And the Ship Sails On [E La Nave Va] *** (1983, Freddie Jones, Barbara Jefford, Peter Cellier, Janet Suzman) – Classic Movie Review 7375

A luxury liner sails from Naples in 1914 with a boatload of friends and colleagues aboard to scatter the ashes of a great soprano, Edmea Tetua (Janet Suzman), in co-writer/ director Federico Fellini’s stylised 1983 theatrical drama And the Ship Sails On [E La Nave Va], with his usual stereotypes and a gang of Brits aboard. But then the ship’s captain has to rescue Serbian refugees who have escaped the first signs of World War One.

Freddie Jones (as the journalist Orlando, who acts as host), Barbara Jefford and Peter Cellier, Norma West, Philip Locke and Jonathan Cecil all make their mark, and it all looks and sounds gorgeous, with the cinematography by Giuseppe Rotunno, production designs by Dante Feretti ans score by Gianfranco Plenizio. Though there are empty spaces on this large canvas running 136 minutes and some of Fellini’s old rapacious energy is missing, it is still a beautiful, haunting film.

Fellini writes the story and screenplay with Tonino Guerra.

And the Ship Sails On [E La Nave Va] was Italy’s official submission for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 56th Academy Awards.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7375

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