Essential Fellini

[knives]

I actually just rewatched Boccaccio. It’s real good as omnibus films are concerned. It’s front loaded with the two best segments coming first. There are a lot of people who like Visconti’s segment as well. In any case each segment is about 50 minutes each so you could make a movie night out of just Fellini’s segment if you wanted to. It’s a major work for him being his first color film.

[ryannichols7]

working through the box finally, in complete chronological order, as it really should be. I enjoyed the "program" approach in the Varda box, but there was no way that would work with Fellini at all (and doesn't with Bergman!). posted below are my thoughts on the films and some supplements - not watching many of them yet unless they're entirely film specific. I work on a strict no spoilers approach and don't want anything ruined - I had only seen 8 1/2 (formerly my pick for Greatest Movie Ever, a November 2021 revisit disagreed), Amarcord, La Dolce Vita, Casanova, and La Strada prior to 2022. I broke this rule by watching Juliet of the Spirits for the first time in January based on dustybooks' recommendation for the 60s project, low and behold it's my new favorite Fellini for now.

I do want to say that this Orson Welles quote from JRosenbaum's essay on The White Sheik has been a tremendous thesis for this whole project:

"Fellini is essentially a small-town boy who’s never really come to Rome. He’s still dreaming about it. And we should all be very grateful for those dreams. In a way, he’s still standing outside looking in through the gates. The force of La Dolce Vita comes from its provincial innocence. It’s so totally invented."

Variety Lights: weird that this was an early Criterion spine. it shows signs of Fellini (maudlin actors, Masina, the male characters being awful), but is too much Chaos Italian Style for me to really enjoy or recommend to anyone who's not doing this exact project. but certainly an enjoyable time. obviously I skipped Fellini: I'm a Born Liar until later

The White Sheik: a huge surprise, really awesome movie and really great to see Fellini go this route. beautifully represents his transition from cartoonist to director, and somewhat of a bridge between screwball and...Woody Allen. Wes Anderson had to be influenced by this a bit too - could totally see resemblance between the lead and Tony Revolori. the Rememberances feature was pretty solid, nice to get some recounts of Fellini's earlier career, as I haven't gone for the Second Look pieces just yet. I do think a scholarly inclusion discussing this film being transitional, its beginnings with Antonioni, etc (maybe by the great David Forgacs, who is sadly underused on this set) would've been really good - the film only being 86 minutes would've been a good commentary, or of course just a video piece.

I Vitelloni: there we go, a bonafide masterpiece three movies into your career. this really is such a good film, I think a huge misconception about Fellini (that I myself had) was that he was the master of decadence and indulgence and while he did that stuff really well, he was such a good simple storyteller too. I had only seen La Strada from his 50s works previously, and not being much a fan of "neorealist" cinema (I love Rossellini's films but none of de Sica's), I had no idea just how immersed Fellini was in all that. these "vitelloni" are the lovable losers I think, and any wrongdoing action amongst them I don't see nearly as bad as anything to come in Fellini's following film. this one reminded me a lot more of Trainspotting more than anything else, especially... (light spoiler for that film too)

SpoilerShow

the need to get away from it all and move on with your life

but I think it taught me a lot about Fellini and who he really is. he really is that small town boy with big dreams - this movie documents that feeling almost better than any other I've seen, refusing to stump down to Good Old Nostalgia like American Graffiti or the like would attempt to do after. I wish this was the 50's Fellini that people rallied around more than La Strada, it paints such a better picture of who Fellini is and helped me understand him a lot more, while obviously being a tremendous film. the Vitellonismo documentary was excellent, and reminded me a lot of the It is Wonderful to Create documentaries that Toho did for Kurosawa's films. I just, again, have to reiterate my disappointment that nothing scholarly is on this disc at all. this is a movie I feel is unjustly underrated in Fellini's canon (though it has a stronger representation than say, Il Bidone), and I can't believe it never even got a blown out Bluray upgrade before this box. but again, more complaining (which I'll warn you, I'll do a fair bit of) when the transfer looks absolutely astounding, as it did the previous two films.

