Federico Fellini

[captainofbeef]

I looked high and low for a thread on him and I was shocked that I couldn't find one, so what does everyone think about this guy?

# Tivù di Fellini, La (2003)

# Voce della luna, La (1990)
... aka The Voice of the Moon

# Intervista (1987)
... aka Federico Fellini's Intervista
... aka Fellini's Intervista (USA)
# Ginger e Fred (1986)
... aka Ginger and Fred (USA)
... aka Ginger et Fred (France)
... aka Ginger und Fred (West Germany)
# E la nave va (1983)
... aka And the Ship Sails On (USA)
... aka Et vogue le navire (France)
# Città delle donne, La (1980)
... aka Cité des femmes, La (France)
... aka City of Women (USA)

# Prova d'orchestra (1978)
... aka Federico Fellini's Orchestra Rehearsal (USA: poster title)
... aka Orchesterprobe (West Germany)
... aka Orchestra Rehearsal (USA)
# Casanova di Federico Fellini, Il (1976)
... aka Casanova (Italy: short title)
... aka Fellini's Casanova (USA)
# Amarcord (1973)
... aka Amarcord (USA)
... aka I Remember (International: English title: literal title)
# Roma (1972)
... aka Fellini Roma (France)
... aka Fellini's Roma (USA)
# Clowns, I (1971) (TV)
... aka Clowns, Die (West Germany)
... aka Clowns, Les (France: theatrical title)
... aka The Clowns (USA)

# Fellini - Satyricon (1969)
... aka Fellini Satyricon (UK) (USA)
... aka Satyricon (France) (International: English title: short title)
... aka The Degenerates
# Block-notes di un regista (1969) (TV)
... aka Fellini: A Director's Notebook (USA)
# Histoires extraordinaires (1968) (segment "Toby Dammit")
... aka Spirits of the Dead (USA)
... aka Tales of Mystery
... aka Tales of Mystery and Imagination (UK)
... aka Tre passi nel delirio (Italy)
... aka Trois histoires extraordinaires d'Edgar Poe
# Giulietta degli spiriti (1965)
... aka Julia und die Geister (West Germany)
... aka Juliet of the Spirits (USA)
... aka Juliette des esprits (France)
# 8½ (1963)
... aka Federico Fellini's 8 1/2 (USA)
... aka Federico Fellini's 8½ (USA: complete title)
... aka Huit et demi (France)
# Boccaccio '70 (1962) (segment "Le tentazioni del dottor Antonio")
... aka Boccaccio '70 (USA)
... aka Boccace 70 (France)
# Dolce vita, La (1960)
... aka Dolce vita, La (France)
... aka Douceur de vivre, La (France: alternative title)
... aka The Sweet Life (UK)

# Notti di Cabiria, Le (1957)
... aka Cabiria (UK)
... aka Nights of Cabiria (USA)
... aka Nuits de Cabiria, Les (France)
# Bidone, Il (1955)
... aka The Swindle (USA)
... aka The Swindlers (UK)
# Strada, La (1954)
... aka The Road (USA: literal English title)
# Amore in città, L' (1953) (segment "Agenzia matrimoniale, Un'")
... aka Love in the City (USA)
# Vitelloni, I (1953)
... aka Inutiles, Les (France)
... aka Spivs
... aka The Young and the Passionate
... aka Vitelloni
... aka Vitelloni, Les (France)
# Sceicco bianco, Lo (1952)
... aka The White Sheik (USA)
# Luci del varietà (1950)
... aka Lights of Variety (UK)
... aka Variety Lights (USA)

[captainofbeef]

I've only seen 8 1/2 and La Dolce Vita, but both of them are among my top fifty favorite movies of all time. I love his surreal style, it is so different from Bunuel's or Lynch's. It is more playful and more enjoyable, yet underneath he keeps a cynical tone. I can't wait to see more Fellini, especially the stuff with Masina for I hear it may be even better than the two I've seen.

[kiddo]

I've only seen La Strada, La Dolce Vita, 8 1/2 and Amarcord. La Strada is a sore, but rewarding, film, dealing with the dualism between coldness and warmth in human relationships. It's quite different from those three others I have seen, although one can sense Fellinis' eye for poetic descriptions of the surroundings and the different charcters occupying his universe. Amarcord was too incoherent for my taste; too many vignettes, too much "jump in time". Still an excellent film, though. La Dolce Vita is wonderful, although somewhat too long (I feel that I repeat myself too much right now), and 8 1/2 is, of course, a masterpiece.

