Fellini

Tommy Bunz · Post by **Tommy Bunz** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 1:58 pm

A recent Cascarriasasdasabas post made me realize i've pretty much written off dude's entire body of work. Am I missing out?

A long time ago I attempted to watch Satyricon and only made it maybe a half hour in. I normally have a pretty strong aversion to wierd/fucked up/perverse shit but this was too much for me and have pretty much avoided everything else of his since. The cinematography was gorgeous though I will admit and the Criterion cosign makes me think i might have just picked one of his lesser films.

Am I missing out? School me.

drizzle · Post by **drizzle** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 2:05 pm

Satyricon is NOT the one to start with, at all.

Try 8 1/2, La Strada, La Dolce Vita, or Nighs of Cabria, whichever appeals more by description

Trademark · Post by **Trademark** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 2:25 pm

8 1/2 rotates as one of my favorite films of all time. It is just masterful filmmaking. La Strada is is a very different type of film than 8 1/2 but it too is just fantastic. I've always thought about fellini that in his films you can see how much he loves cinema.

Trademark · Post by **Trademark** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 2:26 pm

Satyricon makes me laugh.

drizzle · Post by **drizzle** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 2:35 pm

Trademark wrote:8 1/2 rotates as one of my favorite films of all time.

mine too, my fave movie about movies (over Day for Night) and about the creative process in general. Although i just recently saw amacord, and itkinda knocked its way to the top I think. I'm already a sucker for wistful childhood nostalgia dramedies, and the way he injects it with touches of surreal makes all the more appealing.

Trademark · Post by **Trademark** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 2:37 pm

drizzle wrote:
Trademark wrote:8 1/2 rotates as one of my favorite films of all time.
I'm already a sucker for wistful childhood nostalgia dramedies, and the way he injects it with touches of surreal makes all the more appealing.

that's one of the main attractions for me as well. . Watching it with the commentary on from the criterion collection is one of my favorite movie watching experiences.

cascarrabias · Post by **cascarrabias** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 2:53 pm

Not a fan. At all.

La Strada is my favorite. The rest bore me to tears. 8 1/2. La Dolce Vita. Nights. Satyricon. Amacord. Booooring.
Pretty sure the reason I hate Fellini is his lack of narrative and apathetic, bored characters. Which is funny because I like Antonnioni.

Drizzle you tell me why I don't like him.

drizzle · Post by **drizzle** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 2:59 pm

i don't know how you can call the characters in Amacord bored and apathetic. Fellini's childhood surrogate sucking the tobacco ladies boobies is anything but, and so is his adult surrogate in 8 1/2. Hiding under a table during a press conference while hallucinating dancing fat women is not exactly the action of somebody who's just kinda hanging out not giving a fuck.

that description DOES fit Antonnioni much more, so I don't know what to tell you. The only time during Blow up that Hemmings looks excited is when the mimes start playing tennis

maybe you don't like him because he often tells his stories in a kind of disassociated collage-like manner which is at odds with your predilection for strong linear storytelling.

Spartan · Post by **Spartan** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 3:04 pm

This Greek artsy chick I was with during uni was mad on Fellini films and made me watch La Dolce Vita. Hated it. Went home after pressin' her, got stoned and watched Shogun Assassin.

Tommy Bunz · Post by **Tommy Bunz** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 4:10 pm

Trademark wrote:Satyricon makes me laugh.

Pretty sure this makes you a pedofile.

cascarrabias · Post by **cascarrabias** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 4:24 pm

Yeah not all the characters are apathetic. I know. But what I said definitely applies to his big ones, La Dolce Vita and 8 1/2.

I do hate the disassociated, free floating narrative. When I watch his movies I always feel lost. Which makes me think Fellini's lost.

catfish hunter · Post by **catfish hunter** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 4:35 pm

I havent watched any of his work. I dated a chick who was a fan.

I will have to find a starting point.

drizzle · Post by **drizzle** » Mon Dec 22, 2008 4:37 pm

cascarrabias wrote:Yeah not all the characters are apathetic. I know. But what I said definitely applies to his big ones, La Dolce Vita and 8 1/2.

I do hate the disassociated, free floating narrative. When I watch his movies I always feel lost. Which makes me think Fellini's lost.

well apathy is kinda the point of la dolce vita (to an extent), a large part is Mastroiani just drifting between the grounded life he's not exicted about and an intrinsically empty jet setting existence

8 1/2 is the opposite though, how can it be apathetic when the whole point is that the protagonist is so deeply invested in his movie it literally drives him to near madness?

as far as the whole 'lost' thing... to use amacord again which is freshest in my mind, he is a bit lost here but it's purposeful. think of when you're relaxed and just reminiscing on the old days - the recollections don't come as one solid thread because that's not how this kind of memory works. they come in bits and pieces that make up a larger whole. the movie captures this perfectly imo. obviously this approach contradicts your preferred methods of story telling. :shrug:

sun ra · Post by **sun ra** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 5:37 am

try Roma if you didnt yet!

Trademark · Post by **Trademark** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 7:04 am

8 1/2 follows dream logic better than probably any movie ever has. Which is to say focus switches from scene to scene and characters drift in and out, but like a dream it all has a meaning to the person who dreamed it, you just have to make sense of it.

jamrage · Post by **jamrage** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 7:58 am

I've seen "8 1/2", "La Strada" and "La Dolce Vita".

I sort of agree with Cas that the characters in Fellini's films aren't always gripping.

Still, "8 1/2" is undeniably brilliant and worth a see. "La Strada" is also very good and Giulietta Masina is cute as fuck throughout while giving an incredible performance. It's a completely different movie from "8 1/2" too. "La Dolce Vita" is more difficult to get through, but as drizzle said that's in great part due to the theme of the movie itself.

Tommy, my advice is that you pretty much have to see "8 1/2". If you don't like it and want to give Fellini another shot give "La Strada" a look. If you don't like either one be on your merry way.

peanut butter · Post by **peanut butter** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 4:40 pm

How is Born Liar? I wanted to see it last night on Showtime but I couldn't stay awake.

I havent never seen any of dude's work. My only knowledge of him in fact is when Herzog called him "fat, greazy, and soulless," or something to that extent of hilarity.

PEACE

drizzle · Post by **drizzle** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 4:49 pm

never seen that one

i forgot who, but there was one poster on here who knew fellini front to back, FB maybe? i'm wondering why they haven't stepped up yet

Funky Butler · Post by **Funky Butler** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 5:59 pm

nah not me

fan but hardly an expert

i actually just watched roma again yesterday

wonderful film

Dan · Post by **Dan** » Wed Dec 24, 2008 11:37 pm

I've only seen Roma and Amarcord and that was just this year with each airing on TCM and IFC.

Would love to see others, as I really enjoyed Roma.

sun ra · Post by **sun ra** » Thu Dec 25, 2008 3:19 am

Tommy Bunz wrote:
Trademark wrote:Satyricon makes me laugh.
Pretty sure this makes you a pedofile.