The movie largely consists of the nostalgic and plotless interactions of these mildly eccentric small town characters. But we know that Italy, as a nation, was then in the grips of fascist dictator Mussolini. And, indeed, fascism makes an appearance midway through the film, most memorably as an enormous two-dimensional head that marries the overweight kid, Fernando De Felice, to his lost cause crush, Donatella Gambini. Then its specter is gone, and from then on it is as if Rimini is detached from the rest of the world.
How others will see it. Much praise has been lavished on Amarcord. It received two major Oscar nominations, and Woody Allen has cited it among his favorite films. In typical Fellini fashion, atmosphere is more important than plot, such that the only consequential things that happen in the entire film occur in the final scenes (a death, and to make things more pleasant, a wedding).
A lack of action, subtitles, a near-absence of hot young women, and a setting remote from American culture combine to keep this film inaccessible to most viewers on this side of the Atlantic. Those interested in art will find it here, and those who think vulgar sex and fart jokes are funny will also be pleased.
How I felt about it. The rest of us, who seek characters instead of caricatures, may be slightly disappointed. But only slightly, since even the most famous Fellini films, such as 8 1/2, fail to live up to their hype, and were seen prior to the present film. Amarcord is actually more conventional than most Fellini efforts. Events occur in chronological order, and there are no prolonged dream sequences.
It is thematically consistent, especially from the perspective of a middle school student. Authority figures such as stern teachers, priests, historians, and fathers are nuisances to be ridiculed. Love is out of reach. Sex is possible, but it will end in embarrassing fashion. The body parts of women are worthy of obsession, while their souls are not.
What is lacking, relative to great films, is tension. Nothing menaces, not even Mussolini. There is no quest, no character development, and little adventure. What we do have is a plethora of minor characters, none of which is memorable except for Teo, the mad uncle who climbs a tree and drops rocks on the heads of his would-be rescuers.