Perhaps hate is too strong a word, but it's no less one dimensional a reaction than the messages conveyed in this film. Perhaps I'm a sucker for a happy
ending or some sort of redemption, but I found this film relentless in it's cloying pretension and smugness.
The film is not without it's merits. It's shot beautifully and it's sequencing of seemingly in congruous events keeps it at least a curiosity. But when all is said and done, it's as irritating and superficial as the people it arguably glorifies.
Yeah, I know, in all likelihood Fellini intended to portray these characters as shallow and unlikeable, but that doesn't mean that I can watch their frivolous, sadistic debauchery with any degree of enjoyment. It's not that I'm a prude, as there's plenty of titilating eye candy here, but perhaps that's one main problem I have with the film. Fellini's portrayal of women in this film is misogynistic, and women are meant to be conquered and submissive in this world. But what
makes the film so unsatisfying is the fact that Fellini's opinion of this pretentious and ugly society isn't necessarily an opinion he shares as well. Instead of
conveying a clear message of how shallow and pathetic these really people
are, Fellini borders on glamorizing them and insulting his audience, as if to say, "look at how cool and happening we are and how dull and uninteresting you are for having any moral and ethical sensibilities." Of course, the great irony of all this is after watching 2 hours of people partying, they quickly become boring and dull. In this film, anyone capable of expressing love is quickly dismissed and made to appear "weak", i.e. the character of Emma, but this message can
easily be interpreted two ways. When Steiner murders himself and his child, the message we get is that he felt weighted down by his obligations and
responsibilities as a father/husband, as if to imply that marriage and fatherhood are a slow death to be avoided. Marcello comes to this conclusion, and
proceeds to pursue his life of partying and debauchery even further. OK, I can accept that if not for the fact that the film from here on in shows him whooping it up and having a grand old time, seemingly no longer at war with his inner moral demons. I consider this a failure on the part of Fellini because this implies that Marcello was absolutely right in his conclusions, since happiness is ultimately what we're all looking for and he's seemingly completely comfortable in his own skin womanizing and sadistically mistreating people now.
And that's not my idea of redemption.
ending or some sort of redemption, but I found this film relentless in it's cloying pretension and smugness.
The film is not without it's merits. It's shot beautifully and it's sequencing of seemingly in congruous events keeps it at least a curiosity. But when all is said and done, it's as irritating and superficial as the people it arguably glorifies.
Yeah, I know, in all likelihood Fellini intended to portray these characters as shallow and unlikeable, but that doesn't mean that I can watch their frivolous, sadistic debauchery with any degree of enjoyment. It's not that I'm a prude, as there's plenty of titilating eye candy here, but perhaps that's one main problem I have with the film. Fellini's portrayal of women in this film is misogynistic, and women are meant to be conquered and submissive in this world. But what
makes the film so unsatisfying is the fact that Fellini's opinion of this pretentious and ugly society isn't necessarily an opinion he shares as well. Instead of
conveying a clear message of how shallow and pathetic these really people
are, Fellini borders on glamorizing them and insulting his audience, as if to say, "look at how cool and happening we are and how dull and uninteresting you are for having any moral and ethical sensibilities." Of course, the great irony of all this is after watching 2 hours of people partying, they quickly become boring and dull. In this film, anyone capable of expressing love is quickly dismissed and made to appear "weak", i.e. the character of Emma, but this message can
easily be interpreted two ways. When Steiner murders himself and his child, the message we get is that he felt weighted down by his obligations and
responsibilities as a father/husband, as if to imply that marriage and fatherhood are a slow death to be avoided. Marcello comes to this conclusion, and
proceeds to pursue his life of partying and debauchery even further. OK, I can accept that if not for the fact that the film from here on in shows him whooping it up and having a grand old time, seemingly no longer at war with his inner moral demons. I consider this a failure on the part of Fellini because this implies that Marcello was absolutely right in his conclusions, since happiness is ultimately what we're all looking for and he's seemingly completely comfortable in his own skin womanizing and sadistically mistreating people now.
And that's not my idea of redemption.