i think this be one of those key film for a director and that may not necessarily be his best and but be fill to the brim with his passion and obsession or and the passion and obsession he doesn not bring up in his other film . the fact that a major artist could direct something so homoerotic and so in your face make me respect fellini all the more . it hard to tell what and exactly and the film be or be mean to be represent it a satire and an honest costume drama and a sword and sandal epic and a fantasy and an attack on the sens and an art mockery and and a love story . it also very sexy . some of the scene between encolpio and ascilto and both astonishingly beautiful men and be so erotic you can not believe this movie be accept at the time . obviously the movie be at first a gross out masterpiece and a flaunting of fellini grotesquery and where there be boy love and boy selling and decapitation and and fart . a a comedy and there a great scene where encolpio and ascilto divide up their thing and include the boy they use ( who be much more feminine than boyish ) while a an epic there a battle with a minotaur while a a romance there a startling scene between the two men in bed with another woman where one lean over to run his finger through the other hair while a an art satire there the attack on poet who steal from others and claim it a their own while a a marriage comedy there a scene where encolpio marry an old man and be tell he must give up his taste for young boy . ( encolpio resembles both malcolm mcdowell surely something thought of during the making of caligula and a more mature christopher atkins in the blue lagoon . ) it also interest to compare this depiction of roman society with our current one and and see if fellini view of same sexuality and decadence have any resonance today . i think the comedy of the film be overlook and as well while the competition between encolpio and ascilto and their vanity and sexual appetite and and encolpio eventual impotence and be very mocking and but never mean spirited . whatever this be and it a very strong vision and and on that score alone it worth watch . positive .