Juliet of the Spirits (1965)

Let's be realistic.

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Juliet of the Spirits makes more sense to me now that I can go back and rewatch and remind myself of earlier, confusing scenes, and characters who appeared and disappeared. Fellini made movies meant for DVR, only he maybe didn't know it that DVR would come to be. I recommend seeing Juliet of the Spirits once every 15 to 20 years. That's how often I've seen it. It is all about maintaining your dignity as you age and the world goes crazy around you, everyone trying to retain some piece of their former youthfulness in clownish and ghastly ways, while Juliet, the amazing Mrs. Fellini, walks through live and gazes upon it true to yourself. Spoiler alert: the last scene, when Juliet walks out of the fake sets and fake nature of a Fellini picture, and into the reality of an actual landscape (a curated landscape though it is), is timeless, worth watching over and over again.

The much underestimated and overshadowed by other masterpieces by Federico Fellini,"Juliet and the Spirits" is , nevertheless, another landmark in the brilliant career of Fellini himself and his wonderful wife, staunch supporter and source of inspiration, Julietta Masina. She plays a role of an ideal wife: devoted to home , caring and loving companion,loyal ( to the extreme)spouse,etc.But the point is, she always feels inferior to those , who surround her,be it her beautiful, but iceberg-cold mother,her glamorous sisters,or just people with whom she rubs shoulders.More than that, everyone tries to "help" her with advice to enjoy life to the fullest, to try something new and exciting, etc. And she tries her best to change herself, to be on par with her companions, and she does not realize that she is ten times better than all of them.Their lives are empty and fake ( even the way they hug and kiss each other when parting is the best example), and she is , though naive and simple,quite real. At last she leaves that world of hypocrisy, liberating her true self, shedding the bonds of illusory marriage and fake friendships.

Whenever one looks at their watch while watching a movie, that's a sure sign that there is a problem with the movie. It's a long movie made to seem even longer when one has to deal with subtitles. In all fairness, a movie should be judged in its own language or when dubbed; not when one has to read subtitles. With that understanding, this movie is critiqued. The movie attempts to dramatize the plight of a middle aged mousy looking woman who is experiencing some kind of personal crisis involving her husband. Although the premise generates interest it is dramatically a dud. In trying to seek the truth the woman experiences all kinds of visions and has flashbacks recalling people in her life, all of whom are caricatures. The caricatures are very amusing, which is a part of the movie which is charming, and the husband, who is really quite likable, is revealed for what he is, a cheat. Yet the movie is dramatically flat due in part to the leading lady who, although quite likable, simply is a blank. The movie is beautifully photographed. If you want a movie with a great cast, this is it. If you want a movie about marital faithlessness, skip it. Actually, at second thought, the movie doesn't work because Juliet is so frumpy looking that it's not surprising that her handsome husband would stray.

A woman daydreams has visions and contemplates leaving her cheating husband.I first saw this in a high school film class. I had no idea what to make of it. It seemed to me mystical strangeness of a highly personal sort. This wouldn't be surprising since Giulietta Masina, the star of the film was Fellini's wife. This seemed to be a more obtuse companion to Fellini's 8 1/2. Seeing it again for the first time in 25 or so years I'm left feeling that its mystical strangeness of a highly personal sort. Its very much of the time and place (European cinema in the mid 1960's) and I can't see it as anything more than that. The film to me seems very manufactured rather than organic. There seems to be no sense of reality, just artistic compositions- look at any sequence, the opening where Juliet never looks at the camera, the beach where everyone is perfectly placed- and its tableau not real scenes. I know thats the point that the film is a reflection of Juliet's state of mind, but at the same time its so arch and reaching for meaning it becomes almost laughable. I remember having discussions about the film and what each bit mean. I'm not sure any of the pieces really mean anything.I always had fond memories of this film. I remember liking it more than 8 1/2, and arguing that the film is more hopeful (a view that was not held by my teacher). Seeing it now I see it as incredibly sad. Here's a woman who is so stuck in her world that she can't see to leave. Its a story thats happens everyday, but isn't as earth shaking now since this is a story of when that was not really done (especially in Italy at the time). I don't think I will have such fond memories after this viewing.Interestingly looking at the film for the first time in years I was struck by a complete understanding of why Fellini has fallen out of favor in many people's eyes. To be certain he turned out many great films, but at the same time he developed a quirkiness that while producing visually arresting films, also made a bunch that made you wonder what he was up to. This is one of those that make me wonder what he was up to.5 out of ten for the odd bits that work and because Fellini was a master, even if he's fallen out of favor