for Juliet, ensuring that she stays true to whom she is even when times seem to be closing in on her. This is seen when she was about to do something sexually that she had not intention of doing. A moment of revenge saved by a spirit.

This was a magnificent story that could be retold today and appeal to mass audiences. Juliet is the common person, dealing with issues that face us today. The horror of discovering your husband is cheating on you and the spirits that you consult to help. Juliet is neither insane nor crazy, nor would I consider this a "tale of terror". This is a story about a normal person who is placed into extraordinary events that cause her to regress to her childhood. This also brings out the spirits from her childhood to help her in her bumpy path.

This is not to say that this film is without faults. While Fellini has obviously mastered the field of directing, showing us with bold colors and creative storytelling, there is something that could be said about his choice of music. I feel that the music used in this film conveyed a message opposite of what was to be felt. I felt that when we were to be shocked or surprised by Juliet, there should be equal music playing, but instead all I head was this happy go-lucky tune that seemed to trample the overall theme of the film. Perhaps Fellini used most of the money for the colors and story and only had one record left for the soundtrack of the film. Who knows? All I know is that the music used did not work in this film at all. If I could change one aspect of this film to bring it to perfection, it would be the score. What was Fellini thinking?

I would like to say that this first Fellini experience has been magical. I am glad I have the opportunity to share it with everyone, and if you take anything from this review it should be two things. First, don't insult a film until you have viewed it in its entirety, you never know what gems may just need to be polished to glimmer. The saying, "Never judge a book by its cover" applies to films as well. Second, go back to the basics. As I watch more and more older films, I begin to wonder the originality and uniqueness of the directors today. Some of the top performers in their game are beginning to show signs that they have "borrowed" from other directors. Perhaps they are paying homage, but perhaps there is more. Instead of walking out of a theater and saying, "WOW! I wonder why the director put that shot in there" (cause I know all of you think this), perhaps sit back and think about who they are saying "thank you" to. You may discover, as I have, that the original creative mind, no matter the date, can still be a powerful force in cinema.

Grade: ***** out of *****

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