The Cinema of FEDERICO FELLINI PETER BONDANELLA wit A FOREWORD BY Federico Fellinist of usteations Rereword Prtoce Acknowledgments CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CONTENTS Origin: roumnanis a0 Neoeaist Apprenticeship: ‘Beyond Neoreaisms Dreams and Metacinem: iterate and Cinemas Flin and Poi:CHAPTER SIX “ Fellini and Politics PROVA DORCHESTRA spcily 0 gard poston fo pa fics 1 am moe Eskimo than Ro. san Tama 9 plea prion, ive ver ban on. Pole ad ‘prs Tave me completly cl in Aiperene {elove a person with an attic ent te nctrli conservative and nal ecngrce myalf os ne. An cary out my tangtessions | nel {et order wath many taboos obstacles a eer step otlzing pres ‘Hons. alpine choass fling long” Goud imantions and hones figs ad «passionate bei no's nn ‘eal. may make excellent ple or inet soil wexk hig) ‘which moy be mach mare sical then the cinema), but the dono ee ‘Stony and ndepatably make ond. And there sally noth Ihe drearer-fot becouse i snfectl sod potnlss-than bal poll ln hat J are about most the freedom of man, the eration of thei ‘ial mam fom the ntoek of moral and sil convention in which he rive or ater in which be thinks he believes and wich encloses hi ‘nd mits him and maker im soem narowen sale, somsetimes ee ‘rose han be aly Lo ee ee oagcinke omen aaa Recs metastases “aioe on lm 9.15 lil li i 8 263 pon misinterpetation that wax Bet advanced during the 198082 the Fiche ofthe polemical debater vurounding La rrede aod Le wot d Catia. At nt ime intel stems to dee alin enema toward ihe would surely have rend nan aatialy Barren bend soll Teli, lef cites in Italy and france ted eo denigrate Fein’ {Gry len a conservative wo hat embed he most reactionary ‘pect prewar alan clare? And yor, over he yar, eli’ early ‘los have codsed and have been prised act on for thee asi icemente but for thei socalgial value as well While many of ic Weolosally comet” lms lets praised uring the 1950s now tem ted andar arly shown such ely fms ab Lo seiceo bianco tu tell continue to gamer praise not ony ay entertaining works ier but also as penetrating portraits of provincial fe nthe aly of he pio. "The very lin rom Flin’ subsequent tony of conver barca stra apd Le nots i Cabiriatat evoked the most ne ive esponses fram cate en the lel ate now more correctly ben a8 tioong the most engin cinematic expreaion f the dominant lo ‘ical issuer ofthe postwar perio, testing problems of erm {fon and alienation Ssensied by European existentialism within city characterized by apy changing values and distupiveeeo- emnic development. The thirtieth anniversary of he felease of Lt Ute vite was celebrated aly with a numberof ails apd nt view hat ite nightly defined this masterpiece as 2 brillant resco of ‘new, mediscontious society that had emerged fom the sleepy, pro- ‘incl elton the 1950s and that hed antupated bya Teast 1 ccadecoatemporary cones over the domination of popular cal ‘sre by mss meds imegen, 2 theme conued and brondened in 2 numberof Felli snore recent metacinemtie work 0 include what te considers to be the Insidious inven of commercial television, ‘hed insite ofthe vulatsimplifetion that reduces Felli images ‘women to representations of grotesque whores and wexully poms: ‘uu women slcking ou heir tongues a the camera to sign their ‘valaliy, Flin not only eniipated the feminist movement in aly with his biterawece anys of matrimony in Gilera dealt spt Itt into other works focusing om male wexality(Casonove and La ita delle donne, he powided devastation cies of images men fave projected upon worn that he and bis generation inert fo “sop rey yi i he vty ced ema heisew Yor Oud Unie Fess 1264 cman rey ‘aly’s rainy male-dominated culture. As Lina Werner | rector with much clearer isle asumptons, hes pote so spite of Flin’sovertdiag intrest inthe representation oh sa Iancasy word, "Federico har pvens the most giant ase oa fal of our bisory in te las wenty yet He declares ef a foncemed with ois and isnot interested in ine themes ion