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Juliet of the Spirits

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For the song by the B-52s, seeJuliet of the Spirits (song).

Juliet of the Spirits
Italian theatrical release poster
ItalianGiulietta degli spiriti
Directed byFederico Fellini
Screenplay by
Story by
  • Federico Fellini
  • Tullio Pinelli
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyGianni Di Venanzo
Edited byRuggero Mastroianni
Music byNino Rota
Production
companies
  • Federiz
  • Francoriz Production
Distributed by
  • Cineriz(Italy)
  • Inter France Distribution (France)
Release dates
  • 22 October 1965(1965-10-22)(France)
  • 23 October 1965(1965-10-23)(Italy)
Running time
  • 144 minutes[1](original Italian release)
  • 137 minutes
Countries
  • Italy
  • France
LanguageItalian

Juliet of the Spirits(Italian:Giulietta degli spiriti) is a 1965fantasycomedy-dramafilm directed byFederico Felliniand starringGiulietta Masina,Sandra Milo,Mario Pisu,Valentina Cortese,andValeska Gert.The film is about the visions, memories, and mysticism that help a middle-aged woman find the strength to leave her philandering husband. The film uses "caricatural types and dream situations to represent a psychic landscape".[2]It was Fellini's first feature-length color film, but followed his use of color in "The Temptation of Doctor Antonio" episode in theportmanteau film,Boccaccio '70(1962).

The film was shown in competition at the26th Venice International Film Festival;and receivedAcademy Awardnominations forBest Costume DesignandBest Set Decoration.It won the 1966Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film,and Giulietta Masina won aDavid di Donatellofor her performance.Woody Allenloosely remade it with his 1990 filmAlice.[3]

Plot[edit]

Giulietta Masina (left) and Valentina Cortese (right)

Giulietta Boldrini, an upper-class housewife, attempts to deal with her mundane life and philandering, oppressive husband, Giorgio, by exploring the odd lifestyle of a glamorous neighbour, Suzy, and through dreams, visions and fantasies. As she taps into her desires (and her demons) she slowly gains greater self-awareness, leading to independence, although, according to Masina (Fellini's wife), the ending's meaning is debatable.[4]

Cast[edit]

Production[edit]

Juliet of the Spiritswas shot on location inFregene,and atSafa-PalatinoandCinecittà Studiosin Rome.

Fellini's longtime musical collaboratorNino Rotacomposed the soundtrack. Until his death in 1979, Rota wrote the music for every Fellini film except his directorial debut,Variety Lights.The music inJuliet of the Spiritscontains circus themes, as in Fellini's8½,and also uses organ, cocktail piano, guitar, saxophones, and voices without words to convey Juliet's shifts in feeling.[5]The soundtrack was mentioned in a profile of actorSteve Buscemi,which notes that "a Victrola sits in [Buscemi's] dining room, with the theme music for 'Juliet of the Spirits' permanently on its turntable."[6]

Reception[edit]

On thereview aggregatorwebsite Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 79% based on 29 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10.[7]On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating to reviews, the film's re-release has a weighted average score of 83 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[8]

InThe New York Times,Stephen Holdenwrote of a revival in 2001: "Fellini went deliriously and brilliantly bananas with the color to create a rollicking through-the-looking-glass series of tableaus evoking a woman's troubled psyche."[9]Roger Ebertgave the film four stars out of four and included it in his 2001 list of "The Great Movies".[10]Kevin Thomasof theLos Angeles Timespraised the film, writing, "Federico Fellini's 1965Juliet of the Spiritsremains a timeless, major work of a master, a portrait of a dutiful wife plunged into crisis that triggers her spiritual awakening. With Fellini's own wife, the great Giulietta Masina, as Juliet, and with his unique command of fantasy and spectacle in full force,Juliet of the Spirits,Fellini's first film in color, is at once an eye-popping display of bravura and a work of compassionate insight. "[11]

The film was less well received in Italy.[12]Giovanni Grazzini ofCorriere della Serawrote, "It is known that Fellini's imagination, in recent years, has been unrestrained by a taste conventionally called baroque: ornamental delirium, decorative bliss. Juliet's marital crisis is thus suffocated by the scenographic luxury, the clamor or the tenderness of the colors, the bizarre splendor of the costumes; although sometimes there is an authentic heartbeat of humanity."

Awards and nominations[edit]

Institution Category Nominee(s) Result
Academy Award Best Costume Design Piero Gherardi Nominated
Best Set Decoration Nominated
David di Donatello Best Actress Giulietta Masina Won
Golden Globe Award Best Foreign Language Film Won
Nastro d'Argento Best Director Federico Fellini Nominated
Best Actress Giulietta Masina Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Sandra Milo Won
Best Cinematography (Color) Gianni Di Venanzo Won
Best Production Design Piero Gherardi Won
Best Production Design Won
National Board of Review Best Foreign Language Film Won
Top Five Foreign Language Films Won
New York Film Critics Circle Best Foreign Language Film Won
Sant Jordi Award Best Foreign Film Federico Fellini Won
Valladolid International Film Festival Special Mention Won

References[edit]

  1. ^"Juliet of the Spirits(15) ".British Board of Film Classification.26 January 1966. Archived fromthe originalon 28 December 2014.Retrieved26 January2013.
  2. ^Fellini 1995,p. 188.
  3. ^Stevenson, Billy (15 October 2016)."Mia of the Spirits: Woody Allen'sAlice(1990) ".Bright Lights Film Journal.Archivedfrom the original on 4 November 2021.Retrieved6 September2020.
  4. ^Ebert, Roger(5 August 2001)."Reviews – Great Movie – Juliet of the Spirits (1965)".RogerEbert.com.Archivedfrom the original on 8 July 2014.Retrieved4 July2014.
  5. ^Cook, Stephen."Nino Rota: Guilletta degli Spiriti [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] – Review".AllMusic.Archivedfrom the original on 22 December 2017.Retrieved17 December2017.
  6. ^Lahr, John(14 November 2005)."The Thin Man – Profile of Steve Buscemi".The New Yorker.Vol. 14 November 2005. p. 80.Archivedfrom the original on 22 December 2017.Retrieved17 December2017.
  7. ^"Juliet of the Spirits".Rotten Tomatoes.Archivedfrom the original on 9 December 2017.Retrieved8 September2023.
  8. ^"Juliet of the Spirits Reviews".Metacritic.Archivedfrom the original on 27 September 2017.Retrieved2 March2018.
  9. ^Holden, Stephen(18 May 2001)."Rediscovering Color in a Fellini Fantasy".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 19 February 2017.Retrieved25 October2016.
  10. ^"Juliet of the Spirits movie review".RogerEbert.com.5 August 2001.Archivedfrom the original on 14 April 2021.Retrieved2 April2021.
  11. ^Thomas, Kevin(29 June 2001)."Fantasy and Spectacle Lend a Timelessness to 'Juliet of the Spirits'".Los Angeles Times.Archived fromthe originalon 23 May 2021.Retrieved23 May2021.
  12. ^Fava, Claudio G.; Viganò, Aldo (1987).I film di Federico Fellini(in Italian). Rome: Gremese Editore. p. 114.

Bibliography[edit]

External links[edit]

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