In 1914, a cruise ship sets sail from Naples to spread the ashes of beloved opera singer Edmea Tetua near Erimo, the isle of her birth. During the voyage, the eclectic array of passengers discovers a group of Serbian refugees aboard the vessel. Peace and camaraderie abound until the ship is descended upon by an Austrian flagship. The Serbians are forced to board it, but naturally they resist, igniting a skirmish that ends in destruction.
Direction
Fellini's final fully realized dream—every frame a carnival of dying elegance.
Production
The ship itself: a floating opera set, absurdly artificial and utterly transporting.
Writing
Dialogue that sings—literally, with opera woven into narrative fabric.
Director
Federico Fellini
Freddie Jones
Orlando
Barbara Jefford
Ildebranda Cuffari
Victor Poletti
Aureliano Fuciletto
Peter Cellier
Sir Reginald J. Dongby
Elisa Mainardi
Teresa Valegnani
Norma West
Lady Violet Dongby Albertini
Paolo Paoloni
Il Maestro Albertini
Pina Bausch
Principessa Lherimia
Philip Locke
Il Primo Ministro
Jonathan Cecil
Ricotin
Maurice Barrier
Ziolev
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Fellini built the ship in Cinecittà's largest soundstage; the 'ocean' was plastic sheeting moved by fans. Pure theater.
The film mourns pre-WWI European culture specifically—Tetua's ashes scatter as the continent prepares to immolate itself. Fellini's elegy for a world that never existed, yet he couldn't stop loving.
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