And the Ship Sails On (1983)

In 1914, a luxury ship leaves Italy in order to scatter the ashes of a famous opera singer. A lovable bumbling journalist chronicles the voyage and meets the singer's many eccentric friends and admirers.

Director:

Federico Fellini

Writers:

Federico Fellini (story), Tonino Guerra (story)

Stars:

Freddie Jones, Barbara Jefford, Victor Poletti

11 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Freddie Jones	...	Orlando
Barbara Jefford	...	Ildebranda Cuffari
Victor Poletti	...	Aureliano Fuciletto
Peter Cellier	...	Sir Reginald J. Dongby
Elisa Mainardi	...	Teresa Valegnani
Norma West	...	Lady Violet Dongby Albertini
Paolo Paoloni	...	Il Maestro Albertini
Sarah-Jane Varley	...	Dorotea
Fiorenzo Serra	...	Il Granduca
Pina Bausch	...	La Principessa Lherimia
Pasquale Zito	...	Il Conte di Bassano
Linda Polan	...	Ines Ruffo Saltini
Philip Locke	...	Il Primo Ministro
Jonathan Cecil	...	Ricotin
Maurice Barrier	...	Ziloev

Storyline

In July 1914 a luxury cruise ship leaves Italy with the ashes of the famous opera singer Tetua. The boat is filled with her friends, opera singers, actors and all kinds of exotic people. Life is sweet the first days, but on the third day the captain has to save a a large number of Serbian refugees from the sea, refugees who has escaped the first tremors of WWI.

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Plot Keywords:

singer | opera | refugee | sea | ship | 

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Genres:

Drama | History | Music

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian German Serbian Russian

Release Date:

7 October 1983 (Italy)

Also Known As:

And the Ship Sails On

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rai 1, Vides Produzione, Gaumont

Technical Specs

Runtime:

132 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film is part of the Criterion Collection, spine #50.

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Quotes

Orlando: Pum pum? The mountain's mouth? But it's a volcano's mouth. We're sitting on a volcano's mouth. Now I understood the metaphor! A tragedy.

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Connections

Featured in Autumn of the Magician (2009)

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Soundtracks

Va' pensiero
from 'Nabucco'
Composed by Giuseppe Verdi

User Reviews

A gallery of Europeans before the volcano erupts.

"E la nave va" is one of the best films made by Fellini, which I see as the best film director ever. Just two personal comments about it. First, I have seen it in 1985, when in Romania a dark dictatorship saved hard currency by preventing foreign films to be imported. It was presented during a festival arranged by the Italian Embassy. Combine the local cultural desert and the post-modern style of this film and you'll understand why, after the film ended, I wanted to have just a walk-on part on it. My wife just proposed to pay the projectionist to run it again. The second comment is about a strange premonition Fellini had about the conflict in Serbia/Yougoslavia. Each time I see "E la nave va", I'm deeply moved about the ending, masterly contrasting bold opera music and the vanishing of a certain Europe.