fellini s/d

i think fellini is a complete original, a true visionary, and there are very few of his films that I couldn't recommend. If it wasn't for Fellini, we wouldn't have David Lynch, Terry Gilliam, Tim Burton, Wim Wenders, etc. and Woody Allen's "Stardust Memories" (one of his finest films, in my HO) would never have been made.

"8 1/2" is the film that made me decide I wanted to be a filmmaker. Enough said.

"La Dolce Vita" is incredible, a wonderful study of decadence and celebrity, the charms and lures, the shallowness and excess, etc. Far before it's time in the exploration of "paparazzi" (the term paparazzi actually got it's name from a character in La Dolce Vita).

I can't agree at all with todd swiss' dismissal of "juliet of the spirits". it's an incredibly creative and dreamlike film, and one of the strongest and most daring exploration of female empowerment and sexual liberation that came out of the '60's. It's one of the most visionary works ever, a truly bold and brilliant piece of filmmaking.

His early works are like a combo of Rossellini and Bunuel, surrealist neorealism (a wonderful contradiction of terms). "La Strada" is one of the saddest, most beautifully simple films I have ever viewed. "I Vitelloni" is brutally honest, hillariously funny and incredibly insightful at the same time.

And then there's "Amarcord", which is one of the warmest, most beautifully nostalgic films I have ever seen.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/showing/nft/fellini/calendar/index.php

j e r e m y otm (first post). utter shit, all of it (as are most itialian films and most of italian culture in fact).
-- jed_ (colin_o_har...), July 23rd, 2004 12:36 AM.

Ebert has said about some movies that by disliking them you only demonstrate your own filmic ignorance rather than any fault in the movie itself. I usually find that approach unfair, but the two comments above really reminded me of that argument. If you're going to dismiss one of the greatest figures in the history of cinema, you should at least have some reasons for doing so.

:

http://www1.hmv.co.uk/hmvweb/displayProductDetails.do?ctx=280;-1;-1;-1&sku=322991

http://www.noblepr.co.uk/Press_Releases/warner/amarcord.htm

The cream: Nights of Cabiria, Amarcord, I Vitelloni, La Strada. I find 8-1/2 and La Dolce Vita slightly overrated (perhaps victims of endless parody and homage too) but near-great.

-- todd swiss (yourvictim...), July 22nd, 2004 8:11 PM. (eliti)

this is funny because a few days ago i was at the library looking at foreign dvds and the guy next to me said, "have you seen this one? it's fantastic, just great, you have to see it." so i picked it up, even though the guy didn't look like someone i'd have much in common with. haven't watched it yet though, will report back. so far i've only seen 8 1/2 and amarcord, i wouldn't destroy either one of them but i'm not sure i'd search either.

There are a few interesting shots and visual alluring scenes but aside from that its a complete waste of time. I dont want to be a witness in Mr. Fellinis self-discovery and therapy. Its boring and i have better ways to spend my free time on.. like.. clipping my toe nails or making dinosaur figurines out of chewing gum.

Last Saturday featured a double bill of Variety Lights and The White Sheik (co-scripted by Antonioni!), neither of which I had seen before. They were both superb, much lighter and in some ways more approachable than some of the accepted “masterpieces.” (So, “Search”) It was cool seeing Masina play a conventionally glamorous part in the former film too. This weekend brings Il Bidone (which I’ve been dying to see), 8 ½, and Nights of Cabiria (My fave Fellini).

It, along with the episode from Boccacio 70 and the Fellini TV thing (all those deleted pieces from Ginger and Fred that came w/the La Dolce Vita DVD), aren't part of the retrospective.

the mind reels at the idea of a cosmos so empty and forlorn of meaning.

Il Bidone: Probably the least characteristic film the man ever made, which is probably why you don’t hear about it that much. Very noir-y, with a brutal final act.

8 ½: So much better on this, my second viewing. I get the feeling that Fellini couldn’t believe he was getting away with going so far off the rails. Liberating stuff.

Nights of Cabiria: Still my favorite. Giulietta Masina was an angel. That’s all I have to say about this.

This weekend brings Juliet of the Spirits (which I can take or leave depending on my mood), Satyricon, and a double feature of The Clowns and Roma.

Juliet of The Spirits: I want to love this movie, but I just can’t. Yes, the color palate is breathtaking, as are many of the images. I had forgotten how great the opening sequence with Juliet/ Giulietta getting ready for her anniversary dinner was. And the stuff w/Sandra Milo is endearingly wacky. The problem is, the whole marital strife storyline was simply done better (and cut deeper too) in 8 ½. Sadly, this remains MEH.

Satyricon: This hasn’t aged well. Loved the down and dirty atmosphere though. But on the whole, MEH.

The Clowns: Fellini’s affection for the subject makes this one work. SEARCH.