logical layouts, But he isn the falsely the most poise sociological, Believe, of our autora ‘Thus while Flin’ cinema doesnot note the many soca op Jia problems that ve arisen since he fet began making fn smpoach Fellini takes to such themes and the cincmarae se which he teat uch question lle adc fom that type of socalled politi film, which Beare popula in ay ducing te | snd 197057 The daens cf ach pate fms produced by atch He ss emardo Dero, Maro Bellcehio, lr Paclo Pasolini Liles Visconti, Lana Cavan, Elio Pets, Francesco Rei, illo Ponernee snd che Taviai brothers usually view Ilan politics ftom » Mare Pespetive; they often cantina hyd minute o Maran al Mog fan socal theories and they offen test Kalan fascism a6 fave topic While the best of such ms succeed In lend the dchoga ‘messages with great commercial appl athe box ee ther pla conten flea period in alan culture when vero fot of Man, ‘st ideology dominated the ehinking of ay’ ilectal, [Numerous explanations of tala fascias have been advan, one ‘based on achlany research, oer selecting the ieslonial pation, othe proponents, The mos popular ofthese theorte dur the pe ‘war period while Mussolins was sl in power advanced the notions “moral eis the “ntuson of he anerphons mares at son, the idea that paychological disses gave bith tothe movement oy ‘the Stalinist inspite doctine that asin was a instrument ofthe capitalists’ tempt eo suppres he clase stogle Explanations of an ‘ams inthe Italian cera have tended to follow theories devloned Defoe the fal of the Fascist regime an thu elre much ofthe tant scholarship ofthe postwar period bused on extensive ahi! re Ste i al a rem dl cin al 8 ses the Prat, a Jobnet Te aan Pasa Rese Reto 1 Fgh Dehn tater Fras Soca ehnet he rns septa fk aac kr ndash ecind Wo War see A. eae nt fsa {Sw NF Genel Lam ran 0a resale Incoreo ‘StiCamtige Hard Uy fr 1 265 lech bd Sen publted and deine. Such cinematic tat ns wally low «Sorasson of pychonnlyesl and Marts Taco As sn comomie tnd ple exlnaton, Marie ought Bic the Pest movent ers olf apart ei ir so vpyes the woking css. On the eel fecal ppc, Puno neta hess depict he nda Fan #8 he Iroc of esc nents ems cdot rss {lysed ior We Fellas werk have provided suteces with sian i ltl oly inh cure of eptetog te dentro ot emcees oe «prod ok dean, Aterd sd Prone fires a wget ther concentraon on poles! uae ferred laos a omc sce nd the wae ‘ocr for et Fri ln rong dens fhe evade ei Sree #novge lok tack a sown prove oigas with 8 ‘err dimecuo a theo on clam ine tse ‘ca nly dene only ernest remake lhe pote I's rial rt fe tone oer ean feo he ee yt rel pee {pba part trugh the pr oft“ ees Maes {pyehouaytea ele 0 popular nh plc! mn aly ‘hts tomy, he dbeenorae ater the prey wn IS ey swing ey cn {tu jactinoy Ike Belial ave [Donald Sued in Nore ‘Shes conformist wh ln re te sce {ern ocompent are trumate oa event in hr pay aoch ‘5 Mavaio in Reacts I conformist. ein Blewett he teins emese rch nian ean be eganed wy by ht th lope pereoraiiy, the tei ea fro nage eco wrltecmotng td seltcontsaery fling onthe pa the thc watchin sch fms Sine" people do fel hey ‘Mare ch devant ehuacteiten they cn omnes emacie etna byt Foc hese Fata in heed, at 9 most pli lm hat ate made tdsy, ‘ram wea po aden perpective That om the 0 sie, Deached jadgents tarp Sagres complete and defer ‘Dole alvaye com om test on te pr of owe fhe poeation {© which Nlog! «be ihuman. The province ot Armterd i one Sich we mal ecg te Seer ot al he once Tih to minimise the eee snd soil caus offi: only266 cuarren aay ah say dha today what ail ot intresting ite poyholoil frmational manne of bing fait What tia anti o o Uockoe an arestl development dung the phate of alecence owt wt tary thet we liane have ot yet gone beyond adsecence flit. That would be an excessive and wot sdematon. Thing fe cerainly very much lee fom then, eat vous And ye aly mot, still mach the sme Tosay tn ober term, have ‘he impression that fara and alleacene contin tb, fmessre, permanent hist seston of or lve