GertrudeStern There's that moment when you're very exhausted before sleep, maybe you're intoxicated or just overworked and underloved. Vivid images surface in the mind's eye. That's Juliet of the Spirits. Fellini touches the senses with both hands -- playing with light and color, things appear unexpectedly, and right when you expect them, they vanish. Everything moves quickly, with opulence.The eponymous Juliet lives a comfortable financial life, but that's about all that's comfortable. Her mom is a certified ice queen and her dad is a nut. Women around her are always losing weight at the behest of "directors", she has a blonde neighbor who oozes sex and all Juliet wants is to get the glow back in her eyes. Her husband, though good-natured enough, is busy and distracted, and worse, he says the name of another woman while sleeping -- the haunting syllables, "Gabriella".Then, Bishma, a clairvoyant, rolls into town. Juliet is summoned to Bishma alone with the question of her husband's fidelity. I had high hopes for the Bishma, but they turned out to be kind of a sub-par prophet, telling Juliet that she needs to please her husband better and suggesting a pair of black fishnets. Juliet holds her own until she loses it and starts having visions of pulse-quickening women in ceiling swings and atop horses. She does get a heartening omen upon her final exit from Bishma's pad: "a good and beautiful change will come tonight".Turns out Bishma is not the false prophet one might have thought. A handsome stranger shows up in Juliet's garden and prepares an elixir -- sangria -- which the Bishma name dropped in their final word. Juliet finds a cat with a bow around it's neck. She adopts some artistic, spiritual and sexual advisors who make her ride bikes through the rain. Her visions grow ever more powerful. She experiences things; she gets liberated.Juliet of the Spirits is a circus. You're in for tons of delightfully frilly headgear, impertinent canoodling, quoting of Lorca, private investigators, catholic-guilt-driven apparitions and magic telescopes. Very nice on the eyes.

TheAnimalMother A reincarnation of the Buddha is said to have described himself as being, "like the moon upon the water...a reflection. Think of me as your self." He said. Many ancient sages have spoke and been written of seeing The One, the holy God of eternity while looking, gazing, or meditating into a river or pond. For just as God separated the light from the darkness. Fellini too has created his own deep symbolic reflections of the Unfathomable One. Some say that this film, 'Giullietta degli spiriti' is the feminine partner of Federico's previous film 8 1/2. 'An Ode To No One', and 'An Ode To One'. Like two mirrors, the two films reflect the Eternal Lovers in Their breaking, and in Their embrace. Fellini's dialogue and metaphors show a great understanding of The Self, The Divine Marriage, The Sacred Mystery. Fellini is one of the few modern artists who greatly understood the purpose and very nature of art itself. All art imitates life, sure, but human life also is merely an interpretation of that which is truly real. It is obvious by Fellini's work that he himself created his art in order to become more real, to become closer to truth. He created in order to see with more depth and to share this with others. Fellini undoubtedly understood the logic in the seemingly illogical words of the great William Blake when he said "If the doors of perception were truly cleansed, everything would appear as it truly is - infinite.". Fellini understood that all art imitates life, but even more so, he understood that all art imitates the Divine. He also understood that only through this kind of conscious introspection can one become closer and closer to our own True Infinite Nature. People who do not follow spiritual disciplines, or who do not know the work of Carl Jung, or who do not have a good understanding of ancient sacred scripture, will likely miss much of the depth in this film. However that is not to say that those people still won't enjoy it. This is the work of a Divinely inspired genius. Some watch this film and are dazzled by the great colour and flamboyant spectacle of it (And why wouldn't you be?), however truly it is the interweaving of dialogue and relationships that speak even louder than the amazing visuals. "For those who have ears, let them hear!"10/10

jzappa Fellini fascinates me because there have never been any other films like his. As with the rest of his work that I've seen, with Juliet of the Spirits, he is cotton-dry, avoiding any intimacy or tenderness, his story is very abstract and must be told in the most purely cinematic sense. Fellini's extremely talented wife, Giulietta Masina, plays the title role, a mysterious nod to her own name. Giulietta explores her subconscious, having wild dreams, and finds herself partaking in the peculiar daily life of her neighbor, sexy Sandra Milo, trying to escape from the drearily tedious days she passes as the wife of her womanizing husband who oppresses her (perhaps based on Fellini himself, the connection that perhaps can be made between the familiarization of the title role with Masina herself?).The journey Giulietta takes is a psychologically elevating one, as she comes to know herself completely by working through her desires and demons, and Fellini takes us through it with some of the most inarguably beautiful cinematography I have ever seen in my life. The emboldened colors are given to great schemes and themes and his extended takes capturing constant activity result in incredible steadicam and panning shots.The largest role played in the film however is Fellini, the key to whose mystique lies in the distance he keeps between himself and the audience. So, he continues to beguile me as it's difficult to let this movie go once it's over.

dbborroughs A woman daydreams has visions and contemplates leaving her cheating husband.I first saw this in a high school film class. I had no idea what to make of it. It seemed to me mystical strangeness of a highly personal sort. This wouldn't be surprising since Giulietta Masina, the star of the film was Fellini's wife. This seemed to be a more obtuse companion to Fellini's 8 1/2. Seeing it again for the first time in 25 or so years I'm left feeling that its mystical strangeness of a highly personal sort. Its very much of the time and place (European cinema in the mid 1960's) and I can't see it as anything more than that. The film to me seems very manufactured rather than organic. There seems to be no sense of reality, just artistic compositions- look at any sequence, the opening where Juliet never looks at the camera, the beach where everyone is perfectly placed- and its tableau not real scenes. I know thats the point that the film is a reflection of Juliet's state of mind, but at the same time its so arch and reaching for meaning it becomes almost laughable. I remember having discussions about the film and what each bit mean. I'm not sure any of the pieces really mean anything.I always had fond memories of this film. I remember liking it more than 8 1/2, and arguing that the film is more hopeful (a view that was not held by my teacher). Seeing it now I see it as incredibly sad. Here's a woman who is so stuck in her world that she can't see to leave. Its a story thats happens everyday, but isn't as earth shaking now since this is a story of when that was not really done (especially in Italy at the time). I don't think I will have such fond memories after this viewing.Interestingly looking at the film for the first time in years I was struck by a complete understanding of why Fellini has fallen out of favor in many people's eyes. To be certain he turned out many great films, but at the same time he developed a quirkiness that while producing visually arresting films, also made a bunch that made you wonder what he was up to. This is one of those that make me wonder what he was up to.5 out of ten for the odd bits that work and because Fellini was a master, even if he's fallen out of favor