Things That Bump: Federico Fellini
The Director
No matter how much of awe and reverence the world of cinema bestows upon Federico Fellini, the post neo-realist movie director from Italy, in the heart of his hearts Fellini knew perfectly who he was. He was a clown. He was that grand jester in the courtroom of God who was given the amazing right to ask all the wrong and politically incorrect questions albeit wrapping them under the dusty and gooey cellophane of mirth.
And ‘mirth’ might sound a wrong word to use. Because for Fellini, a one time humorist for Marc’Auerilio, the Italian humor magazine of early ‘40s, comedy never ceased to be being another limited medium of expression. In the history of comedy (in all of its formats)—possibly with the only notable exception of Jonathan Swift–Fellini was the only man alive to use comedy not only as a weapon of satire but also as a means to find existential hope and more importantly a lack of it.
Yet, unlike some of his French contemporaries (a big apology to all those Goddard fans), Fellini never tried to make his movies so that their incomprehensibility can be mistaken as intellectuality. The story of five friends in a small harbor town, a love torn prostitute, a paparazzi who happens to be extremely lucky with celebrities, a ‘creatively-dead’ movie director—- characters from contemporary Italy, both from Rome and from small towns—only God knows by what magic transcended to some universal, timeless stories and after appearance of the ‘Fine’ at the end of each movie left us sitting in a soup of emotions where (again arguably) only another Swedish director ever dared to bring his audience. And what Fellini did while telling these stories? He mixed pictures of his adolescent years in small town Rimini— collages of an Italian catholic boy’s first sexual initiation, of his adventures and misadventures around the village, of his fear and hope and existence in an identity less world where everyone acts like everyone else— with his observations in the heartless cruel big city, with the pain of being uprooted, with the pain of being in the pleasurable company of rich and famous, with the hypocrisy of a regime (Fascist or otherwise), with his rage against the religion, with his hope to that ever-kindled light of humanity. In the process the narrative took wings in scenes where a man’s life and relations dance around him in the tunes of cabaret, where two very wealthy strangers make love in a flood filled room, where Jesus is hung from a helicopter and followed by a herd of paparazzi, where, for no reason, a beach gets filled up with multiple characters like a blind accordion player, a motorcyclist and a village beauty.
And in the end, the human vision of moviemaking, with its chaos and beauty and dreams and parables, never remained the same once that ‘fat clown’ from Rimini walked the line.
So, here is the list of three most important movies from Fellini’s career. These are not three of his bests (I don’t dare to classify like that). But, if you consider taking the plunge in the world of Fellini, please watch them in this order.
- Nights of Cabiria: Cabiria is a prostitute in the streets of Rome who looks for real love in odd places. Love, that all eluding scoundrel, often leaves her heartbroken and penniless as a result of last lover’s snatching of her meager wealth. Still, Cabiria refuses to lose faith for that tomorrow, for that next best thing and in the process let us roam in her bittersweet journey called life. Watch this for Fellini; Watch this for ‘cult cult’ acting of Giulietta Masina. If you loved ‘The Tramp’ character from good ol’ Chaplin, just think of a female avatar of Chaplin—only ten times better. This is the last movie in Fellini’s career with a so called ‘straight’ narrative. And I bet that never in your life you will find that a black and white scene of sunset, as shown in the climax, can be that enchanting.
- The Sweet Life (La Dolce Vita): Who is the biggest celebrity of them all? Fellini had the answer. Jesus. And so starts a movie that shows Jesus is being hung from a copter and taken to Vatican where a flock of gossip reporters(I am not to use the term ‘paparazzi’ as for trivia, this is the movie that gave birth to that term) follows Him. What happens next is a wonderful celebration of anti-narrative and creative freedom in the history of cinema and told thru the eyes of one very lucky paparazzi, Marcello( played by Marcello Mastroianni who was to Fellini what ‘Soumitra’ was to Satyajit Ray or ‘De Niro’ to Marty uncle) who for seven nights encounters different celebrities, different hillarious, seducing,impossible circumstances. In all these encounters, in all these adventures through underworld of famedom, Marcello’s corrosion of morality and the painstaking realization slowly uncovers to us how opposite of sweet his so called reckless and craved life is. Watch it for Fellini, watch it for Nino Rota’s music and watch it for some scenes (like the monster fish or the American Actress and suddenly dried fountain) which no one ever imagined on celluloid.
