Fellini Follow-up

As I promised, I will go a little more in depth on my favorite filmmaker, Federico Fellini. He was born in 1920, the same year as my father. Both were Italian, both were robust characters. Fellini, however, trumped my father in talent. He was simply a genius. Even from his first film, the White Shiek, starring his wife and main actress for decades, Giulietta Masina, his talent could be discerned. Typical Fellini elements such as a jazzy, free-form, organic feel to the camera movements and scene after scene fecund with a beguiling blend of depravity and whimsy. Such was the convoluted mind of Fellini. His first masterpiece was La Strada (The Road) with , again, Masina and the late Anthony Quinn as downtrodden circus performers. His character is like Pagliacci, a whirlwind of emotions, but without the heart--pure id. Later masterpeices include La Dolce Vita, 8 1/2, Julietta of the Spirits, Satyricon, Roma, and Amarcord. Four of his films have gone on to win the Best Foreign Film Oscar, but he himself never won a directing trophy, although he was nominated four times. This calls into question the efficacy of the awards process in general.

I could extrapolate on these films until doomsday, but I will only focus on three. The first, La Dolce Vita (1961), is my favorite film of all time. It also contains my favorite film performance, by Marcello Mastraionni as the decadent journalist Marcello Rubini who is torn between the placidity of domestic life and the seemingly "sweet life" of the super rich and the famous. Mastraionni was Fellini's leading man in many films and he is just such an effortlessly brilliant actor. He can convey more emotions in one look than most actors can with an entire soliloquy. Next to Toshiro Mifune, he is my favorite actor. The second, 8 1/2 (1963), is his most well-known film. It reveals the trials and tribulations of a worn-out filmmaker trying to make sense of his new film project, all the while being hounded by ravenous agents, writers, stars, wifes, and mistresses. The director is played, again brilliantly, by Mastraionni. The movie was just remade last year as a musical by director Rob Marshall and it was called Nine, this time with the immortal Daniel Day-Lewis filling in for Mastraionni. The third and last film is Satyricon (1970). This is Fellini's loose adaptation of Petronious' "Satyricon" written in the time of Nero. The material is perfectly suited for Fellini for it shows in grand detail all the decadence and depravity of disintegrating Rome under the despot Nero. The film is a two hour orgy of garish images, music, and characters. The subheading on the movie poster perfectly captures the spirit of the film: "Rome. Before Christ. After Fellini." Any one of these movies is a masterpiece and deserving of your attention. Here is a filmmaker at the top of his form whose artistry will astound you in every frame.