aolscence ofS {advil iver, stom for naan That harman cl Aen for etry, tis esvng responses footers this ving with the comiotng vention ta thee smeane wh hak Foc Yad stone time fs mother then tater then is the mayor, another tine 11 Duc, another me the Madonna, sother time the Bie, in sho ‘ther people ain the mean, oa have hi ime, ime wating ‘Reeds which pets you nl eo cliate aber rears Seam ff the Amescan cinema, othe Ont dream concerning women, It oncluson, the save od monstous, out-of-date mptethat even today Sem ome to form the st important condoning ofthe average al ‘As the astute interpreter of lian popular culture Felli has alway teen the director believes thatthe average Ilan during the Fascist, period had very ele fala with oltalWeologes, and ee years popular support generated Yor Metlink before freien war de rove his regime cannot be explained away by positing «nation of Sexual deviates or conspiracy theory that defines the rexine a cap ‘alist ool to repress the working classes. Fasciem dominated Cover to decadn preiely Beaute exploited an archetype ‘weakness eternal adolescence “The unique emotional impact of Amarcoed on audences ll ove the worldand at jar thor alien spectators whowe age or atonality ‘ade them especially intrested inthe Fancee ert —ina direct real of Fellini's refsal eo produce a "politica lm that intends mercy todo ‘ounce an embarassing epiatde inlays hitary. Ae Flin istaell Underline above, he ecoplat himself n che potalt he pnt oft Iy’s past. Amarcord avo sems to be Felin's most purely autebo- “rin “Amare The fc Nn UA ev ih il Ri Soo a nd tc sera | ee "ie eo ent Move” oumel feral ln fo" (979 1S, Pee Pall elms Thenade Scaring eterno Face in Amucard” le Cs i Tne et iin nnn ae te i } i t Petuint amp rourtics a7 major characters nthe le te so tEecuaed ne igures fom Fells childhood n Risin im hs es "La tia Rimi" which has been publabed number of times and ceen| teanslated into English The authenticity of the regional stmosphere Infurtherinereated by the callaboration onthe script of Tonio Gers, poet who composer vrs ia the lect of ein region and whois Sereknown for her important sept writen for Antonin, Ros and rel for Flin rpapical work, since nest ‘ing the inhabitants of this Remind of his imapnation int" eroee the ant-fesss and "bad willis (the Fass), Insts townspeople ar sketched out in masterfal caiatore portals a8 comic type ll of whom have antecedent in Felli’ euler woth. Indeed tame ofthe same figures make thee Rast apperance in Plows and Rome in sequences devoted to Fell’ provinelal erga. lstead of trang sinister, perverted individuals, Flint’ asi re st fal par ‘hte clowns manifentation of he tame arrented development within {he individual that all the townspeople share, Much ofthe film's nr- fave focuses on «spa aly othe pio, «hablo im most ‘Rapecte bu with important defects and wesknewses. Aurel, the ther (Amando Bracil, ea relatively roccnfalconstrvtion foreman of ‘working-las background whose anarchic cxgins ave nt forptten by the local Pacis whenever theresa polis turbance. elatrely nule mane nevertheless capable of violent its of rational anger Aiteted aginst his hldren, eapellly Tita ano Zana, te youn ‘man whose misadventures occupy «major potion of the fm. Aurelio Sele Misnds(Puplla Maggio the fongutering archetype of Ill [Rothethood delenésherson Tit even when he deserves punishment fin epily her brother Lallo(Napdino One, orl Pata,” a8 he ‘Mectlonately called by his vtellon ends Lallo lives wich his ede li fb “Amcor” Fedeco Peli, el. Caan Angelos, {eine a les Cel rept a6 aw ee ee ‘yt Tv tn tne! bE, lon el p 0 Te at ‘Scar to Amarcord of umes he people sen wich the churctees ae bad sor BE Atco rain elon Poy Fe “sno camo Gv spt, se Qt Lt Seats sony 8 Rbco We "Ts Cua ta the pce othe Si "Loe nicknome "ll Puce” alo «slang term fom Peis province dat268 ema ‘evs amily without ever seming to have tocar living and he may be consdered the prototype ofthe young mle later Felis made la rousin his