Federico Fellini's Amarcord is a vivacious tale of a year in the life of a young man on the cusp of manhood. It is also about Borgo, the seaside town he resides in (based on the real-life Rimini where Fellini grew up), and all of its bizarre, quirky inhabitants. But there is not much of a traditional narrative structure. Amarcord is more a series of vibrant images, the kind that resides in your childhood memory, with little to link them together. This seems to be what Fellini specializes in: aesthetically unique visuals strung together more by proximity rather than plot. Even without something to glue the vignettes together, there is still a surprising thematic unity. The overarching seasonal changes also help to tie the stories together and brings the finale back to the start.
Technically, Fellini is as good as he ever was. The cinematography is beautiful, the editing is tight, and the acting is spot-on. And it is a pleasure to watch, with some surprising scenes (the tobacconist) and some poignant ones (the eccentric uncle). The movie reminded me a lot of Cinema Paradiso, one of my all-time favorite films, but simply doesn't reach the same power or meaning for me. I know they were made with different intents and it is perhaps unreasonable to compare the two, but Cinema Paradiso is definitely more my kind of movie. Still, Amarcord is an impressive film for many reasons and definitely goes highly recommended by me.IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071129/