"I want a woman!" ~ Uncle Teo

The title "Amarcord" has been rendered in English as "I Remember," and quite rightly this a very personal reminisce about the past of writer-director Federico Fellini. It focuses on the 1930s when he was growing up in the Italian village of Rimini and Fascism was on the rise in Italy. By now, having seen seven of his films, I think I have a pretty good idea of what to expect from the "Maestro."

Typical of Fellini, the film is episodic, reflecting memories of childhood fantasies as well as real events and people. There are the schoolboy pranks, the meals and bickering at home, the youthful crush on the town beauty, and the allure of the local prostitute. Local rituals and a bonfire mark the advent of Spring. There is confession, a family outing to the country with a crazy uncle, a memorable snowfall, a death, a funeral, a wedding.

These are just a few of Fellini's remembrances, the crucible of his adolescence and the source of his imagination. Many of the scenes will seem familiar -- reflections of sequences seen in his other films. But there is a wonderful care given here, as if he had come to terms with his personal history and embraced it for all its pain and love and wisdom and folly.

To me, this is not one of the Maestro's master works, but it is a lovely sentimental journey to an era and a place that are special to him. He was only 53 when he made this and would live another two decades, making seven more features, but this feels a lot like a memoir, and it is humorous, poignant and bittersweet, all at the same time.

I might note that although the Criterion Collection offers an option to view this in dubbed English, I chose the original Italian dialog with subtitles. I really don't like dubbing, especially for languages like Italian, which contain so much easily understood emotion.

Part of my 5 Directors x 5 Unseen Films (2) challenge.