Amarcord

AMARCORD (1974)

Directed by: Federico Fellini

Screenplay by: Federico Fellini, Tonino Guerra

Cast: Bruno Zanin, Gianfilippo Carcano, Pupella Maggio, Armando Brancia, Magali Noël, Ciccio Ingrassia, Nando Orfei, Luigi Rossi, Josiane Tanzilli

A vulgar, crassly funny, tender, always affectionate nostalgia trip, Fellini style. The director recalls his boyhood days growing up in small-town, Fascist-era Italy. Nino Rota's score is lovely as are Giuseppe Rotunno's precise, lyrical cinematography and the gracefully paced script by Fellini and Guerra. Funny, lively characterizations flavor the bawdy escapades of horny, mischievous school boys; their family lives are lovingly detailed as are the interrelationships in this community of delightfully unruly, irreverent school kids, harried mothers and fathers, aristocrats, beggars, and grandfathers wistful for life's lustful prime. At first, this gathering of boorish characters with no redeeming qualities whatsoever may feel off-putting, but their evocation is so heartfelt that we grow to love each of them. Amarcord is an entrancing gem of an experience.

Runtime: 127 min.

Rating: R