"The Voice of the Moon"** 1\2 (out of ****)
A character says he prefers to remember than to be living. I have a feeling that was a sentiment shared by the movie's director, the great Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini.
Nostalgia is not the main theme of Fellini's "The Voice of the Moon" (1990) however nostalgia has always been prominent in the films of Fellini. Remember this is a man that directed a movie called "Amarcord" (1973) which is translated into English as meaning "I remember". At the time Fellini directed "The Voice of the Moon" the master was nearing the end of his distinguished career. It wasn't uncommon for Fellini to make movies looking backwards. There was "Ginger and Fred" (1986) and what I feel was Fellini's last masterpiece, "Intervista" (1987, though released in American in 1993).
"The Voice of the Moon" could be interpreted as being directed by a different Fellini. It lacks some of the joy found in "Amarcord", "Juliet of the Spirits" (1965) and "The White Sheik" (1952). That's because this Fellini wasn't in a joyful mood. He had a darker message for audiences in "The Voice of the Moon" based upon what he saw happening in his beloved Italy.
Fellini seems to be concerned about culture and society in "The Voice of the Moon". The movie senses Italian culture is changing, perhaps being overwhelmed by American culture. Tradition is disappearing. The "good old days" are memories. There is a rather lengthy sequence with characters in a nightclub as young Italians dance to Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel". An older male character watches on in disgust. He tells them if they heard the sound of a violin they would know what they are doing in not dancing. He compares the nightclub, the music and the "dancing" to an orgy. He and his wife then proceed to dance a waltz.
There is another scene between a former prefect, Gonnella (Paolo Villaggio) and a young man, Ivo Salvini (Roberto Benigni). Gonnella is delusional, suffering from among other things, paranoia. He explains to Salvini his theory about the people around him. They are all well trained spies. They look exactly like the people they are impersonating. But, Gonnella continues, they are all merely giving a performance, playing a part. Naturally this scene brought to my mind the words written by Shakespeare, "all the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players". What does that say about our society. Have we been brainwashed? Has the media and advertising conditioned us to play a part? Are we all giving a performance, trying to live up to the character we would like to become?
While these scenes may be good and it is fun interpreting them unfortunately it saddens me to say Fellini's "The Voice of the Moon" is not a very good movie and slightly disappointed me.
Although "Intervista" was the last movie Fellini directed to be released in America, in the year of his death, "The Voice of the Moon" was the actual final feature length movie the great master directed. It did not however find American distribution and was never properly released in this country. Because of the anticipation of waiting to see this movie, expectations grew in my mind. I may have set myself up for disappointment.
Regardless, thanks to distributor Arrow Academy, which released a Blu-ray / DVD combo set last year, audiences can now see this elusive Fellini movie for themselves. That should have been cause for a celebration however I found out about the release of this movie on my own. Where were the distinguished movie critics (sheep) bringing attention to this movie, writing reviews?
I may not be a fan of this movie but the great filmmakers should not be ignored and their films should not be forgotten. In that sense I share Fellini's sentiments. I like the message found in the movie but it simply goes on too long. It often feels as if it is lingers. The movie may be too subtle. Perhaps "too Italian". It doesn't forcefully hit home its themes. There is no character for us to sympathizes with and no character development to speak of. The plot feels structureless. It took a while before I started to catch on to the social commentary.
Salvini is the lead character. A man who spent time in a mental hospital. He hears voices. Is it the moon? Maybe the voice is coming from a well. It is the first image presented in the movie. Salvini hears someone calling out his name in the middle of an empty field. He walks up to a well and listens for his name to be said again.
From this point on Salvini meets a variety of people - a musician that believes music should be forbidden by law. Spirits would visit the musician whenever he played a particular series of notes on his oboe. The prefect, visited by similar spirits, fears old age is upon him. And a man who married the woman of his dreams only to lose everything but takes solace in sitting on rooftops.
Were all these men in the same mental hospital? Do they all hear the same voice Salvini does? What is that voice and where is in coming from? Could it be our inner voice? It may explain a final line in the movie as Salvini says if there was more silence, if we were all quieter, maybe we could understand. Understand what? How to hear our own inner voice?
And that is about it. There isn't much plot to discuss. The movie almost plays as a series of vignettes. Some are good, some not so much. The common factor is some very good cinematography by Tonino Delli Colli, who gives the movie a dreamlike quality. He was a great talent that worked with some of the giants of cinema including Pier Paolo Pasolini, Roman Polanski and Louis Malle.
Audiences that see "The Voice of the Moon" will come to it after seeing Benigni in "Life is Beautiful" (1998), which won three Academy Awards, including one for Benigni's performance. Keep in mind however, "The Voice of the Moon" is not a zany comedy. Benigni is more reserved. If he was renowned for his slapstick comedy, you will not find it here. This is not "Johnny Stecchino" (1992).
Federico Fellini may have been the best known Italian filmmaker in America. Seven of his movies were nominated for Academy Awards. Three won awards for best foreign language film. He influenced American filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen. Movie lovers should see his movies. Some are considered among the greatest ever made. "The Voice of the Moon" may have its defenders however I would strongly suggest seeing this after you have seen Fellini's better known movies. "The Voice of the Moon" strikes me as a movie for devoted fans. Still, I'm glad we now have the opportunity to see this movie at all.
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