Federico Fellini

Started by cine, April 05, 2003, 01:58:36 PM

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cowboykurtis

Quote from: The Gold TrumpetThis is getting insane. It's not like this film was made by Fellini, lost and then instead of found again, was remade by a more topical filmmaker at a larger compromise to take its place. Fellini's dead. He had his time to make this film. Every filmmaker who is able to have a durable and varied career leaves behind projects that never were done. (whatever the reason may be) Why is there no rucus for their lost works being re-done? Its because some people understand filmmakers dabble with many projects and just can't get to all of them. And when the project is able to be bought out, that means the filmmaker's family thinks it was worth selling or the filmmaker committed the story to a studio knowing full well if he didn't touch it, it could be sold.

Quote from: The Gold TrumpetIt's just a forgotten Fellini project. It's not really to say he put the time and energy in most of his films the way a Stanley Kubrick did.

The above remark about Kubrick informed your opinions for me.

Obviously our evaluation of this situation differs greatly.

I can only assume you do not view Fellini in the same arena as Kubrick....I, on the other hand, do.

You state, the the reason for little to no rukus about filmmakers' projects being re-done after their death is due to an understanding of the mechanics behind art and commerce within the industry.

For instance, if we were talking about a lesser filmmaker - Say, Wes Craven dies and a studio produces some scripts he had developed. For me thats a very different situation.

There are very few film directors who reach the prestige to be included in the same arena as Fellini. Furthermore, most do not have a successful enough career to have an "estate".

For me, filmmakers like Fellini and Kubrick and Bergman and Bunuel transcend the title "filmmaker" - They go down in history with the likes of Mozart, Da Vinci,  Rembrandt, etc.  And because of this built in prestige, estates are formed to keep the integrity and protection in tact for that said artist.

I can assure you someone like Joel Scumacher won't have an active estate after he passes away. Nor much of a legacy to protect or maintain.

Furthermore, from a business standpoint Fellini and other's of his stature were not contract players, developing projects for studios. ( and im aware of kubrick's deal with WB, which was far from a traditionally structured contract - it was very much with his best interests in tact)

I know you distinguished your stance on Kubriock taking more care in development. But concerning your opinions expressed on an artist's rights, and the inevitablity of his work subject to the fingers of commerce; Would you have the same ambivelence if Napoleon was made? (without the guidance and support of Jan Harlan, Christiane, etc)
...your excuses are your own...

Gold Trumpet

Quote from: cowboykurtisWould you have the same ambivelence if Napoleon was made? (without the guidance and support of Jan Harlan, Christiane, etc)

Thing is, it won't so I'm very happy that it won't. If it did, sure, I'd be peeved. That is why the family has rights to protect these projects. If they release the project, its their decision.

As far as I'm concerned, Fellini is the greater artist to Kubrick. I've very much fallen off the way side with Kubrick as far as esteem goes. Thing is, a Kubrick project was different. He put everything into a film. I wish Fellini would have done just half the films he completed. His sloppiness at the end I think gives a little less value to his projects.

Schumacher definitely will not carry such esteem as either of these filmmakers. Thing is, another filmmaker who's scripts are getting made postemously, does. Akira Kurosawa, since his death, has had screenplays adapted into films by other filmmakers. I never hear a ruckus about that.

SoNowThen

Two small things:

I remember reading the same thing you mentioned, GT, in a Kubrick bio, about Fellini and his output during those years, it had something to do with Kubrick monitoring projection lenses in theatres showing his movies, and Fellini saying how impressed he was at the control/care Kubrick took in regards this kinda thing. But even if the book said 5, the correct number is 3. Director bio writers are notoriously lazy with real research, when it comes to figures.

Secondly, people really slag off later Fellini, but I had the pleasure of catching NFT's Fellini season last year, and I thought that Ginger And Fred, Intervista, and Voice Of The Moon (particularly G&F) were all amazing. Have you seen all the later Fellinis? I don't think he was getting lazy. Even he said, with Voice Of... that he was starting to approach perhaps another turning point in style, but then of course he died... mutherfuck....
Those who say that the totalitarian state of the Soviet Union was not "real" Marxism also cannot admit that one simple feature of Marxism makes totalitarianism necessary:  the rejection of civil society. Since civil society is the sphere of private activity, its abolition and replacement by political society means that nothing private remains. That is already the essence of totalitarianism; and the moralistic practice of the trendy Left, which regards everything as political and sometimes reveals its hostility to free speech, does nothing to contradict this implication.

When those who hated capital and consumption (and Jews) in the 20th century murdered some hundred million people, and the poster children for the struggle against international capitalism and America are now fanatical Islamic terrorists, this puts recent enthusiasts in an awkward position. Most of them are too dense and shameless to appreciate it, and far too many are taken in by the moralistic and paternalistic rhetoric of the Left.

Gold Trumpet

Quote from: SoNowThenSecondly, people really slag off later Fellini, but I had the pleasure of catching NFT's Fellini season last year, and I thought that Ginger And Fred, Intervista, and Voice Of The Moon (particularly G&F) were all amazing. Have you seen all the later Fellinis? I don't think he was getting lazy. Even he said, with Voice Of... that he was starting to approach perhaps another turning point in style, but then of course he died... mutherfuck....

