A Masterpiece!

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

My adoration for this seemingly out-of-control fantasia of male fears of woman as individual or Love Goddess is somewhat unreasonable; I do not tire of watching City of Women and have subjected others to Fellini's episodic wandering, loaded as it is with spectacular imagery; remarkably, some of them remain my friends. Early Fellini films such as La Strada and Nights of Cabiria are really fairly conventional films with unconventional characters, easy to follow and memorable for leading characters such as Gelsomina or Cabiria. In the early 1960's, Fellini experimented with drugs and underwent extensive psychoanalysis and the results of experimentation were reflected in his films, which became more personal visions and while delighting some viewers, frustrated others for their lack of linear narrative.City of Women is one of those, jammed with bizarre imagery, full of often peculiar fantasies, as it follows the Fellini stand-in, Snaporaz, as he cuts a train journey short to follow a female conquest into a world that he has never considered, a world where women dominate, a world that addresses many male anxieties and fears, a dream world full of nightmares. I first saw this film in 1980, and thought it only fair; with the passage of time I think it has only become more relevant to male-female relationships, and the imagery, in contrast with most pallid films made today, visually electrifying. While realizing that others may react in critical horror, my vote for this Fellini is "Nine"!

Continuing my Fellini quest, I found City of Women to be interesting. It is not my favourite Fellini, the pace feels sluggish at times and it is rather shrill and unsubtle in tone. On the other hand, Fellini directs beautifully with his distinctive style most evident. City of Women is visually stunning in scenery, costumes and cinematography. The music is full of cheerful energy and nostalgia, while in terms of writing the autobiographical aspects are interesting, the self-parody and satirical aspects are funny and the dream aspects are appropriately dream-like and in an enchanting way. The story shines with the personal and nostalgic style that is so distinctive of Fellini. The acting is fine, especially from the ever compelling Marcello Mastroianni, though his performances in La Dolce Vita and 8 1/2 are even better.All in all, interesting but I personally would have preferred more subtlety. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Although I have recently watched some of Fellini's most famous films, after seeing this one, I drew a conclusion that CITY OF WOMEN can hardly be compared to any other movie from the Italian director. Since hardly any of Fellini's works leads us so intensely into the director's surreal world, into a tunnel of his erotic fantasies and lustful desires. At hardly any other moment, Fellini appeared to create such a satire on society, on decadence, on contradictions as well as on the established order like "the institution of the family." Moreover, Fellini seldom got as erotic as here, and strangely as critical of women. Yet, despite all the diverse characteristics of the movie, can CITY OF WOMEN be called a valuable work? Most importantly, it is necessary to say that if you feel ready to see it, please keep in mind one fact: CITY OF WOMEN is not for everyone. Because of its ambiguous nature, this film is for the minority of movie buffs and, moreover, it does not appeal to all Fellini buffs. On the one hand, the movie is a witty, hilarious satire with moments that make you split your sides. On the other hand, it is a sort of "clothed pornography" or "pornography with hardly any nakedness". Everything appears to be around sex and lust executed in more or less "tasteful" excesses. Let me analyze that in more details.Humans (both men and women) are reduced to the carnal aspect of existence. Feminists want to create a world without male dominance, detest penetration and highly criticize "fellocracy". Marijuana-induced generation of teenage girls aim at good fun and fast driving in trance. But not all characters are female characters since, according to an alleged proverb "these are men whose minds are absorbed by sex." There are two men in CITY OF WOMEN: the main character Snaporaz (Marcello Mastroianni) and his opposite counterpart Katzone (Ettore Manni). The former one is rather decent, still "normal" and "appropriate" male who searches the ideal woman. His "city of women" is idealistic and exists in his inner self, in his mind the climax of which is the ideal woman. The latter one is a true "conqueror", a male with excesses, with a number of women he has conquered by flesh. His "city of women" is more materialistic. It appears to be his villa of vibration, of fantasy, of decadence which is, at the same time, a tribute to lust and his marvelous vitality. He calls himself "Sanctus Crosfallus." Therefore, CITY OF WOMEN does not have much to do with LA STRADA where Fellini showed us a moving story, 8 1/2 or GIULIETTA DEGLI SPIRITI where he supplied us with an insight into a psyche, a person's struggles, fears and memories or even with LA DOLCE VITA where Fellini, despite all this immorality of sweet life, drew our attention to contradictory freshness. Here, there isn't much to say about the content and character development except for one thing: what their sexual life is...However, that superiority of depravity in CITY OF WOMEN does not mean that there are no similarities with other Fellini movies. After all, it is still Fellini in CITY OF WOMEN. The similarity has to do with three aspects: characters, Felliniesque nature combined with symbols and the unpredictable content.There are characters that resemble the ones from Fellini's earlier films. It is, first of all, Snaporaz who, like Guido in 8 1/2 (in both Marcello Mastroianni) copes with the madness of the world that surrounds him and tries to figure out his inner self. Katzone, though a male character, reminds me of Suzy in GIULIETTA DEGLI SPIRITI (memorably portrayed by Sandra Milo) with the weirdest ideas filled with erotic fantasies. Elena, Snaporaz' wife/mistress through her words "I am neither your nanny nor your mum" reminds me of Emma in LA DOLCE VITA who wanted to be a mother and a whore. The feminists remind me of the group of people visiting Giulietta and girls driving cars in trance of Marcello's friends in LA DOLCE VITA.Felliniesque nature of the movie is resembled in a reality blended with a fantasy. All occurs to be a dream, yet it is so powerful to feel this. Memories come at any moment and affect our subconscious sphere. This has to do with symbols. Police appears to represent the established order which is contrasted with Katzone, his house, his party as a symbol of sexual anarchy. A ladder that Snaporaz climbs symbolizes effort to achieve, effort to climb the bounds of reality. Storm appears to me as unstable desires and temporal nature of lust. Finally, train occurs to be a monotonous journey of life.Unpredictable action is revealed particularly at the end but also throughout the movie where we do not know constantly what is ahead of us, like it is the case with the future. That is something Fellini could do very well and he does not reject it in CITY OF WOMEN.Yet, at the end of my comment, let me come back to the question I asked at the beginning: is CITY OF WOMEN a valuable film, something you watch and are bound to remember? Unfortunately, I don't think so. It is rather a harmful and confusing movie which does not have much to offer, something even Fellini buffs criticize. If you overdo with something, you are bound to fail. And that is what defines the director's fault in this case. CITY OF WOMEN overdoes with the alleged belief that humans are only carnal creatures. Fellini shouldn't have skipped the spiritual sphere of mankind. Yes, CITY OF WOMEN indeed leads us into the tunnel of lustful fantasies. But tunnel is darkness and art is not there to lead us to darkness but rather out of it, to the spiritual horizons of light and beauty. Unfortunately, Fellini in his later years, totally forgot about that significant truth. 4/10

A number of fascinating sequences and a few interesting ideas keep this film afloat when the other element do not work out. The film makes it quite clear within the first hour that what we are witnessing is a dream, and the sets, costumes and hues all reflect a dreamlike state very well. But, we know little of our protagonist before he falls asleep, nor do we see much that he has done, and therefore it becomes all rather meaningless - just a collection of thoughts, rather than anything relating to the "real world". Still, it is certainly quite interesting to watch, as one never knows just what will happen next. The film has a very intriguing screenplay, if not much else, and Marcello Mastroianni is rather good, if not great, in the lead. It is not a brilliant piece of work, especially coming from such a highly praised director, but it is an interesting film, with a gripping dreamlike quality.