Juliet of the Spirits (1965)
"Giulietta degli spiriti" (original title)

Visions, memories, and mysticism all help a 40-something woman to find the strength to leave her cheating husband.

Director:

Federico Fellini

Writers:

Federico Fellini (story), Tullio Pinelli (story),

Stars:

Giulietta Masina, Sandra Milo, Mario Pisu

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Giulietta Masina	...	Giulietta Boldrini
Sandra Milo	...	Suzy / Iris / Fanny
Mario Pisu	...	Giorgio (Giulietta's husband)
Valentina Cortese	...	Valentina
Valeska Gert	...	Pijma
José Luis de Vilallonga	...	Giorgio's friend (as José De Villalonga)
Friedrich von Ledebur	...	Medium (as Fredrich Ledebur)
Caterina Boratto	...	Giulietta's mother
Lou Gilbert	...	Grandfather
Luisa Della Noce	...	Adele
Silvana Jachino	...	Dolores
Milena Vukotic	...	Elisabetta - the maid
Fred Williams	...	Lynx-Eyes' agent
Dany París	...	Desperate friend
Anne Francine	...	Psychodramatist

Storyline

Juliet lives in a beautiful house by the ocean. Her sisters, and especially her Mother overshadow her with their beauty. She is a spiritual, superstitious and naive woman. She visits a psychic seer who tells her she must follow the sex trade in order to be happy. Not long after she meets her eccentric and sexy neighbour, Suzy, who, by all counts appears to be a high class prostitute and encourages Juilet into sexual acts which make her guilty and nervous. A rare night when her husband is at home she wakes up to catch him talking to another woman on the phone. He calls out the name "Gabriella" while sleeping, but when she questions him he lies his way out of it. She finds out who Gabriella is and fears her husband will leave her. Juliet begins having visions who accuse and terrorize her. The pinnacle of the visions comes at the end where it is implied she realizes she would be better off without her husband and is ultimately emotionally emancipated.

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Plot Keywords:

vision | eccentric | sex | memory | psychic | 

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Taglines:

Fellini's Masterpiece !

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian French

Release Date:

3 November 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

Juliet of the Spirits

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$1,524 (USA) (15 June 2001)

Gross:

$78,550 (USA) (3 August 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rizzoli Film, Francoriz Production

Technical Specs

Runtime:

137 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Federico Fellini claimed he took LSD in preparation for making this film.

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Quotes

Giorgio: Jose owns one of the biggest bull farms. Sometimes at night this madman puts on his own bullfight.
Giulietta Boldrini: What courage! Isn't it dangerous?
Giorgio's friend: No, signora, it's poetry. Poetry is never dangerous. My best friends are toreadors. They compose music, write verse, and abhor blood.

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Connections

Referenced in Antonioni: Documents and Testimonials (1966)

User Reviews

35mm restoration, brilliant in color and Fellini style.

This is the first Fellini movie I ever saw and I just recently viewed the 35mm restored re-release. How beautiful. Fellini captures such wonderful dream-like sequences in brilliant color. Phenomenal! Every scene had such a distinct personality and mood to it. His blend of high and low key lighting, especially in the exposition carries the storyline. Giulietta's associated score is disturbing yet intriguing. The wardrobe and makeup department must have had lots of fun on this film. If you have yet to see a Fellini movie, I suggest this one. A bit creepy, a bit weird, but nonetheless it has a purpose. A tight narrative.