JULIET OF THE SPIRITS Movie Review

Giulietta Degli Spiriti

Fellini seemed to be so concerned with the fantastic images in his first color feature that he allowed most of his ideas to escape through the back door. Juliet of the Spirits is the story of a woman (Giulietta Masina) whose life is a disappointment on just about every level; her husband has forgotten their anniversary, and his philandering is a considerably larger problem. Her sex-obsessed, orgy-throwing neighbor (Sylva Koscina) can only offer diversions in which Juliet has no interest. Her response is to retreat into her daydreams, but the brightly colored, romantic, asexual fantasies that Fellini provides her with are long on design but short on longing. We want her to come to terms with her own identity, and for a good portion of the film it appears that she's headed in that direction; but as the set pieces and machinery of her elaborate unconscious stagings grow, her image of herself becomes even more diffuse. Juliet of the Spirits followed the director's brilliant 8 1/2, in which he presented a famous director who was at a complete loss for ideas about his next project; all he had were grand sets, and didn't know what to do with them. Whether 81/2 became self-fulfilling prophecy, or was simply Fellini's way of breaking the news about his next movie to us gently, Juliet of the Spirits remains a richly colored, gift-wrapped package containing not much more than additional richly colored gift-wrapping.

NEXT STOP … The White Sheik, Nights of Cabiria, Ginger & Fred

1965 142m/C IT Giulietta Masina, Valentina Cortese, Sylva Koscina, Mario Pisu, Sandra Milo, Caterina Boratto, Valeska Gert; D: Federico Fellini; W: Federico Fellini, Tullio Pinelli, Ennio Flaiano, Brunello Rondi; C: Gianni Di Venanzo; M: Nino Rota. New York Film Critics Awards '65: Best Foreign Film; Nominations: Academy Awards '66: Best Art Direction/Set Decoration (Color), Best Costume Design (Color). VHS, LV VYY, VDM, MRV