ete fl! velon Miranda lao capable of byte {sof anges Inher perennial arguments with Aurelio. Tta's ent ther (Pepin lane), habe old man whose minds sill dominated by sexual fantasies also lives withthe family. Uncle Teo [Ceca ‘Staal Aurelio’ brother, ha ben confined to an insane asylum and Is vsted by the entre family in one important sequence "The comlc representation ofthe townspeople of Amarcord owes obvious debe o eins background in cartoons and comic Vignete “The one or tro epi ee tat Flin ety reveals os erablith their strange or greteaque characters as soon as they appear on te tereen. Sines Flint pupone in sketching out the ene population of {he town i to underline the eases for the eternal adolescence ot {he largest group of characters comes fom Tits school “The potas ofthe pope the King, and Massoliny hanging in the claw rooms make it clea that che school’s purpose i to perpetuate thei rorance and confusion Felli tlives tpi of the Pass ta A ‘most nothing of any importance is aught there, Tits classes are ‘MV immediately recognisable as sterestypielcancatres of tush ‘ents found in the classrooms of any society ih any stale! pid ‘Naso (Alvaro Vial his mame emphasizing his protuberant ose I (Gee femendo de Fle), the clas fatboy, Aldine (Donaell Gam: ‘ash the local beauty who ls completly indent to Choi's atten. Hons, Gigliozt (Bruno Leva) the cxanizr of the pscial Jokes played on the hapless Candela Francesco onal, a sliphlyeleminate Young many and Ove [ran Scagnett small imp of «boy who ie “capable of pronouncing Greek aylabes “The achoochldren seem slmost normal, howeve, when compared swith thee aches Zeus, the schoolmate Franco Magn) connie 1s authoritarian manner fom Roma: The profesor of fine at (Fdea Sgn) has breahase during he inane lessons on Cito’ pepective. ‘While the professor of mathematics (Dinu Adora testo teach her lane the mien of alge, the oo tings the sade can hk ‘fare her enormous breast and her feral exprestion The profesor of Talim (Mari lives bores the seadents with monotonous rectal of patric verse by Vitro Aller tying to inspire warlike spin his pathetic pups. The philosophy profesor (Mauro Misul delivers « ‘ana eet o he Reve cher pc two other wre with se ‘emg her employes ts infra prod myo be aed amie and aetna rm a ors mong ede peeuins ane rouiries 269 tious parody ofthe Fascia philosophy of Giovan Gente 0 his ‘attentive ans Don Bslons (Chanflipo Careaol, the parish met exten tnstseuny flere 4 superBcaldetion ofthe Holy Tin TE Sine siping his lasses, bball of the clas sneak out of the room 15 Spt Later whe confessing Tita an his ends, the priest setbpinvcreste in wheter the boys are masturbating oF ot, warning thes thatthe sant ry when they dos. "Grdiacs, the village Dsuty [Magalt Noe) with who the entire vil tages infnaated, oie othe eaceatores of mascaline desir, such {Be apmphomanie Velpin (osane anal and the baxom tobacco; ‘hic Mars Antonella elu. Other Syutes ince the slightly mad ante el Lovignano (Antone Fak Bano) the eal tiatsat the GaN Gc Chast tarstide Caporale) «figure Flin employs as (8p se seons and weet vendor named Bisein (Gennaco Om eo gle vs with al tales of sexual avenses i the harem of long Arab sheik at Rimias Grand Hotel. A likable bo rater fompous an pedantic lawyer [ugh Romi often interrupts the nt (eeto expla varios deta ofthe twas story ous, ado Civdiio [Sd ihucan, And at but no lene, Flin alio shows vious char TEER cho represen politcal authority: the local Pascit geraea [et ‘SESE ema andthe ig ferale Antoni Spaces whoxe onic gestures are modeled after the regime's pubic tye devel pal By Ace Stace, ead of the Fascist party for some Years. A EEu Zconionis, an onteatifedmotreyelst who roars about the {ly race at night and onthe meaty dock, and the owner of he lest GEES Putgorealed "Ronald Coleman” bocense of his hysea ike ‘Santo the American movi star (Mat Liberati ound this ncred> iby fsany population, ‘een te ge mmber ofthe rowa’s inhabitants tha ein akes past pai to