Ginger and Fred is the worst offense of his later works for me. If ever a film felt stagnant without anything happening, it was that. I continously thought it was going to start picking up, but never did. And the Ship Sails On is the one later Fellini film I really do like, but I'd like to hear what makes you so fond of Ginger and Fred.

SoNowThen

I thought Masina was heartbreaking, moreso than in any of her bigger movies w/ Fellini. The stars and the director getting old and really sadly looking back and pondering a life in showbiz, it got to me. Plus, the crazy fake commercials added a nice bit of surreal intensity to the whole thing. I remember it being a very great cinema experience, one of those (many) nights when I wander out of the NFT, knock back a Stella, and sit overlooking the Thames and just smile at how much I enjoyed the picture.
Those who say that the totalitarian state of the Soviet Union was not "real" Marxism also cannot admit that one simple feature of Marxism makes totalitarianism necessary:  the rejection of civil society. Since civil society is the sphere of private activity, its abolition and replacement by political society means that nothing private remains. That is already the essence of totalitarianism; and the moralistic practice of the trendy Left, which regards everything as political and sometimes reveals its hostility to free speech, does nothing to contradict this implication.

When those who hated capital and consumption (and Jews) in the 20th century murdered some hundred million people, and the poster children for the struggle against international capitalism and America are now fanatical Islamic terrorists, this puts recent enthusiasts in an awkward position. Most of them are too dense and shameless to appreciate it, and far too many are taken in by the moralistic and paternalistic rhetoric of the Left.

w/o horse

I'm watching Fellini:  I'm a Born Liar and there are all these scenes that are badass and I've never seen.  Two in particular I feel the need to immediately see.

If anyone can help:

1.  A fake ocean.  A woman comes out of a building that a group of kids have been huddled outside of, peeping through a hole.  The woman walks towards the water.

2.  "But who will dance the congo for you?"  "I'm sick of the congo."  I just looked up and that was being said and then the scene ended.

Modification:

Everyone should watch this show.

3.  There's a woman on a bed.  She is wearing red, the bed is white.  There is a girl ghost above her.
Raven haired Linda and her school mate Linnea are studying after school, when their desires take over and they kiss and strip off their clothes. They take turns fingering and licking one another's trimmed pussies on the desks, then fuck each other to intense orgasms with colorful vibrators.

planet_jake


Quote from: The Gold Trumpet on October 02, 2005, 01:26:32 PM
Quote from: SoNowThenSecondly, people really slag off later Fellini, but I had the pleasure of catching NFT's Fellini season last year, and I thought that Ginger And Fred, Intervista, and Voice Of The Moon (particularly G&F) were all amazing. Have you seen all the later Fellinis? I don't think he was getting lazy. Even he said, with Voice Of... that he was starting to approach perhaps another turning point in style, but then of course he died... mutherfuck....

Ginger and Fred is the worst offense of his later works for me. If ever a film felt stagnant without anything happening, it was that. I continuously thought it was going to start picking up, but never did. And the Ship Sails On is the one later Fellini film I really do like, but I'd like to hear what makes you so fond of Ginger and Fred.

I'm a huge late-Fellini fan as well. The only film I have yet to see is Voice of the Moon (ARG!!!). Ginger and Fred is fantastic! It has a very eerie twilight to it. The atmosphere just kills me, knocks me out you know? The lighting is so predominant in that it bathes everything in this kind of harsh glow. It's one of the only times I can remember that I walked away with a clear message from a Fellini film. I still love it.

My ranking of his post-Casanova films:

1. Intervista (1987)
2. Ginger and Fred (1986)
3. Orchestra Rehearsal (1979)
4.  ...and the ship sails on (1984)
5. City of Women (1980)

I'd kill my mother to see Voice of the Moon.

Does anyone here happen to think that the upcoming release of that turgid looking "new" Casanova will spark new interest in Fellini's Casanova? Perhaps initiating sweet, sweet R1 DVD release?

SoNowThen

Casanova was just released here in England. It's pretty solid.
Those who say that the totalitarian state of the Soviet Union was not "real" Marxism also cannot admit that one simple feature of Marxism makes totalitarianism necessary:  the rejection of civil society. Since civil society is the sphere of private activity, its abolition and replacement by political society means that nothing private remains. That is already the essence of totalitarianism; and the moralistic practice of the trendy Left, which regards everything as political and sometimes reveals its hostility to free speech, does nothing to contradict this implication.

When those who hated capital and consumption (and Jews) in the 20th century murdered some hundred million people, and the poster children for the struggle against international capitalism and America are now fanatical Islamic terrorists, this puts recent enthusiasts in an awkward position. Most of them are too dense and shameless to appreciate it, and far too many are taken in by the moralistic and paternalistic rhetoric of the Left.

planet_jake

But heres' the thing, the recently released R2 Casanova isn't the directors cut! And seeing as how this is a director who ALWAYS had final cut... What the heck is missing? The original version is supposedly 177 minutes. I think the R2 version is something like 150 minutes isn't it?

