Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #34923 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-10-01
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Color, DVD-Video, Letterboxed, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English, Italian
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 123 minutes

Amazon.ca
Federico Fellini's final film to win an Oscar is a fascinating mix of nostalgia, allegory, and larger-than-life outrageousness, and Criterion has assembled a package that pays tribute to every facet. The stellar assortment of supplements includes a trailer, sketches by the filmmaker, deleted footage, an interview with the still effervescent star Magali Noël, and a nonstop commentary track by Italian cinema scholars Peter Brunette and Frank Burke that manages to be both extremely informative and dryly funny. (The director's growing infatuations with rude bodily functions and exaggerated female forms do not go unremarked.) Most essential, however, might be the inclusion of a 45-minute documentary featuring interviews with a number of Fellini's childhood friends, some of whom were surprised to find themselves depicted in the film in exaggerated form. Taken as a whole, it paints a fascinating picture of a sly, continually slippery artist who, in the words of one participant, did everything possible to wipe out his own autobiography and invent another one. --Andrew Wright

Additional Features
Fellini's Amarcord is a surrealistic carnival celebrating the splendor of youth. The pleasures of Amarcord lie in its visual and aural expression and Criterion's wonderful restoration presents these attributes in spades. Though a little short on extras, this RSDL, digital transfer, in its 1.85 widescreen format (letterbox) makes for an extremely satisfying experience. The audio is presented in its original Italian monoaural format with an English dubbed option. The new subtitle translation is a lot better than any past release of Amarcord, as is the English dubbing. As with most Fellini films, the Italian is dubbed, so neither the Italian nor the English are the actors' original voices. Along with Nights of Cabiria and La Dolce Vita, Amarcord is an excellent introduction to Fellini, and this Criterion DVD is without a doubt the best version available. --Rob Bracco

Amazon.com Essential Video
Federico Fellini's 1974 fantasy-memoir of life in his hometown during the Fascist era is basically the full palette of experience--sex, families, politics--with his surreal twist. As a general picture of the 1930s community carrying on rituals but with an element of government harshness in the air, the film is quite memorable (especially in scenes set around the town square). Less satisfying is Fellini's tighter focus on certain, forgettable individuals. The ironic title translates into, "I remember," but here memory is more a matter of loving vision than actuality. The DVD release has a widescreen presentation, theatrical trailer, Dolby sound, optional Italian and English soundtracks, and Italian soundtrack with English subtitles. --Tom Keogh