La Strada: I had seen this before and didn't enjoy it, chalking it up to younger Fellini not finding his footing yet, or something. now that I know he made two incredible films before this, and my tolerance for stories about machismo and all that grows thinner by year, I really did not enjoy this at all this goaround. Martin Scorcese even in his intro says: “this is the Fellini film everyone should see of his pre-8½ work.” and that's a huge lie, I'm sorry. the myth that Fellini was a "man's director" and just makes movies about masculinity (which I don't even find to be true anyway!) is only perpetuated by this movie, which is a really weird anomaly in his early career. I just find it to be very unforgiving and lacks sympathy for any of its characters, with the big ending revelation just to be "oh he's a guy who needed her" or whatever to just be plain silly. there's no light in this movie, even with Giulietta Masina's presence, and in spite of nice touches (the circus stuff, the commune who try and take her in), I just found this to be a completely detestable exercise this time, and yet people have no problem mentionining it in the same breath as La Dolce Vita and 8 1/2, all the while I Vitelloni and Juliet of the Spirits exist, both basically perfect films.

Scorcese's intro is nonsense for me since obviously this movie gave him the blueprint for many others I don't enjoy that he would go on to make, you can even see Deniro playing Zampano and all. Peter Bondanella's commentary is much better and does a really good job of selling a movie I don't even enjoy, which should tell you its a good track. I appreciated a lot of the context he gave and discussions about this film's (and Fellini's) relationship with neorealism and his work with Rossellini and such. I skipped the documentary as Chris' review advises it's more an "overview" type thing and I'm saving those for later.

Il Bidone: not usually my kind of thing, again a more unforgiving film, but certainly really interesting in the context of Fellini's filmography. weirdly reminded me of debuts from both Wong Kar-Wai (As Tears Go By, with similar triad energy, involvement of a well written female foil, and similarly tragic ending) and Wes Anderson (Bottle Rocket, which dustybooks pointed out this is a much more straight-faced version of that). I think there's a lot more "Fellini elements" in this one than La Strada which helped me enjoy it more - the New Year's scene alone is worth the price of admission. I do wish it had delved into the comedic/surrealist stuff it hints at so well, rather than the darkness/crudeness it ends up with, but it's still a really worthy watch in the name of a project like this. to an outsider, there's nothing this movie does that I Vitelloni doesn't do better, with far more likable characters. but it is weird to see Fellini go all in on this style, luckily not a mainstay for his career at all. Frank Burke's commentary is awesome, and I'm glad Criterion felt it was necessary to do a track for this specific film. I knew Burke from the excellent Amarcord commentary and now look forward to his track on Roma, he really hits it out of the park with info about this film, and I think this is the only commentary I've enjoyed where the scholar brought up Rotten Tomatoes and the like. I feel Burke does a good job defending the film without hardlining it at any point, instead providing a lot of context and reason as to why Fellini made this film. as much as I like Bondanella's track on La Strada, I feel like with that it was a stronger sell than this commentary, which was literally specifically made to defend a far more maligned film - which I enjoyed more than the more well received one. I wish Burke and Forgacs had been all over this set, I know Peter Brunette sadly passed in 2010, but those two I really wish had been called upon to do more than just one addition each (Forgacs' essays I'm sure are essential, but he's such a good commentator!). I did skip the interview with Dominique Deloach this time.

