This is How Movies Should Be Made

One of my all time favorites.

Go in cold, and you're likely to emerge with your blood boiling. This has to be seen to be believed.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

"And the Ship Sails On" is perhaps the only post-"Amarcord" Fellini film truly worthy of extravagant praise. The film is Fellini through and through. No other director or writer could do anything that feels quite like this. A wonderful, surreal absurdity, the film features a diverse cast of bizarrely engaging characters (including a lovesick Rhinoceros). Always engaging, completely unique, and rather special, this film is probably among my favorite Fellini efforts. It's not perfect (Fellini is such an auteur that he has a sense of humor that few others can fully appreciate all the time, and sometimes it's a little trying), but it's an excellent movie.8/10

There is a roll of directors of whom one must claim to be an encomiast, if one wants to be held as an intelligent, sensitive person. Regardless of one's inner and uncontrollable reactions to their work, the mandatory comments as the credits go by are "what a masterpiece!", "best Italian director ever!", "delightful and subtle!" and the like -- well, unless there is no one around. Thus, let us leave the unqualified praise to the wannabe intellectuals and talk sincerely about this one."And the ship sails'" famous opening sequence may look interesting when you hear of it, with its silence and sepia colors ushering you into 1914, but watching its lousy sketches amid Italian proverbial disorder is not exactly thrilling. After the first metalinguistic appearance of the journalist Orlando and a short singing by the passengers, they go aboard, the ships leaves port, and the movie actually begins.The music is splendid, and the scenery and the costumes do not fall short of it. A scent of affection and artificiality pervades the whole movie, but that is quite inevitable with all that opera singing. To my surprise, the meta-linguistics represented in the journalist's character does not hamper the natural flow of the sequences. On the contrary, his peaceful nature sets a welcome contrast with the austerity around him.A real contrast, though, only takes place as the Serbians refugees are sheltered on the ship. Not that it is thoroughly explored by Fellini. Truth is, surprisingly as it may seem, he never abandons a rather superficial display of the relations that develop above the sea, both of the passengers between one another and between them and the Serbians. Sociology is not to be found here; beauty and pureness is what this movie is about.

This film is a masterpiece. The characters are complex and a delight. Every camera angle, scene, dialogue are extraordinary. The music is aptly chosen and elucidates characters. One never knows what to expect next in this film. One will easily find themselves aboard this bizarre ship and part of the movie. I felt like I returned to 1914 while watching this film. It is very rare that a time in the past comes calmly alive feeling like present time in a film. Hollywood uses special effects and computers to try to achieve this while Fellini uses complex simplicity and correct dialogues to achieve this. This film has haunted my very soul and will be one never forgotten.

This film combines whole elements that summarize the meaning of greatness.A moving masterpiece that explores every aesthetic possibility given by Cinema. Image, sound, music, movement, narration, color, tonality, character, humor, drama. A venture towards artistic sublimation within a story of exquisite taste.