From Oscar nominated director Federico Fellini (Nights of Cabiria, Juliet of the Spirits, Amarcord), this Italian film was another to be featured in the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book, so naturally I watched it. Basically, set in Rome in the 1st Century, Encolpio (Martin Potter) and Ascilto (Hiram Keller) are student friends arguing about ownership of the boy Gitone (Max Born), so they have to split up their belongings and split up. Gitone has to decide who to be with, and he chooses Ascilto, and when he threatens suicide Escolpio is stopped by an earthquake. We follow Escolpio going through a series of adventures, until Ascilto and he are eventually reunited, and they help a man enter a temple and kidnap a hermaphrodite demi-god. The death of the god causes Escolpio to be punished and he also becomes impotent, and we are following them trying to find a cure for it. Okay, I will be absolutely honest in saying that I didn't remember everything that happened in this film, and even though I did watch it all and can recall bits and pieces I didn't understand much of it. Also starring Salvo Randone as Eumolpo, Fanfulla as Vernacchio, Mario Romagnoli as Trimalcione, Capucine as Trifena and Alain Cuny as Lica. I can recall the guy with the blonde being mostly confused by things, and the sets and costumes are marvellously colourful, but that is really all I can say about it, other than I know it was an interesting historical fantasy drama. It was nominated the Golden Globe for Best Foreign-Language Foreign Film. Good!
Review of Fellini Satyricon
