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

Version of Alice (1946)

User Reviews

Fantasy informing and transforming reality.

One of Fellini's most accessible films (his use of color really helps), he once again plays reality against an active fantasy life... fantasies that combine memory, fears, fleeting desires and the way we imagine the lives of others. For me, one of the things that makes a film 10 star is that it provides something that only film can provide, and this is it; while the presentation is very theatrical, this quick intercutting of time/memory/mood can only be done in film.

While the overall message is a very conservative (pre/anti-feminist) one of it's day, Fellini DOES liberate a woman's fantasy life, and this is the essence of his leading "little woman." The predominant action of the film is in her imagination.

This was the day when middle/upper class Italian women did not work, and Masina represents the "good little woman." Rich enough to have servants, there was little to occupy her time or mind, other than similar friends who have veered to the outre and weird just to have something to do. Masina's character searches more internally, and her fantasies color her vision of the lives of others. (Note that her usual circle of friends are equated with a fantasy of death, and you'll be clued into her psyche as these begin.)

I think you have to have lived a bit to "get" Fillini - I didn't like his work when I was younger - I love this. Also note his use of color as "percieved color" not literal color and this is worth many viewings.

And finally, if you are a larger woman... nothing makes you feel so great about being a large woman as watching Fellini's glorious Amazons!