ORCHESTRA REHEARSAL Movie Review

Prova d'Orchestra

Federico Fellini's clever and entertaining Orchestra Rehearsal is the result of a commission Fellini received from Italian television for the production of a short film about—an orchestra rehearsal. The resulting political satire is not exactly what was expected, and the 72-minute film set off a firestorm of controversy when it was first screened (the Prime Minister was among the most vocal critics).The Aldo Moro kidnapping, rampant terrorism and high-and-low-level corruption were what was on Fellini's mind when he created this portrait of well-orchestrated governmental madness thinly disguised as elegantly conducted chaos. It's a one-joke satire, but the brief length, colorful cinematography and Nino Rota score conspire to make that single joke a potent and memorable one.

NEXT STOP … Variety Lights, Basileus Quartet, Un Coeur en Hiver

1978 72m/C IT Balduin Baas, Clara Colosimo, Elisabeth Labi, Ronaldo Bonacchi, Ferdinando Villella, Giovanni Javarone, David Mauhsell, Francesco Aluigi; D: Federico Fellini; W: Federico Fellini, Brunello Rondi; C: Giuseppe Rotunno; M: Nino Rota. VHS FXL, FCT