A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

My favorite chapter was the "fire from her loins" , right near the end. The giant fish walking along the river banks was pretty cool too. The Satyricon by Fellini is a mix of history ( based on Petronius' fragmented, partial work) and an artistic, impressionist work. Lots of topless women running, jumping, standing, walking. Our hero Encolpio, (Martin Potter, a Brit) tells his young lover to choose between him and Ascilto, and when he does, Encolpio sets off on a series of adventures. Very artsy, wacky, silly make-up. Through-out the story, Encoplio runs into both the young lover and Ascilto (Hiram Keller, American, died quite young.), as well as casts of thousands in his adventures. This seems to be a whole lot of Roman history, mixed in with free interpretation by Fellini. Will definitely have to watch this one with the "commentary" turned on next time; may give some insight as to what's really going on. Make up a big bowl of popcorn, because this is over two hours, and covers a lot of ground. Capucine, the French actress is in here... she was big in Hollywood in the 1960s. Fellini was nominated for an Oscar twelve times, and finally won an achievement award in 1993, which also happens to be the year he died. Quite entertaining, if you have the patience. The fact that things are not always spelled out, and it IS artsy-fartsy, will turn off a lot of people.

I remember seeing this for the first time in a crowded, darkened theater known for showing avant-garde films. The reaction was positive but bewildering, as it was for me. Surely, in the early '70's, when I saw it, it was startling and hard to place for its genre. X rated? Unrated? Avant-garde? Definitely not a film for middle America, it would appeal to those with sophisticated adult tastes.The continuity of the film is I think what makes it great. The ease at which Fellini breaks in with innuendo is remarkable. The opening scene is unique for its effect, which at the time didn't have all the high-tech computer generated effects available, a sign of a great director. The beauty of those boys is not so much physical, as it is in their spirit and energy. And this pervades the film, although overt in its physicality, yet the background takes the fore. A must-see for anyone interested in the adult arts, in staging, in ancient Rome, in story-telling. Memorable.

My friends and I were high school juniors in 1970 on a school trip to Paris. We were abandoned (emancipated?) by our chaperon on the second day on the Left Bank, and left to our own devices. We went to see Fellini's Satyricon in the original Italian with French subtitles. The theater was sloped the opposite of American ones, and we could smoke. I remember that we had only a dim understanding of the plot, but the visuals were stunning. Even today, more than forty years later, I can still see the image of the hermaphroditic Demi-god, his chalk-white skin and feeble eyes. So, though my high school chaperon probably broke several laws by leaving his French honors students to fend for themselves in Paris, his decision altered my life and my appreciation for Fellini.

I saw this when it was released and was overwhelmed by the fantastic, bizarre, and sometimes shockingly repellent imagery -- the production, make up, musical score, and wardrobe are out of somebody's oneiristic alternate universe.Now I've just seen it again and, whether because my brain cells are aging or because even Fellini has been outdone by some of the grotesque crap that's appeared on the screen since 1969, it seems less of an accomplished work.I think I paid too much attention to the plot this time. Or, rather, I tried to because there isn't much of a plot. It's a series of episodes in what passes for Ancient Rome, without much connection between them.The only linking thread is Martin Potter as the blond, blue-eyed Encolpio, whose peregrinations we more or less follow. He's a handsome young man (I guess) but I never cared what happened to him. He's not particularly sympathetic. Now and then his friend Ascilto shows up, sometimes to accompany him on a trip, sometimes to taunt him, but when Ascilto is found dead towards the end, Encolpio's response is as shallow as that of any psychopath.The opening episode has Encolpio telling us how much he loves and misses Gitone, the boy/girl who has been taken from him. He spends a good deal of time in pursuit of Gitone and when he finally finds him, Gitone chooses to be the sex slave and idolater of Ascilto. O men, O women, O homosexuals! That's the sort of thing that may have kept the viewer's eyes open in 1969 but it has been since overtaken in the outrage race. "Mala Noche," anyone? How about "The Boys In The Band" or "Staircase"? At any rate, Gitone disappears entirely from the narrative with no explanation, kind of like King Lear's fool. Maybe that was meant to be Fellini's point. Love doesn't conquer all. It just disappears from the story.I won't bother describing the other episodes. They involve Encolpio's impotence, a hermaphrodite living god who dies, a poet who learns that getting laid is more important than art, and who knows what all? Something about the Minotaur is in there too.Since I never read Petronius's story I don't know how closely the film follows it. A friend -- who is not known for showing off -- tells me it's not a close adaptation, but Fellini himself describes the movie as only "loosely based" on Petronius. Not that it matters much. Literary works are always somewhat mangled in adaptations to the screen. That's inevitable. We can only judge what we see, and what we see is like a kaleidoscopic view of some barbaric world as seen by somebody on mescaline or psylocybin. And once you get past the phantasmagoric images, it's a little dull.