Satyricon (Fellini)

In SATYRICON, Italian New Wave director Federico Fellini depicts the hedonistic, amoral, pre-Christian world of ancient Rome. Using the unfinished classical writings of Petronius as his guide, Fellini invents a dreamlike culture full of strange, distant characters and odd, grotesque events. Though the film lacks a definitive plot or narrative structure, its constants are Gitone (Max Born) and Encolpius (Martin Potter), whose unsavory encounters with sex, the theater, and religion are the film's focal point. Presenting a loosely structured episodic tale of decadence and depravity in ancient Rome, SATYRICON follows the adventures of two students as they negotiate their way through a variety of mishaps, dangers, and sexual encounters. What results is a bizarre journey through ancient Rome. This story is a perfect example of Fellini's accomplished skill in bringing fantasy to the screen.