'Amarcord'

Many consider this Federico Fellini's finest film, which is saying something considering he was responsible for about 10 of the films on this 1,001 list including Nights of Cabiria, La Strada (my favorite), 8 1/2 and La Dolce Vita.

This is a satire of a town in fascist Italy as it paints the people (adults, children) as the idiotic, simple-minded and child-like imbeciles as they saunter through life with no real worries. Meanwhile, Fellini takes a number of shots at Mussolini, 30 years after he was shot and hung upside down.

More importantly, Fellini, I think, is making more a statement about the indifference and apathy of the people as they do worse than nurture fascism, they ignore it.

It could also be construed as a comment on Germany. A country that somehow came out better than the French (it's shocking that Americans tended to and still consider the Chinese, Russians and French as "enemies" and yet we buy all of the Japanese TVs and think Germany is okie dokie).

Still, through the Nuremberg trial and the years of seeking Nazis in hiding, Fellini makes that point that the whole of Germany (or any people that tolerates hate and the obstruction of freedom) as being guilty of a most serious war crime of nonchalance.