Nights of Cabiria: the last of Fellini's films made prior to 1965 I hadn't seen, and what a good way to wrap up this half of his career. you guys don't need me to tell you this is a masterpiece, but honestly a perfect film. I knew coming in that it "beat up" Giulietta Masina a bit before having a redemptive ending, and I was still shocked all around by what I saw. Masina's performance here is one of the best I've seen in any movie - as incredible as she is in Juliet, I feel she's coasting through that one, taking it all in (which is great in itself), but here I loved seeing her not play the "downtrodden woman" she seems to be known for. she's far more engaging, fun, and outward than any other performance I've seen from her, and in the forefront she really does magic. I think you can see the closeness of her and Fellini here, the artist/muse relationship shines in a way like Jia Zhangke/Zhao Tao and Hong Sang Soo/Kim Minhee would do decades later, and it's evident. I figured we would get more neorealist miserablism with this film but no, this is where Fellini really started to push into magical territory, and everything really shines. it reminded me a lot of both Gone With the Wind and Barry Lyndon in which the lead is in every single scene, and A LOT happens to them obviously, but in those two films, I was able to stick with two characters I don't particularly love for longer running times. here, I love Masina's Cabiria, and I want to stick with her through everything that happens to her. and that ending scene...how special is that? incredible score as usual from Nino Rota on that, but seeing it all come together brought the film together (and Fellini's 50's career!) right in the final minutes. I know it's silly to think about something like "there's always a reason to smile" or whatever, but this movie for me is a definitive example of positive thinking (and far more effective than Everything Everywhere All at Once, among others) and serves as one of the more life affirming things I've seen. again, I wonder all the time if those who "don't get" Fellini or think of him as some sort of macho director have ever seen this or Juliet, since they're effectively variations on the same theme. and naturally, what's the link there? Giulietta Masina, the greatest.

skipped all the features here for later, I think out of anger that there's nothing scholarly here either. and this movie does have a big reputation, was an arthouse hit, Oscar winner, etc!!! come on Criterion, I know it was the pandemic but I really think you could've pulled something together, this was a huge let down. luckily as always in this set, the film looked absolutely stunning.

La Dolce Vita: did not revisit this for the 60s project after 8 1/2 let me down upon rewatch and I feared this would lose its magic too. if anything, not only did it retain it, there is now an added personal angle to this movie for me. I think of Ebert's immortal quote: "movies do not change, but their viewers do." there is not enough space (nor forum attention) for me to delve into why exactly La Dolce Vita spoke to me so much more now than when I last saw it ~9 or so years ago, but I will say that the general consensus ideal of this film is far more different than what it actually is. it named "paparazzi", countless dessert shops around the world, and is a major cultural icon, but like Singin' in the Rain I feel like maybe I saw a different movie than many others did. sure, it's about excess, celebrity, and all that, but it's so much more to me about finding that sense of purpose as an adult, and not being around the bad people in your life. it felt like some deranged version of Catcher in the Rye this time while of course updating the ideals Fellini explored in I Vitelloni (I love having context for movies I enjoyed already - the advantages of going chronologically). I think it's easy to say that Marcello (who plays this role with the perfect amount of apathy) is just a bored, horny journalist but I think there's just so much more nuance than that. the entire section with his dad spoke to me far more this time, that sort of desperation and even if your parents are "too cool" for you, then who is? again I was reminded of Barry Lyndon with the shift here in the second half, with all the tragedies and oddities of adult life coming your way - unexpected deaths, old flames coming out of nowhere, and losing flings to weird circumstances (the castle/ouija board scene is incredible, predating The Innocents by a year!)

I think the film captures the feeling of being outgrown while outgrowing things yourself. if Nights of Cabiria is about finding the beauty in everything, La Dolce Vita is about the search for that beauty, even if it's unclear where it is. while Fellini doesn't go for the full on surrealism yet, I think it's the heightened reality he achieves that works so well and is so compelling - the entire first hour of the film is iconic scene after iconic scene, even the entire (incredible) sequence of Anita Ekberg just capturing those weird nights you have in unusual places. I've been obsessing with this film since its rewatch, along with its brilliant structure, elliptical narrative, and fantastic ending. which many could see as some sort of shrug mentality, but rather the idea of accepting life as it comes to you. I think it's a remarkable film in every single moment, and if it didn't work for you I'd urge you to give it another shot at some point in your life. maybe it isn't the life affirming story Cabiria is, or the cinematic funhouse that Juliet is, but it speaks to me very deeply.