cate, would be aecurte to speak of Felin's ‘Resreor as "choral fm, since so mach ofthe mative is ken “py the presentation of his lage group of comic Rus during mo- ‘onsite life ofthe town when they interact together a 2 group. “Tn cmphasis onthe ooup bess withthe fst major sequence ofthe Thay at devoted to the clbrtion af the coming of spring and che ‘Rating of wine on St Jove Day (19 March] with the buring of « Tite in eligy ona bone called a fogorazze, Almost evry one ofthe Tomerous characters dacusedabore fit appears dung this cl Tom andthe choral nature ofthe lm continue during other important [efbenca especialy that devote wo he asval ofthe Fascist federale aInL ape te traditional aniversary ofthe founding of Rome and + Eotdey celebrated by Misslins regime; and agin when the entre ovens out into the ocean to catch a glimpse of dhe passage ofthe270 cuarren six Rex, the enormous ocean line that embodied Matlin’ plans to sive tothe counties inal elds, epecally those in which such technolo Seal advnccs had propaganda potential Finally, Crafac's wedding | carebinize lft loses the ln with slant the entre village pes. nt In adliton wo these four major sequences, there ate numero ‘ther aspects of Amarcord thet unerine how the destructive mytl oes of Facse popular culture have pervade al levels of fet the ‘rovinces inthe detaledvigaetes Flint provide of misinsraction fn the public vchools and of misdeeted pet inthe church ring ea ‘essions during the squabbles atthe diner tbl asthe lage, extended ‘amily typical of Kay dung the period vpteence a microconts the lager town, daring the vanouspromenaes Inthe town equate whete sll the peope stat bck and forth, loking tots and placing them Selves parade an well Ax Folia notes in escusing the fetal ‘situ is argument all the prop activities m Amarcord ‘ng in this Kind of environment, etch person develoys not iaividual haracterstis but ony patolopcaldelecn™ Taken sepertely a in lividus these comic characters stm to ave only ‘mani nocuous ean ey, enough forthe chaaces to gather toner for an ocason Like this and there, om append bales ‘ecenticiey the mans ake on completly dierent meaning The ‘tering of Apa 2 us lke the psig ofthe Re, the ng of ‘he wea bone athe beginning and noo, ate way caine foal sup. The potent fing together is always leveling roc Pee ‘le tay roster oly to commit pid st And when they ae soe, these bewiemeny sade oe sin dae fe On of ed Asta othe myth of tury aad Ameena enema, Ie ay ‘tol cat Reps them all ogeter Sine no charac har ae ene Indiideal report, © bas only pety desta, noe hes "Hrength not ake at nthe staf emaln at heme cutie "| In Flin’ depletion of both the for’ visit to town and the pas sae ofthe Rex, the diet employ the ritualistic behavior of thee tie town to deal fascism ata polities! movement Imitating Se" ‘aces athletic and frenetic syle lemployed by the regime to undelinc the welsh, energie, youthoriened image eaized by the move ment) al ofthe lnbabitants presen themacves a the wan tation [eet the federale he aves ns pet pu ofvncke, recurrent age ‘which, along with fog is an eloquent concrete metaphor forthe abe ‘anti ofthe period Unlike most of the tst othe buildings in the {Aon Te cn Wa 2 recent ano rouittes an towel were bal onthe rd of Cnc fl he ere rete ne the ey een ernest Cnet el Sical monuments fm the past. This dspanty beween present td st muse, set within the metaphor of Kalan soley s an echesta {ut of tune also provides an impli evaluation ofthe astous state a contemporary society, The septa Prova dorchesra is eaely| Uneompliated one, talloted tote seventy minute television format. During the fst pat of the Rl, Felis vlc functons as de tle ‘som interviewer while the camera analyzes the invidal members of the orchests and ther suthortarancondector(Baldsin Bas) provi: ‘ng a tghtening pctre ofthe chaos and disharmony that thestens| {his mirocoum of Talansctety. Alter «kong discussion Between the [zsnst the conductor bes oa into en open revae the is sdenly