City of Women

City of Women

Company type	Film
Industry	Film industry
Founded	1980
Founder	Federico Fellini
Products	Fantasy comedy-drama film

City of Women () is a 1980 fantasy comedy-drama helmed by Federico Fellini, who collaborated on the screenplay with Bernardino Zapponi and Brunello Rondi. The film features Marcello Mastroianni portraying Snàporaz, a man journeying through both masculine and feminine realms in a surreal exploration that questions his views on women and his marriage.

Plot

Snàporaz awakens aboard a train, briefly encountering an enigmatic woman before the train halts at Fregene. He follows her to a hotel hosting an unusual feminist gathering, where he faces rejection during a discussion on polyandry. Unable to leave, he finds sanctuary with Donatella, who guides him to a gym where roller-skating women intimidate him.

After fleeing and sustaining injuries, Snàporaz accepts a motorcycle ride from a robust woman who attempts to assault him but is interrupted by her mother. Later, he joins another group of women for a late-night car ride filled with marijuana and Italo disco music, eventually escaping their advances. Seeking refuge, he arrives at Dr. Xavier Katzone's opulent mansion, adorned with erotic art and phallic sculptures.

Katzone proudly showcases his sexual achievements through photographic evidence during an eccentric party celebrating his 10,000th conquest. At the gathering, Snàporaz encounters his ex-wife Elena and Donatella once more. The festivities are disrupted when female officers dressed in Nazi uniforms announce the demolition of Katzone's estate and inform him of his cherished dog's demise.

Snàporaz dances with Donatella and her companion but later ends up in bed with Elena. He then experiences a dreamlike sequence revisiting childhood infatuations and faces judgment in an absurd court assessing his masculinity. Subsequently, he climbs into a towering boxing ring before boarding a hot air balloon shaped like Donatella, which is shot down by her machine gun fire.

He awakens back on the train with Elena nearby, suggesting the events may have been a nightmare. However, shattered glasses and the presence of the mysterious woman and Donatella imply otherwise as the train enters a tunnel.

Italy and France

Upon its March 1980 release in eighty Italian cinemas, City of Women garnered generally positive critiques that leaned more toward admiration than outright acclaim. Giovanni Grazzini of Corriere della Sera described it as an "emotional catalogue" featuring sharp commentary on feminism, noting stylistic unevenness but commending moments where fantasy shaped complex characters rather than stereotypes. He also highlighted the film’s fusion of surrealism with musical elements that contributed elegance and irony.

Claudio G. Fava writing for Corriere Mercantile regarded Fellini as an imaginative director drawing inspiration from Méliès’s legacy; however, he believed the film lacked cohesion and did not fully capture the nuances of contemporary womanhood despite its technical brilliance. Francesco Bolzoni from L'Avvenire interpreted the film as more playful than analytical, praising its inventive sequences that refreshed familiar themes through a blend of tragedy and lightness. Giorgio Carbone of La Notte lauded Fellini’s mature artistry and visual creativity, observing that the film’s tension stemmed more from imagery than plot.

Presented out of competition at the 33rd Cannes Film Festival in May 1980, it received severe criticism from French critics who dismissed it as "a disaster" and accused it of "tedious pretension." Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky, attending Rome for his own project, noted in his diary that City of Women was a failure and regarded Fellini’s work as worthless.

United Kingdom

Derek Malcolm from The Guardian characterized the film as "laden with Fellinian clichés," while acknowledging its sporadic feminist commentary. Patrick Gibbs of The Daily Telegraph lamented Federico Fellini’s creative decline, describing City of Women as emblematic of his later period, featuring "impressive visuals but simplistic concepts." Neil Sinyard of The Sunday Telegraph remarked that Fellini opts for introspective fantasy over confronting his anxieties about contemporary women and youth, producing "stylish triviality" rather than sharp feminist critique. Philip French of The Observer dismissed it as "a continuous parade of dazzling yet often crude scenes," amounting to a "rather juvenile confessional exercise."

Australia

Susie Eisenhuth from The Sun-Herald observed that the film’s predictable sequences stem from male fantasies, despite attempts at a more compelling narrative approach. Neil Jillett of The Age considered the 139-minute duration overly long but recognized its aesthetic appeal as a dreamlike work and its capacity to evoke empathy or emotional confession.

United States and Canada

Distributed by New Yorker Films in the U.S. starting 8 April 1981, the film garnered mostly positive critiques but experienced limited box-office returns. Daniel Talbot of New Yorker Films noted it screened in fewer than fifty venues, with six locations generating 75% of revenue, underscoring Fellini’s reduced following in America.

Critical responses were mixed. Kathleen Carroll of the New York Daily News found it lackluster compared to Fellini’s 8½, whereas Marke Andrews of The Sun commended its engaging moments but faulted its length. Jacqi Tully from the The Arizona Daily Star believed Fellini struggled to handle feminist themes effectively, labeling the film repetitive and weaker than his prior efforts. Ed Blank of The Pittsburgh Press regarded it as an uninspired sequel to 8½, while Joe Baltake of the Philadelphia Daily News dismissed it as a poorly executed and confusing project likely to be overanalyzed by art-house audiences.

Desmond Ryan from The Philadelphia Inquirer expressed dissatisfaction with the film’s shallow feminist exploration. Candice Russell of the Fort Lauderdale News admired its visual grandeur but found its thematic message ambiguous. Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune criticized its repetitiveness and excessive runtime, although Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times praised its stylistic elements but noted a lack of fresh insight regarding feminism. Donna Chernin from The Plain Dealer described it as visually compelling yet ultimately unfulfilling.

Some reviewers offered more favorable opinions: Tom McElfresh of The Cincinnati Enquirer lauded its darkly playful aspects; Sheila Benson from the Los Angeles Times emphasized Fellini’s warm and generous depiction of women; Bill Cosford at the The Miami Herald viewed it as a triumphant return; Marylynn Uricchio from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette called it an elegant and inventive creation; Michael Maza of the The Arizona Republic described it as an intriguing examination of contemporary sexuality.

John Gould Boyum of The Wall Street Journal highlighted that the film expresses complex emotions rather than straightforward ideas, blending nostalgia with poignancy uniquely. Bruce Bailey at Montreal’s Gazette acknowledged its preachy tone but praised Fellini’s imaginative prowess. Positive feedback also came from Diane Haithman at the Detroit Free Press, who interpreted it as a nostalgic meditation on middle-aged masculinity, and Perry Stewart at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, who valued its consistent thematic focus despite limited innovation.

On the other hand, Lou Cedrone from Baltimore’s Evening Sun labeled it noisy and lacking wit, speculating it could be Fellini’s final major work given poor commercial prospects. Casey St. Charnez at the Santa Fe New Mexican dismissed it as visually overstimulating nonsense. Nonetheless, critics like John V. Hurst of the The Sacramento Bee found the film unsettling yet characteristically Fellini, while Will Jones of the Minneapolis Tribune defended its length as justified by each shot’s merit.

In summary, City of Women was acknowledged for its bold visual design and inventive style but sparked divided views on story clarity and thematic substance, reflecting both artistic ambition and commercial difficulties in Fellini’s North American engagement with feminism and contemporary gender issues.