---
title: "Satyricon"
year: 1969
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/satyricon"
fi1m_id: "satyricon"
imdb_id: "tt0064940"
tmdb_id: 11163
wikidata_id: "Q18416"
fi1m_score: 65
critics_score: 60
critics_reviews: 10
published: "2026-09-26T16:50:40.890719+00:00"
updated: "2026-09-26T16:50:41.444104+00:00"
region: "ES"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Satyricon (1969)

Directed by Federico Fellini · 2h 09m · Drama, Fantasy

## Identity

Satyricon

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/satyricon
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** satyricon
- **IMDb ID:** tt0064940
- **TMDB ID:** 11163
- **Wikidata ID:** Q18416
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064940/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/11163, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18416

**Fi1m score: 65** · Critics 60 from 10 reviews

*In a sentence:* Ancient Rome has put more thought into the costumes than the conversation

> Federico Fellini’s *Satyricon* offers elaborate sets, strange faces and costumes worth inspecting. We recommend it to the visually curious, with a warning: its wandering story and stiff dialogue demand more patience than its characters earn.

## Synopsis

In ancient Rome, Encolpio (Martin Potter) tries to keep his lover’s affection. Ascilto (Hiram Keller) and Gitone (Max Born) are the other principal figures in this adaptation of Petronius, which moves through a succession of Roman encounters. The wish to hold on to love provides the starting point for a story that ranges beyond a single relationship. Eumolpo (Salvo Randone), Trimalcione (Mario Romagnoli) and Fortunata (Magali Noël) are among the other inhabitants of the Rome through which it wanders.

## Review

Federico Fellini’s *Satyricon* is worth seeing for its production design, though the people wandering through it can make the evening feel long. Adapting Petronius with fellow screenwriter Bernardino Zapponi, he gives a young man’s efforts to retain his lover’s affection a sprawling Roman setting. The film’s curiosity about bodies, clothes and buildings is much more sustained than its interest in that pursuit. It runs 129 minutes. We recommend it with reservations about how many of those minutes the drama can support.

Production designers Luigi Scaccianoce and Danilo Donati give the film its strongest reason to exist. The scale of the sets makes the human figures seem small without making them easy to ignore; the costumes, also by Danilo Donati, keep pulling attention back towards their bodies. This is an ancient Rome that offers little reassurance of familiarity. The sheer amount to inspect is pleasurable, and the buildings and clothing remain interesting even when the conversation does not.

Giuseppe Rotunno’s cinematography makes those expansive spaces feel oddly oppressive. Faces and costumes compete with the sets, so there is plenty to look at and little sense of somewhere to rest. We felt hemmed in by the elaborate surroundings, despite the space apparently available. That discomfort is one of the film’s achievements, although the repeated grotesquerie gradually loses force: once every new image promises another oddity, surprise becomes harder to sustain.

Martin Potter’s Encolpio is less compelling than the world around him. Hiram Keller, as Ascilto, and Max Born, as Gitone, add distinctive presences, but the performances struggle against stiff dialogue and dubbing that keeps drawing attention to itself. We were bored during the static exchanges, because they gave us too little reason to care about the people speaking. The problem is especially noticeable when the dialogue needs more from the actors than a striking appearance.

Ruggero Mastroianni’s editing preserves the story’s loose, discontinuous movement. That allows individual images to register without having to explain their place in a neatly organised adventure, and the freedom initially feels promising. But the screenplay by Federico Fellini and Bernardino Zapponi gives the central pursuit too little urgency to carry us through the interruptions. Too much time passes while we wait for another passage to catch our attention, with little curiosity about what will happen next.

The music, credited to Nino Rota, Andrew Rudin, Ilhan Mimaroglu and Tod Dockstader, helps sustain the strangeness. It is more persuasive at making this Rome feel unfamiliar than the dialogue is at making its inhabitants matter. Sound gives the elaborate images an unease that survives some of the slower passages. Even here, though, an arresting accompaniment cannot supply all the interest missing from an exchange between people.

As historical fantasy, *Satyricon* has the virtue of making the past seem difficult to recognise. Its artificiality is often exciting, and there is no obligation for such a film to explain every custom or smooth every interruption. There is an obligation to hold our attention, which it meets unevenly. Choose it for an evening of looking closely, rather than one of getting attached to the company.

*Fi1m score 65, published 26 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

The reviews lean cautiously favourable on Satyricon, with praise clustering around its visual invention rather than its storytelling. Even several unconvinced critics admire the elaborate sets, costumes and grotesque imagery of Fellini’s ancient Rome. Production design is the clearest point of agreement, while the more enthusiastic reviews also find the film hypnotic and imaginatively persuasive. The Guardian praises the camerawork, art direction and music, despite reservations about thin content and a voyeuristic perspective.

The disagreement is substantial: what admirers find absorbing, detractors find tedious, incoherent or emotionally shallow. Loose construction and a lack of narrative momentum recur among the complaints, alongside static dialogue and poorly dubbed performances. Slant Magazine regards the film as one of Fellini’s greatest achievements, singling out its expansive sets and visual style. The New Yorker takes a sharply opposing view, finding the imagery monotonous and arguing that religious moralising undermines the film’s apparent freedom.

## Straight answers

**Is Satyricon worth watching?**

*Satyricon* is worth watching for its elaborate sets and costumes, but we score it 65 for drama that struggles to sustain their interest. We recommend it to the visually curious rather than anyone seeking compelling characters: the wandering story, stiff dialogue and conspicuous dubbing make its 129 minutes feel long.

**How long is Satyricon, and what is it rated?**

*Satyricon* runs 2h 09m. It is a drama and fantasy film.

**Where can I watch Satyricon in Spain?**

*Satyricon* is not on any streaming or rental service in Spain at the moment. Availability is checked daily.

