Saturday, February 25, 2006

Petronius Eat Your Heart Out

What can one say about Fellini's Satyricon (1969). It's crazy. Which I think is what one would expect from something that is "freely" adapted from Petronius' Satyrica (an ancient Latin work composed during the reign of the Roman Emperor Nero). Having recently read the work, I think made it easier to follow, but one doesn't have to read it to enjoy it. The film is delightfully colorful and imaginative. One might get lost in the plot, but it isn't really about the plot so much as about a colorful, rich complex depiction of the world of the Satyricon. This movie has everything from a gladiatorial duel with a man dressed as a Minotaur to the eating of a man as his last will and testament. All the while being inundated with images that are fascinating to see.

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