Juliet of the Spirits story
Juliet of the Spirits (Italian: Giulietta degli spiriti) is a 1965 Italian- French fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Federico Fellini and starring Giulietta Masina, Sandra Milo, Mario Pisu, Valentina Cortese, and Valeska Gert. The film is about the visions, memories, and mysticism that help a middle-aged woman find the strength to leave her philandering husband. The film uses "caricatural types and dream situations to represent a psychic landscape." It was Fellini's first feature-length color film, but followed his use of color in The Temptation of Doctor Antonio episode in the portmanteau film Boccaccio '70 (1962). Juliet of the Spirits won the 1966 Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Woody Allen loosely adapted it with his 1990 film Alice.
16 total · 1 choice · 8 major · 7 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| female sexuality | choice | Whatever else the story was about, Giulietta's libido and sexually charged dreams were at the center. |
| divorce | major | The conclusion of the story was that Giulietta decided to divorce her beloved but philandering husband. |
| escape from reality | major | The story is concerned with middle-aged housewife Giulietta' dreams and daydreams. |
| extramarital affair | major | Giorgio was a philandering husband. He had a prolonged affair with a woman named Gabrielle. |
| friendship | major | Giulietta and Suzy were central to the plot, such as it were. |
| grandfather and granddaughter | major | Giulietta's dreams mostly involve her grandfather. |
| husband and wife | major | Giulietta and Giorgio. |
| superstitiousness | major | Giulietta is frequently described as prone to superstition. |
| the desire to be beautiful | major | Giulietta was compared unfavorably with other women and was, understandably, concerned about her appearance. More so because her husband was unfaithful. |
| divorce procedures | minor | Some legal niceties regarding divorce in contemporary Italy were mentioned. |