Amarcord (I Remember): To know Fellini is to know Rimini. That small Italian town by the sea where Federico grew up. And Amarcord is, to his own words, ‘homage to growing up and big breasts’. And what a homage it is. Not just a memoir told straight from the memory, Amarcord is filled up with that ‘inventive memory’ of Fellini which shows us some ‘crazy-crazy’ celebration of growing up. Growing up in a time when Italy is ruled by Mussolini. Growing up with characters like a mad uncle who shouts from treetop “I want a woman” and can be pacified only by a very ugly looking dwarf nun, like a pimple-struck man for whom all the beauties of Arabian harem goes crazy, like a parade that shouts, “Mussolini got balls this big!”, like a buxom tobacconist whose breasts are enough to almost kill the kid protagonist, like a classroom where teachers are just caricatures and students are…well…forget any intellectual discussion…watch Amarcord just to have that pure, sick laughter of adolescents which ,while living in this hazy glass room called adult life, many of us have forgotten to have.
So, that’s it. I know that all the kind readers who will show enough patience to reach through this article and who are acquainted with Fellini will ask me that where that movie is? The movie which is considered his masterpiece, the movie which for any poll, for any critic’s pick in the world finds a place in top 10, why did not I mention that movie at all.? My answer will be: all this discussion, all this small effort is to lead that ‘passionate’ forum member, getting initiated in Fellini movies, to finally watch that one masterpiece of masterpieces that human’s effort of moviemaking ever gave birth to. That movie is called ‘8 and Half’, one of the 100/200/10/2/ movies you must watch before you die. Or even better, ‘just’ before you die. Thanks.
Tags: Federico Fellini
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Have seen “8 and 1/2″ but not any of these you listed here. Now would these movies hold on me?
I strongly believe so. You have seen the fruit now observing other parts of the tree should be interesting :-)
I am wondering why you never included La Strada. I rate it above Nights of Cabiria.
[quote]“My answer will be: all this discussion, all this small effort is to lead that ‘passionate’ forum member, getting initiated in Fellini movies, to finally watch that one masterpiece of masterpieces that human’s effort of movie-making ever gave birth to” [/quote]
And you succeeded brother. Here’s the 81/2 review : [url=http://passionforcinema.com/fellini%E2%80%99s-8-%C2%BD-the-collective-unconscious/]null
Great post on a great director
These are the three movies which I feel should be ‘a primer’ for anyone uninitiated in Fellini. Obviously it is subjective and someone might prefer La Strada to La Notti di Cabiria or Satirycon to Amarcord…but in the end thru all these comments that reader taking plunge in world cinema should be helped and that defines means to the end . Thanks.
Hi I feel 8 and 1/2 deserves to be on the list of Fellini’s must watch. Macrello Mastrianni as always gave a splendid performance. Agree with you on La Dolce Vita and Amarcord completely. Good movies. I liked IVitelloni and La Strada a lot as well.
That is why in the last paragraph I felt compelled to write this:
“will ask me that where that movie is? The movie which is considered his masterpiece, the movie which for any poll, for any critic’s pick in the world finds a place in top 10, why did not I mention that movie at all.? My answer will be: all this discussion, all this small effort is to lead that ‘passionate’ forum member, getting initiated in Fellini movies, to finally watch that one masterpiece of masterpieces that human’s effort of movie making ever gave birth to. That movie is called ‘8 and Half’, one of the 100/200/10/2/ movies you must watch before you die. Or even better, ‘just’ before you die.”
Regards,
Fellini is Fellini, I like all his stuff, have seen Nights of Cabiria, Amarcord,I Vittellioni, 8 and a half. Saw Nights just recently. I share your views on it. Your description of Amarcord reminded me of Benegal’s Trikaal and some growing up films of Kusturica.
the only fellini movie i’ve seen is Casanova!! couldn’t make head or tail of it!!
what the hell was he trying to do there??plz let me know if anyone knows!!
Nice write-up. Interesting that you finally got started on “another Swedish director “!!