Plot

A fluid, unconnected and sometimes chaotic procession of scenes detailing the various people and events of life in Italy's capital, most of it based on director Federico Fellini's life.

A virtually plotless, gaudy, impressionistic portrait of Rome through the eyes of one of its most famous citizens, blending autobiography (a reconstruction of Fellini's own arrival in Rome during the Mussolini years; a trip to a brothel and a music-hall) with scenes from present-day Roman life (a massive traffic jam on the autostrada; a raucous journey through Rome after dark; following an archaeological team through the site of the Rome subways; an unforgettable ecclesiastical fashion show).—Michael Brooke <michael@everyman.demon.co.uk>

Federico Fellini pays homage to his adopted hometown of Rome through the presentation of a series of vignettes. Many of those vignettes are autobiographical, relating to his own early memories of Rome, from incidents at school, watching a movie at the cinema, a visit to the city when he was 18 and stayed with the Palletta family, attending a provincial theater performance, and visits to different types of brothels. He provides a view of the experience of people just arriving to the city for the first time via the highways into the city. During present day, he shows the dichotomy between Rome's rich artistic and religious history against the modernism occurring in different facets. And he celebrates the people, whether they be longtime residents, people who came never to leave, or those just passing through.—Huggo