**How violent or frightening is Satyricon, and is it suitable for children?**

*Satyricon* has a US R certificate, which indicates restricted viewing for younger audiences; we would not recommend it for children. Its grotesque imagery, oppressive surroundings and unsettling sound create discomfort, though that does not establish any particular level of violence. No UK certificate is supplied, so we cannot offer a British age classification.

**How does Satyricon compare to Daisies?**

*Satyricon* is the more laborious choice beside [*Daisies*](https://film.one/film/daisies), which we recommend for a shorter, more playful departure from conventional storytelling. Both favour appetite and disruption, but *Daisies* offers colour filters, scissors and enormous meals, while *Satyricon* draws its strength from elaborate Roman sets and costumes. Choose the latter for close inspection rather than comic energy.

**Is Satyricon based on a true story or a book?**

*Satyricon* is adapted from a novel by Petronius, rather than presented as a true story. Federico Fellini and fellow screenwriter Bernardino Zapponi use a young man’s efforts to retain his lover’s affection as the starting point for a wandering Roman fantasy. We recommend approaching it for its images; we make no claim for its fidelity to the book.

### Reviews we read (10)

- **Slant Magazine**, Clayton Dillard (5/5): Dillard regards the film as one of Fellini’s greatest achievements, finding it both rapturous and claustrophobic. He especially praises its expansive, vividly designed sets and striking visual style. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/fellini-satyricon/)
- **Radio Times**, David Parkinson (4/5): The critic praises the film as a deliriously surreal portrait of ancient Rome. He singles out its use of Nero’s empire to comment on contemporary godlessness. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-6ddtqp/satyricon/)
- **The Guardian**, Derek Malcolm (78/100, inferred): Malcolm finds the film a hypnotic, imaginative achievement, despite reservations about its thin content and voyeuristic perspective. He especially praises its stunning imagery, camerawork, art direction and music. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/10/fellini-satyricon-review-emmanuelle-1970)
- **Variety**, Variety Staff (65/100, inferred): The review presents the film as a vivid but loosely structured vision, noting that its static dialogue weighs down the imagery. It singles out the production design, sets, costumes, and makeup for praise. [Read](https://variety.com/1968/film/reviews/satyricon-1200421851/)
- **The New York Times**, Vincent Canby (64/100, inferred): The review’s verdict and specific praise or criticism cannot be verified because the article text is inaccessible. The available page provides no further review details. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1970/03/15/archives/fellinis-magical-mystery-tour-fellinis-magical-mystery-tour.html)
- **The AV Club**, Mike D'Angelo (C-): D’Angelo finds the film visually striking but ultimately tedious and incoherent. He praises its elaborate production design and costumes, while faulting its disjointed storytelling and poorly dubbed performances. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/fellini-satyricon-is-the-italian-director-at-his-most-d-1798182849)
- **Empire**, Alan Morrison (45/100, inferred): Morrison finds the film wildly inconsistent but not intellectually bankrupt, with its appeal fading after the initial impact. He praises Danilo Donati’s designs while noting the film’s occasional incoherence. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/satyricon-review/)
- **Time Out** (30/100, inferred): The review is negative, finding the film self-indulgent and lacking narrative momentum. It praises the grotesque imagery, but says that imagery cannot make up for the absence of forward movement. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/newyork/film/fellini-satyricon)
- **The New Yorker**, Pauline Kael (10/100, inferred): Kael calls the film terrible and emotionally shallow, arguing that its religious moralizing undermines its apparent freedom. She praises Giton’s portrayal and a brief, charming Garden of Eden episode, but finds the imagery monotonous and largely forgettable. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1970/03/14/fellinis-mondo-trasho)
- **The Skinny**, Sam Lewis (★★★★): The review gives the film four stars, indicating a positive verdict. Its excerpt highlights the loose Roman-era story of a young man trying to keep his lover’s affection. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/dvd-reviews?page=12&user_location=135/)

## Details

- **Director:** Federico Fellini
- **Director:** Federico Fellini
- **Screenplay:** Federico Fellini, Bernardino Zapponi
- **Story:** Bernardino Zapponi, Federico Fellini
- **Novel:** Petronius
- **Cinematography:** Giuseppe Rotunno
- **Editor:** Ruggero Mastroianni
- **Music:** Andrew Rudin, Ilhan Mimaroglu, Nino Rota, Tod Dockstader
- **Production design:** Danilo Donati, Luigi Scaccianoce
- **Costume design:** Danilo Donati
- **Producer:** Alberto Grimaldi
- **Cast:** Martin Potter as Encolpio; Hiram Keller as Ascilto; Max Born as Gitone; Salvo Randone as Eumolpo; Mario Romagnoli as Trimalcione; Magali Noël as Fortunata; Capucine as Trifena; Luigi Visconti as Vernacchio
- **Runtime:** 2h 09m
- **First release (Italy):** 4 September 1969
- **Genres:** Drama, Fantasy
- **Budget:** $3 million

## Where to watch in Spain

Not streaming, renting or buying in Spain at the last check.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 1971: Best Director (nominated)
- International Submission to the Academy Awards 1970: International Submission to the Academy Awards (nominated)

## If you liked this

- *The Colour of Pomegranates* (1969): Ceremony, costumes and faces carry a film that asks for patient looking.
- *Daisies* (1966), Fi1m 85: Appetite and unruly cutting make another agreeable nuisance of conventional storytelling. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/daisies.md)
- *The Devils* (1971): For elaborate sets, bodily excess and a much firmer dramatic grip.
- *The Fall* (2006): Elaborate fantasy settings come with a clearer story and stronger emotional ties.
- *The Green Knight* (2021): A quest made strange by landscapes, ceremony and uneasy stretches of silence.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/satyricon