Three hours of glorious hallucination and imagery fireworks - Fellini's Casanova

Posted by Victor Khomenko (M) on December 31, 2005 at 07:55:29

I have never been on LSD, but imagine it must be just like watching that film... according to some accounts.

A real treat - Il Casanova di Federico Fellini on Sundance channel last night!

It helps if one already loves Fellini when watching this film, otherwise a severe sensory overload will result. But if you love the master's style, this will be the evening to remember.

Too much... is easy to say. I had to take a break, one simply can't sustain the level of visual strain without doing so, in my view. In that regard it is similar to the Prospero's Book, except this one is so much more fun it eventually saves the day, while in the Greenaway's case the OFF button is your only salvation.

One would be hard, VERY hard press to call it a masterpiece in the true sense of the world. Its middle is charmingly too long, with scenes not too connected and each one not necessarily contributing to anything besides the sheer visual enjoyment, so cutting one full hour would seem an easy task, turning this somewhat overweight whale into an elegant, biting and incredibly stylish piece. But who are we to second-guess the titan - he left us with that work to either enjoy or disdain, and I am sure he is smiling from his grave at us trying to figure it all out.

So don't even try. Accept it for what it is, for it provides so much and in so dense a package that it is easy to choke on it. Take a break from it every now and then, but definitely come back to finish, as the ending is incredibly beautiful, and represents a sudden zigzag in the film's otherwise direct plot and narration... you must catch the moment of that suddent turn, as there is incredible beauty in it.

Poetic doesn't even begin to describe many moments in it, the ending in particular.

Perhaps not something we would put next to the best films ever made, but something we should be grateful exists, as life would be whole lot poorer without such feasts.

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Topic - Three hours of glorious hallucination and imagery fireworks - Fellini's Casanova - Victor Khomenko 07:55:29 12/31/05 (13)

Re: Three hours of glorious hallucination and imagery fireworks - Fellini's Casanova - halfnote 21:34:32 01/02/06 (0)

I vaguely remember sitting through Casanova and The Ship Sails On . . can't remember which made me the sleepiest . . . - mr grits 20:55:45 01/01/06 (0)

I've always loved this film... - Harmonia 18:34:42 12/31/05 (0)

Re: Three hours of glorious hallucination and imagery fireworks - Fellini's Casanova - patrickU 10:48:43 12/31/05 (4)

I liked him - Victor Khomenko 11:35:56 12/31/05 (3)

Re: I liked him - patrickU 11:49:51 12/31/05 (2)

Re: I liked him - Victor Khomenko 12:05:17 12/31/05 (1)

Re: I liked him - patrickU 12:33:53 12/31/05 (0)

Grey poupon on a bottle rocket? You'll eat anything, ...apparently! (nt) - Audiophilander 10:00:02 12/31/05 (0)

Huh! No CGI. Feh! So much for "sheer visual enjoyment" and "imagery fireworks". nt - clarkjohnsen 09:02:36 12/31/05 (3)

Sorry, Master! Eight hours of LoTR for me now! I repent! - Victor Khomenko 09:14:49 12/31/05 (2)

They wasn't yer balls y'know. nt - clarkjohnsen 09:50:05 12/31/05 (1)

But you sure you didn't miss your target... that being too small? - Victor Khomenko 10:19:50 12/31/05 (0)

You can not post to an archived thread.