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I'll tell you why so serious

Great Film overall

Crappy film

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Federico Fellini is perhaps the most well-known director to come from Italy and find popularity and success around the world. So much so that the term "Felliniesque" is still used to describe films with an air of sophistication and fantasy combined to tell a story. While Fellini made a number of films for which he is noted there are still many more that have been forgotten or rarely discussed. Such is the case with FEDERICO FELLINI'S ORCHESTRA REHEARSAL.Until it was announced as coming out on disc from Arrow Academy I'd never even heard of the film other than to see it listed under Fellini's credits at IMDB. So of course my curiosity was piqued. I'd seen several films by Fellini and have always wanted to see more but have never had access to them. When this arrived I was ready to dive in.The film is a story of an orchestra coming together for a rehearsal in a rundown auditorium that used to be a church. The rehearsal is being filmed by a television crew to be shown as a documentary of how things run. To say less than smoothly is an understatement.With each successive interview done among the entire orchestra the crew learns how each member views him/herself and their instrument. Most do not see themselves as supportive members of a collective whole but deserving of attention for themselves. And as each does so their counterpoints comment about how wrong they are and that they are more deserving. In addition to that, many have a cynical attitude towards their chosen profession which would seem odd as it has provided them a living.The conductor arrives and rehearsal begins. His dictatorial manner disrupts more than helps the rehearsal though as he berates various members of the orchestra, requiring them to go over the same parts over and over again much to their consternation. The members anger and eventually their union rep, who's been there the whole time, calls for a break. When they return the arguments ensue and then something happens that changes it all.The movie is told in a more straightforward manner than the previous films of Fellini I've seen in the past. The time frame is told as the story unfolds rather than jumping from moment to moment. The same holds true for the locations used, almost all of it taking place in the auditorium. This makes it easier to follow than one would expect.The performances here come off as real, as if these were not actors but actual orchestra members discussing their craft and beliefs. None take away the center stage from another, the focus on the entire group as a whole rather than a select member or two. In so doing it helps make the film all the more realistic.After watching the film I went to look into it and discovered that Fellini was trying to depict the Italian government here with the orchestra depicting what he saw as the problem. Rather than working together to solve their problems they continued to prattle on and work against one another instead. This held true for all characters here, as individuals, as members of a union unwilling to bend and as a conductor who feels he is the final arbitrator of all things creative. With that in mind perhaps Fellini wasn't talking just about Italian politics but politics the world over.The film is well made with a subtle sense of lighting and filming that never makes you think you're seeing anything less than a film crew shooting a documentary, the camera rolling at all times with few breaks. Known for his flights of fantasy in his film Fellini chooses not to go there this time, instead telling his story in a more realistic fashion. The film has been lauded as an undiscovered classic and with the release of it to blu-ray the odds are it will soon find its audience.It might seem redundant to say this but Arrow Video has once more shown their dedication to providing the best product out there. This one is no exception with a brand new 2k restoration of the film produced exclusively for Arrow Films as part of the prestige format, Arrow Academy. Extras include "Richard Dyer on Nino Rota and Orchestra Rehearsal" with the film scholar talking about the composer and this his last collaboration with Fellini, "Orchestrating Discord" a visual essay on the film by Fellini biographer John Baxter, a gallery with rare posters and press material on the film from the Felliniana collection of Don Young, a reversible sleeve with two original artwork options and with the first pressing only an illustrated collectors booklet featuring new writings on the film by Adrian Martin.If you've never seen a Fellini film this is a good place to start keeping in mind he's toned things down here a bit. If you're a fan then you'll want to add this to your collection. It's definitely worth a watch.

This movie is one of my all-time favourites: through the "metaphor" of music, a universal picture of a power struggle is shown. Although this may appear 'thin', many layers of this struggle are peeled off. The German (looking) conductor appears to portray an easy comparison to Adolf Hitler, but another could be to Herbert von Karajan, the dictatorial conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker. And then there is the great music score, that still lingers in my head, although I have not been able to find a recording of it (CD/LP?)(after almost 30 years!). I saw this movie again some years ago and it does not look dated. While I am not a Fellini adept and this movie was seen as one of his minor ones, this is a real classic to me.

In most of Federico Fellini's best films, he made big statements about the way we live and socialize with each other and deal with ourselves as much as the past, all within exciting, tragic-comic film-making style. Orchestra Rehearsal does the same, though in a shorter amount of time. We are given a (union) orchestra in Italy, who's members vary from young adults to the old timers, women, introverts, trouble makers, and so forth, who each have their own music of choice (or sometimes of necessity). The conductor is frustrated- he can barely get the orchestra to concentrate much less really practice, and the union problems get things caught in the way as they rip through the ironically happy and (typically) carnival-like pieces. There's a break taken, which is when everything starts to slowly, but surely, wind down and breakdown among the musicians. In the meantime a television crew stands by taking 'interviews' of the musicians, their opinions, their little 'off' moments, signaling the anarchy that will soon ensue.The interviews themselves are some of the strongest, funniest parts of the film- the interviewers get (sometimes begrudgingly) words on their instruments, why they play, how they play, and what role their music has in the world. These interviews can also be hit-or-miss sometimes, and because of the constant dialog (there's sometimes barely a breath to be had, as is the beautiful claustrophobic style in Fellini's characters), there's almost too much information going on. There's also the tendency for the character(s), whom are mostly portrayed by un-professionals (to acting, not to music of course), to not be very convincing, or even a little boring (the conductor's monologue in his room, for example, is one of the weaker parts of the film for me). But then it does start to pick up in insane, trademark Fellini fashion as the musicians rebel, and an unexpected surprise comes heading their way.It's likely that Orchestra Rehearsal isn't one of Fellini's very best films, but it is one that captivates as it bemuses, brings laughs as it does thought, and it isn't necessarily a wasteful experience (some may not like it much at all, at least in comparison to his masterpieces). Not to forget the incalculable, lasting power of Nina Rota's music, which drives the film's bombastic, heart-racing rehearsing scenes (there is also humor underneath much of the music, like when the musicians have their own little solos as jokes). There's something always satisfying when a composer is on the same page as the director he's writing for, and few were ever so in tune as Fellini and Rota. And even during some parts that don't add up, their combination helps out a lot. As mentioned before, one could even think deeper into the ideas and thoughts and characters in the film as almost a microcosm of society itself, its easy-going people, its hard-nosed people, its incendiaries, its nostalgics, and its normals and eccentrics. Or, one can just take the Fellini ride, so to speak, and enjoy some 70 minutes with Fellini & company.

This noble effort by Fellini reveals that one of his unspoken influences in film was no doubt Rene Cardonas. Orchestra Rehearsal reveals chaotic visions of a society crumbling within the confines of destruction and apathy. It appears obvious that Fellini borrowed the protaga-symbolism that Rene Cardonas used in his film "Santa Claus," the only difference being Cardonas delivered a clear and enlightening vision. Fellini came close, but there is only one Rene Cardonas.