May 24th: JULIET OF THE SPIRITS (Federico Fellini, 1965)

A middle-aged housewife goes on a metaphysical journey after discovering her husband's infidelity.

In the mid-1960s, Federico Fellini was arguably the most popular and acclaimed director in the world, with three Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film and a Palme d'Or from the Cannes Film Festival under his belt, coming off the one-two punch of La Dolce Vita and 8½. The latter was partially autobiographical about his own artistic mid-life crisis and subconscious fears and desires, and with his follow-up he would turn the camera towards his wife, actress Giulietta Masina.

The couple's marriage appeared stable but was not without its difficulties, Fellini's own unfaithfulness an open secret. The story would paint his stand-in negatively and urge Masina to seek out happiness elsewhere. In preparation for the film, his first feature in color, the director experimented with LSD, just making its way into the counterculture. Also influencing the work was the couple's obsession with the paranormal, including séances, astrology.

As usual, most of the film was shot at Rome's famed Cinecitta Studios, where Fellini had enough time, space, and money to explore his fantasies, here upping the ante on 8½'s phantasmagorical imagery. That film's cinematographer, Gianni Di Venzano returned to collaborate again. The synthetic material Bri-Nylon was used so heavily in the costumes and sets the company received a prominent screen credit.

Masina is joined in the cast by an assortment of international actors from Germany, the United States,  India, and Spain, as well as Italian actresses Valentina Cortese (François Truffaut's Day For Night) and Fellini's rumored mistress Sandra Milo (8½), who plays multiple roles.

Another returning collaborator is musical score composer Nino Rota (The Godfather). The film was edited by Ruggero Mastroianni, the younger brother of Fellini's favorite actor Marcello Mastroianni.

The film was released to divisive reviews, but Masina won Best Actress honors from the David di Donatello Awards (Italy's film academy), Best Foreign Language Film from the Golden Globe Awards, National Board of Review, and New York Film Critics. The film received Academy Award nominations for its art direction/set decoration and its costume design.

Running time is 2 hrs, 15 min.