Born in Italy, in 1920,Federico Fellinibecame one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. Over a century after his birth, his genius still influences so many major directors, including Woody Allen, Paolo Sorrentino, Terry Gilliam, Tim Burton, and David Lynch. So much so that the neologismFelliniesquehas been invented to describe the dreamlike and larger-than-life filmmaking associated with Fellini.
The Italian master who blurs the line between reality and fantasy won a record-breaking five Academy Awards: the Academy Honorary Award in 1992 and four Best Foreign Language Film Awards (forLa Strada,Nights of Cabiria,8½, andAmarcord). Here are the best of his extraordinary feature films.
7I Vitelloni
Fellini’s second feature as a solo director, the 1953 comedy-dramaI Vitelloni(Italian slang for “The slackers”), was a critical and commercial hit that restored the filmmaker’s reputation after the financial failure of his first solo-directed feature,The White Sheik.I Vitelloniis an insightful look at five young men who are dreaming to escape from their provincial hometown and struggling to find meaning in their lives; it uses many elements of the Italian neo-realism that was popular at the time but injects it with Fellini’s own distinct sense of whimsy.
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TheSan Francisco Chroniclenoted, “It’s a film of sensitivity, observation and humor - a must-see for Fellini enthusiasts and a worthwhile investment for everyone else. Those less taken by the maestro may findI Vitellonito be a favorite among his works”.I Vitelloniinfluenced George Lucas' coming-of-age comedy-dramaAmerican Graffitiand Martin Scorsese’s crime filmMean Streets.
Inspired by Fellini’s youth, the 1973 Oscar-winning comedy-dramaAmarcord(the vernacular for “I remember” in Romagna, an Italian historical region) is set in 1930s Fascist Italy and explores the life of an adolescent boy Titta (Bruno Zanin) in a small coastal town. The semi-autobiographical tale shows a larger political context and the reality of Fellini’s generation. Breathtaking, sentimental, and bittersweet,Amarcordis a life journey and a clear influence on Woody Allen’s nostalgic 1987 filmRadio DaysandPaulo Sorrentino’s autobiographicalHand of Godfrom 2021.
5Nights of Cabiria
In the 1957 dramaNights of Cabiria, Fellini’s wife and masterful actress Giulietta Masina, in another of her severalfrequent collaborations with the director, created one of the most iconic movie characters of all time: Cabiria, a down-on-her-luck sex worker with a heart of gold. The filmmaker’s soulful vision of a woman who tries to rise above the cynicism of the world is a cinematic masterpiece. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival for Masina,Nights of Cabiriais worth more than “all the fire-breathing blockbusters Hollywood has to offer” (asThe New York Timesnoted).
4Juliet of the Spirits
The filmmaker’s first film in color, the 1965 fantasy comedy-dramaJuliet of the Spiritsstars Giulietta Masina as a middle-aged woman who fears that her husband is having an affair, the crisis triggers her self-discovery and is filled with phantasmagoric, hallucinaotry images along the way.Fellini said, “It’s the portrait of an Italian woman, conditioned by our modern society, yet a product of misshapen religious training and ancient dogmas — like the one about getting married and living happily ever alter. When she grows up and finds it hasn’t come true, she can neither face nor understand it; and so she escapes into a private world of remembered yesterdays and mythical tomorrows.” It is another must-see Fellini’s film that won the 1966 Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film and inspired Woody Allen’sAlice.
3La Strada
The 1954 dramaLa Strada(The Road) is the ultimate bridge between post-World War II Italian neo-realism, the national film movement that captured stories from the working class’ everyday life, and Fellini’s own style. Poetic, pure, and sad,La Stradafollows sweet, innocent young woman Gelsomina (Giulietta Masina) who is sold by her family to a cruel traveling showman called Zampanò (Anthony Quinn).Fellini describedLa Stradaas a story about “two people who stay together, although it will be fatal, and they don’t know why.“La Stradawon the filmmaker his first Academy Award, and it is simply one ofthe greatest road moviesof all time.
2La Dolce Vita
A landmark in the history of cinema, Fellini’s 1960 satirical comedy-dramaLa Dolce Vita(Italian for “the sweet life”) stars Marcello Mastroianni as hedonistic tabloid journalist Marcello Rubini who embarks on a remarkable journey in search of happiness. Along his odyssey through the sweet life of Rome, he falls briefly in love with American actress Sylvia Rank (Anita Ekberg).
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While the whole film is hypnotic in its aimless beauty, it’s arguably Ekberg’s playful splashing with Mastroianni in the Trevi Fountain which remains one of the most indelible cinema’s moments.Winner of the Palme d’Orat the 1960 Cannes Film Festival,La Dolce Vitahas a big cultural impact, the film introduced the term “paparazzi” into the vocabulary and inspired Paolo Sorrentino’sThe Great Beautyand Sofia Coppola’sLost in Translation.
The 1963 surrealist comedy-drama8½is Fellini’s magnum opus, one of the greatest films of all time that has been referenced by everyone from François Truffaut to Woody Allen.8½stars Marcello Mastroianni as celebrated filmmaker Guido Anselmi, who is preparing an epic science fiction film and struggling to cope with a personal and creative crisis. We find Fellini’s alter-ego Guido slipping in and out of dreams and fantasies. The opening dream sequence in which Guido floats off into the sky is one of the most disturbing and incredible things in cinema. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film,8½is a must-see masterpiece.