SoNowThen

Italian running time was 165 min, at the request of Universal and the Producer, Fellini had his editing team trim an additional 15 min (no scenes were lost, apparently, just shortened) for the French and English versions. So as with the BFI version of Il Bidone (which was a longer and better English version than the US one), this Casanova is as the British originally saw it... which is the best thing we have for now.

It also comes with a great interview with Sutherland.
Those who say that the totalitarian state of the Soviet Union was not "real" Marxism also cannot admit that one simple feature of Marxism makes totalitarianism necessary:  the rejection of civil society. Since civil society is the sphere of private activity, its abolition and replacement by political society means that nothing private remains. That is already the essence of totalitarianism; and the moralistic practice of the trendy Left, which regards everything as political and sometimes reveals its hostility to free speech, does nothing to contradict this implication.

When those who hated capital and consumption (and Jews) in the 20th century murdered some hundred million people, and the poster children for the struggle against international capitalism and America are now fanatical Islamic terrorists, this puts recent enthusiasts in an awkward position. Most of them are too dense and shameless to appreciate it, and far too many are taken in by the moralistic and paternalistic rhetoric of the Left.

MacGuffin

Fellini script 'Viaggio' on new voyage
Source: Hollywood Reporter

ROME -- Work will start early next year on "Viaggio a Tulum" (Voyage to Tulum), a Mexico-based story written by iconic Italian director Federico Fellini but not started during the director's lifetime.

The news is the first to emerge from the Business Street market at the second RomaCinemaFest, which got under way Thursday.

The project will officially launch at a briefing to be held at the Hotel Flora -- which housed Fellini's offices in Rome -- which are now hosting part of the Business Street.

The film, which will center on Fellini's trip to Mexico to meet the famous mystic Carlos Castaneda, will be filmed in Mexico and at Rome's Cinecitta Studios, with a budget of at least €3.5 million ($5 million).

Filming is expected to start Jan. 20, 2008, which would have been the 88th birthday for Fellini, who died in 1993.

The film's backers say they have secured about half of the funding they need already, most of it from Mexican investors and the Mexican government.

Fellini wrote "Viaggio a Tulum" in 1985, and it was published in book form by Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera a year later. But it was never made into a film.

The project will be directed by documentary maker Marco Bartoccioni. Fellini and Tullio Pinelli -- who adapted Fellini's original work -- will share screenwriting credits.

Most of the cast members have yet to be named, but the film's backers said leads will be named at next month's Cancun Film Festival in Mexico.
"Don't think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it's good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art." - Andy Warhol


Skeleton FilmWorks

tpfkabi

Juliet of the Spirits airs tonight on TCM as part of Mark Mothersbaugh's Guest Programming.
It shall be my first viewing if my DVR does not eff up.
I am Torgo. I take care of the place while the Master is away.

SiliasRuby

Just watched a double feature of La Strada and Nights of Cabria the other night. Just two exemplary films that hit me in the heart. Especially the performances. Really just cried. Well, if you ever need to have a good cry I'd watch those two back to back. If you're a woman and your man used you-DEFINITELY watch Nights of Cabria. It'll be cathartic... Before those two I had only seen La Dolce Vita, 8 1/2, and amarcord. What's next is 'intervista' plus 'and the ship sails on' as far as my Felinni is concerned
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When you are getting fucked by the big corporations remember to use a condom.

There was a FISH in the perkalater!!!

My Collection

SiliasRuby

#178
'And The Ship Sails On'

Unfortunately, I didn't get into this as much as I hoped. Although I didn't have high expectations either. It still had that fellini feel and touch but I guess it wasn't absurd enough for me. Its still flourishes in imaginative ways but the characters I spent time with weren't as interesting and open as films in the past for me. Mostly I think because 'the well to do' and extravagant characters were so familiar to me that I was slightly bored with them. Rich old men and women were people I grew up around so some of this no matter how fanciful or depressed they were acting didn't shock me. The score and most of the story or the lack thereof intrigued me enough to hang on.

'Intervista'

Damn, this was a fun ride. A movie within a movie within a movie. I enjoyed it way too much and its strange to say so since it might not be well known. Well not as well known as I personally want it to be. 80's haircuts, blemishing color, confusing and ridiculous, they hit how film people are and how exactly they interact. I believe this is his second to last film he ever put out there and it shows because he's free flowing. Not really caring how he's portrayed all that much.
The Beatles know Jesus Christ has returned to Earth and is in Los Angeles.

When you are getting fucked by the big corporations remember to use a condom.

There was a FISH in the perkalater!!!

My Collection

ElPandaRoyal

Your words about And The Ship Sails On could be mine. Kind of disappointed me, even though it has its moments of ridiculousness (what?) that worked fine. It's completely felliniesque, but it's also minor Fellini.

Also, La Strada has to be one of the best movies ever made. It's touching, and heartbreaking and Giulietta Masina was just a perfect actress. There are a lot of Fellinis I haven't seen yet, but he was one of the greats.
Si