El Maestro’s nineteenth film was released in late 1978 and is a satire depicting an orchestra’s rebellion against their conductor. Some will interpret certain situations as being political and social commentary while others may look at it as being a film about the odd behavior of musicians.
We are introduced to the musicians when a film crew comes in to cover the rehearsal. The fires of rebellion start to smolder as the musicians complain of not being aware of the filming and assume they are not getting paid for it. Their union representative assures them everything is “okay” and while some still refuse others cave in. As the musicians expose their quirks we learn a lot about the sniping, egos and tribalism that goes on behind the scenes. The violinists and the oboists both think their instruments should soar above the rest guiding the musical pathways therefore rendering the conductor obsolete. The percussionists don’t care for the other musicians because they consider them snobs but can relate to the double bass players because they too deal in rhythm.
When we meet the dictator-like conductor (referred to as the director) and he starts berating them and cursing his life we begin to dislike him and start cheering as the players bond over their dislike for him. The union reps give the players a 20-minute break as a snub to the director. The players head to a pub and when they come back all hell breaks loose as they start covering the walls of the venue with graffiti that is, shall we say, rather insulting to the director. Will he be able to win their respect and get down to the music or will it take an act of God to get them all to focus on their goal?
Funny and sometimes wicked, this is a satisfying bit of fun from Fellini. Orchestra Rehearsal is a small production that results in a smart little movie with plenty of laughs and a bit of melancholy. It is a film about music and also marks the last collaboration between Fellini and musical director and genius in his own right Nino Rota. It’s hard not to think of Fellini’s films without automatically thinking of those lilting scores Rota provided. They truly had a symbiotic relationship. The extras include a look at Nino Rota, a visual essay on the film and a collectables gallery.