Roma: Holy shit. That sequence on the toll road! The Variety Show! Those motorcycles! Simply amazing and a fitting capper to the weekend’s programming, as many of the ideas explored in those films finally click and bear fruit here. SEARCH.

Only two films this weekend: Casanova (another one I’ve been dying to see), and Amarcord.

Casanova: A fine rude variation on the costume picture. For some reason, this reminded me most of Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia. They’re both grotesque portraits of someone losing their humanity. Two questions: How’s the English dub of this (which I imagine Donald Sutherland worked on)? And, why isn’t this out on (legit) DVD? SEARCH

Amarcord: Lovely. SEARCH

This weekend brings City of Women, And The Ship Sails On, and Orchestral Rehearsal

City of Women: When I was a kid one of the few film books we had in the house was Ebert’s home video companion (which covered 1980-85). I actually still have the book, and thumb through it regularly (it’s great bathroom reading). In the review of this film, he wrote that “Fellini can certainly make a bad film, but he can’t quite make a boring one.” True dat, but probably more than any other, this film also demonstrates that Fellini could be damned tedious too. There are some good scenes, particularly when Mastroianni runs through the doctor’s gallery of conquests, which is like a sterile 80s equivalent of the harem sequence from 8 ½. Ultimately though, this is a failure. DESTROY

And The Ship Sails On: A nice ensemble piece, with some magical musical sequences. The ending has a serious WTF? factor, which (for me) actually detracts from it a little bit. Still, SEARCH

Orchestral Rehearsal: Once again the weekend is capped by the best film, Reminiscent of late ‘60s Godard, but not nearly as annoying. My only issue is that it could have been a bit longer, because the ending would have had more resonance coming at the 90 minute mark as opposed to 70. SEARCH

We close this weekend with Ginger and Fred, Intervista, and Voice of the Moon.

Ginger and Fred: A nice little send-off for Giulietta. It’s good that she and Mastroianni got to do a movie together. Given the parties involved, it’s not as good as you want it to be, but it ain’t bad. SEARCH

Intervista: Easily the least of Fellini’s faux-documentaries. This is really a film that only converted will enjoy. The sequence w/ Mastroianni & Ekberg is kinda touching. MEH

Voice of The Moon: The final testament w/some nice sequences. The film feels like a clearinghouse of unused sketches and it doesn’t quite cohere like Fellini’s best frescoes. It’s funny though that w/ Benigni, Fellini finally found a guy to play a Giulietta-style character. Despite that, another MEH.

I’ll try to post some final thoughts on the canon tomorrow.

the only Fellini film i love w/t reservations is i vitelloni. the other ones i've seen ... the so-called cream of the crop like la strada, la dolce vita and 8 1/2 ... don't do much for me and are a bit of a slog to sit through. i mean, i think i GET what he was going for and all of the films i have seen have great SCENES. but that's really it ... kinda like what Fellini said himself in 8 1/2 about mastroianni the director/character -- a bunch of excellent scenes spliced together, but randomly and not much sense.

Fellini also suffers from too much adulation by the film critics/nerds, kinda like Bergman. as in, "if you don't like Fellini or Bergman, you're just a philistine idiot who's unworthy of even some unfunny Rob Schneider schlock." i will stand up for Bergman, Fellini not so much.

also, upthread someone praised Woody Allen's stardust memories ... which i also found to be the most unwatchable of his films from his "golden" era (as it were). perhaps the overt Fellini-isms of that film were what made it so.

oh, i forgot i've also seen nights of cabiria -- the (great) final half-hour notwithstanding, i simply couldn't stand Cabiria (or whatever her name was). not that she deserved what befell her (no spoilers for those who haven't seen it), but still i found it a bit hard to care much about what happened to a vulgar, loudmouthed tart.

Orchestral Rehearsal is my favorite Fellini film

I saw Dolce Vita an 8 1/2 on BBC2 in black and white in my early teens and fucking loved them. If film school ruined Fellini for you, or if the action sequences just don't come thick and fast enough, all I can say is I'm sorry for you. But at least try Amarcord.

did we never poll this fella?

La Strada is my favorite Fellini film, but La Dolce Vita is his most beautiful

Am I being 1) a coward or 2) a philistine if I nope out of seeing the following Fellini films this weekend:

1) 8 1/2
2) Roma (w/ Toby Dammit)?

(The antiabortion zealots have their annual march this weekend; and I don't want to go into downtown DC.)

FWIW, I have not yet seen a Fellini movie that impressed me, but I didn't want to miss the National Gallery of Art's ongoing retrospective.

8 1/2 is all about trying to impress you, so if it doesn't you might prefer his earlier movies. Roma just seemed like a bunch of uninvolving spectacle to me, but not as bad as Casanova.