the features are a little better here for sure but for as big of a title this is, I'm still surprised it doesn't go as in depth as 8 1/2, Amarcord, or seemingly Satyricon do. Forgacs' limited essay is worth while but the other scholarly piece I thought was just alright. Fellini interview will be watched when I reach Juliet since it should've actually gone there. kogonada is whatever (I'm glad he went into actual directing) but Lina Wertmüller is a lot of fun, I enjoy these kinds of recollections. I didn't get to do the four Second Look volumes or the new Once Upon a Time feature they added, but I'll be there soon. this is a good disc, but I think a track or maybe more expansive scholarly approach (think of the Welles' titles!) with multiple angles would've really benefitted this film. but nonetheless, a great time.

if anyone feels this post is too long let me know and I can spoiler tag it, if anyone takes the time to read it I hope you enjoy my observations. I'll be back with more as I work through the set.

[knives]

I’ve never heard this myth you mention of Fellini as a man’s director unless you are simply referring to his use of sexuality (in which case people are really missing the pan sexuality of his work). Where have you heard it before?

[therewillbeblus]

I think the film captures the feeling of being outgrown while outgrowing things yourself.

There's definitely this sense of feeling trapped between states of being, not feeling a 'part of', not accepting circumstances or oneself, a profound sense of alienation whilst also feeling strong motivations to strive toward goals and 'feeling'. I do read the ending as tragic though- you're right that it's Marcello finding a kind of acceptance, but it's the right 'kind' of acceptance, and in order to rest in such a state, he's sacrificed ambitions, values, and a sense of self-respect into a life of complacency. There's a compromise there that isn't present when he's engaging and sober to these existential crises populating his existence, and part of me finds the film to be moving because this struggle between the ideal and the real is existence itself, something we must find acceptance of and then not accept and accept again on a daily basis. To reach a state where we sustain acceptance means we're no longer participating, and that's not living.

I talked about it somewhere on this forum before, but I like thinking of these seven days/nights as temporally obscure rather than sequential, even within a relative time period. It's a common interpretation that they must be close together with only the final chapter set at an undetermined time further away from the others, but I prefer thinking that Marcello's grey hair and erratic shift in behavior could be the result of giving up on life, whereas his youthful features are maintained through engagement, rendering any temporal signifiers useless. These sections are all moments in time where he's struggled and been sobered during the struggles. I could totally see the last section being a week after the previous day, while the others were months or years apart. It works if we acknowledge that the act of surrendering to a state of inebriation from 'self' could be triggered by any of these scenes, and as someone who's done that and watched others fall into catatonic states like these that last.. years, it seems pretty feasible.

I'm so glad the film worked for you this time around! On any given day, it's my favorite film, and probably the one I feel closest to philosophically.

[Calvin]

It turns out that the new restoration of Ginger and Fred was released in Italy at the start of 2020. On DVD-only. French label Tamasa are also planning a Blu-Ray for 2021, though there's no chance of it being English-friendly.

Tamasa's Blu-Ray release of Ginger and Fred is finally coming this October but, as predicted, will not have English subtitles.

[Madara0806]

Questions about Fellini's IL BIDONE (1955):

1) I watched this on TCM this past Monday, November 27, 2023. It was the Italian-dubbed version with English subtitles and it ran for 92 minutes. It was marked as a Criterion Collection print. A friend asked me if they showed the restored version and I said I didn't know. When I went to the Criterion Collection website to check on it, the running time listed was 113 min.
Why didn't TCM run the longer version?

2) When IL BIDONE finally opened in New York in 1964, it was reviewed by Bosley Crowther in The New York Times and he wrote that it was the Italian-dubbed version. Was there ever an English dub of the film? If so, did the American stars of the film, Broderick Crawford and Richard Basehart, dub their own voices? If so, is there a version available with the English dub?

While I thought the Italian dub was quite good, I missed hearing the two actors' distinctive voices in the roles, especially Crawford's gruff tones, which would have added an extra note of pathos. I could see from the mouth movements that they were speaking their lines in English, but I'm assuming there was no sync-sound recorded track. Since the film wasn't even distributed in the U.S. till nine years later, it's quite possible that no English dub was ever done.

Anyone know for sure? I asked a friend who would have seen it in New York back when it ran, but he didn't know.

Thanks.