Criterion Collection, c1999. In 1914, a colorful melange of celebrities embark on a luxury liner for a funeral voyage for a dead opera star. An allegorical film blending spectacle, humour, poignance and grotesquerie that is told from the viewpoint of a journalist on board. Culver City, CA . An adaptation of the Petronius classic recreating the bawdy and lecherous days of Nero's reign in ancient Rome - a universe unconcerned with human dignity and obsessed with perverse sex.
Film is also an allegorical satire of the self-indulgence of modern history.
A. Juliet of the spirits. Juliet, fearing her husband is having an affair, finds she can conjure up spirits who lead her into a life of sensual gratification. Here Fellini's examination of the sexual psyche unfolds via his surrealistic use of abrupt cut-aways to illustrate her sexual fantasies. Lights of variety Variety lights . She becomes the center of attraction for the company, but she deserts them all for a more upscale show.