[wkw]

I've seen La Strada, Il Bidone, Le Notti di Cabiria, La Dolce Vita, and 8 1/2. You can see his shift from neorealism to surrealism in La Dolce Vita, which is his las feature that sticks mostly to reality. Any Fellini fan owe it to themselves to watch Le Notti di Cabiria, which I believe is his best neorealist film. I didn't really like La Dolce Vita when I saw it because it felt too episodic (or maybe because the subtitles weren't in synch with the video). Fellini tend to recycle many of his scenes and situations. for example:

SPOILER: Click to show

The sighting of the Virgin Mary in La Dolce Vita is recycled from Le Notti di Cabiria.

[criterionmaster]

kiddo said:

I've only seen La Strada, La Dolce Vita, 8 1/2 and Amarcord. La Strada is a sore, but rewarding, film, dealing with the dualism between coldness and warmth between human relationships. It's quite different from those three others I have seen, although one can sense Fellinis' eye for poetic descriptions of the surroundings and the different charcters occupying his universe. Amarcord was too incoherent for my taste; too many vignettes, too much "jump in time". Still an excellent film, though. La Dolce Vita is wonderful, although somewhat too long (I feel that I repeat myself too much right now), and 8 1/2 is, of course, a masterpiece.

I just found my copy of La Strada, which I burned when it was on TCM, onto DVD. I watched some of it and remember only tiny bits, so I am just going to re-watch it from the start. What do you rate the film? It seemed really great, from what I saw. I won’t be able to watch it too soon though, as I am borrowing La Dolce Vita from beed tomorrow, and will have to watch that first, but I will try and see it sometime soon.

[criterionmaster]

The films I have seen by him, with rankings/ratings:

1. 8 1/2 - 10.1/10
2. Amarcord - 10/10
3. I Vitelloni - 10/10
4. Juliet of the Spirits - 9/10
5. Fellini Satyricon - 7/10
6. Fellini: A Director's Notebook - 6/10

I think that is all the Fellini I have seen, but have VERY easy access to Fellini's Roma, also, I own a copy of La Strada, and I am borrowing La Dolce Vita tomorrow. He is overall one of my favorite directors, and I plan on seeing all his work, while there are some I would really never want to see again, the my bottom two favorites, there are others I am dying to see again, like I Vitelloni. His blend of surrealism, like beed said, works perfectly [most of the time]. I love his style, although he is not quite as amazing as Bunuel. Director’s Notebook is on the 8 ½ Criterion disc, for all those who want to check it out, although it isn’t very good, just interesting.

[kiddo]

criterionmaster said:

I just found my copy of La Strada, which I burned when it was on TCM, onto DVD. I watched some of it and remember only tiny bits, so I am just going to re-watch it from the start. What do you rate the film? It seemed really great, from what I saw. I won’t be able to watch it too soon though, as I am borrowing La Dolce Vita from beed tomorrow, and will have to watch that first, but I will try and see it sometime soon.

Oh, I try to look away from numbers now, but I guess I would have given La Strada an 8/10 or 9/10. I think it's a very poignant film, showing a lot of mans' conflicting thoughts in a world which seems pretty cold - at least from the outside. I find the performances by both Quinn and Masina to be very interesting, and I certainly admire the great contrast between the two characters (and no, I'm not thinking in physical terms now).
I would rank the Fellini-films I've seen something like this:

8 1/2
La Strada
La Dolce Vita
Amarcord

[captainofbeef]

The three I've seen:
1. 8 1/2 10/10
2. La Dolce Vita 10/10
3. I Vitelloni 10/10
4. Amarcord 9/10
5. Juliet of the Spirits 9/10

Juliet wasn't on the same level as the other two, but it was still excellent. The ranking could change though. I can foresee La Dolce Vita moving up my list significantly after a rewatch.

[wkw]

1. tie between Nights of Cabiria and 8 1/2
2. La Strada
3. La Dolce Vita
4. Il Bidone
5. Amarcord