Ugly People
Despite the plot failures, "Satyricon"
is an intriguing film to watch.
No other director can fill a screen
with so many ugly people, in sumptuous
sets and costumes, and have
them participate in some droll spectacle.
I especially enjoyed the
make-ups of Rino Curboni, particularly
the thick white creams that
look like layers of heavy plaster
falling off a wall. All these production
virtues are beautifully captured
in colors that are natural at times,
which often turn to schemes using
one color.
The final question about "Satyricon'
will naturally be, what does
this nightmare mean? That's a good
question, and I can't answer it, and
I don't believe Fellini could even if
he were pinned against a wall. In
interviews, he's told the press his
film is a science fiction taking place
in the past in a society that knows
no Christianity, and that the similarities
between the past and
present are striking. If we believe
this, the film could be a masterpiece,
but one should never trust a
Fellini interview. The thematics he
talks about are there in the film,
yet they don't mesh very well.
There is too much side-stepping in
the film, especially in the last thirty
minutes, creating the vaguest ending
since "2001."
