1960 - Commedia/Drammatico - 2h 55m
Regia: Federico Fellini
Cast: Marcello Mastroianni, Anita Ekberg, Anouk Aimée, Yvonne Funeaux, Alain Cury, Annibale Ninchi, Magali Noël, Lex Barker, Jacques Sernas, Nadia Gray
Marcello Rubini is a journalist specialized in secular news and spends his days looking for shovels among the VIPs of the cinema, the beautiful parties and more to collect news that he can write in his articles. Known by many workers in his industry, he is not a Journalist, like the others, his work offers him the opportunity to be the Protagonist or witness of the Jet-set of the life of the Show.
Certainly one of the masterpieces of Federico Fellini, and one of the most famous films in the history of Italian and world cinema. The director of Rimini aimed to show the true essence of the life of the show, a world that still hides many secrets, and what could be more beautiful than a journalist who lives his life in search of shovels and intimate secrets of VIPs, the best example of the worldly life of celebrities. A Film that was the Protagonist of the Cannes film festival, won the Palme d'or and the Academy Awards to see 1 Statuette for the best costumes on 4 nominations in total, and filmmakers such as Fellini, to win a Statue for best Director, which, however, is its ability to direct the Film, was gian known, and every actor and producer, had the dream to work with him, it is a mistake to know the world that the Director will win only an honorary Academy in 1993.
His goal was to show the world the beauty of a world as diverse as that of the VIP, but only describing the beautiful part of this world, between the different parties, beautiful cars and women, while Italian cinema was about to experience the economic boom of its success by declaring this film as one of the first comedies for the Italian. Note that the famous director wanted to show the bad part of this world, like the drug, sometimes when you talk about the depression and all the things that unfortunately happen today those celebrities who do not manage to keep this kind of life, and we are prisoners, sometimes deadly; the goal is to show this life like a fairy tale of success, in my opinion, is that many fans were unaware of many things the show and thought that celebrities lived in the world the most beautiful of all, and I think the director made him comfortable to do.
Not only has he succeeded in showing the viewer these aspects mentioned, but also the beauty of a city like Rome that was the center of Italian cinema thanks also to Cinecittà that was considered at the time as the Italian Hollywood, between film studios and sets. The beauty of the city without time, that is, the history of our nation, is something majestic, and was for many years the center of the show (via the Italian cinema was experiencing a good time) where he ran many of the films of success in america, and still enjoys great life and reputation for cinema and television. But if the qualities of Fellini were well-known, the success is also down to Marcello Mastroianni, at the time one of the emerging players of the Italian cinema, who was already working in optimal production and this film also reached the international fame and success that would have him as one of the masters of world cinema. Its qualities that will benefit the victory of the Nastro d'argento for this role, they were able to demonstrate how the choice to engage him had been spot-on by Fellini, who, according to the sources, it clashed with the producer Dino De Laurentiis, because the latter wanted to cast actors like Paul Newman and finding the negation of a director who broke the contract with the famous producer to agree with Angelo Rizzoli.
The famous Trevi Fountain scene
Despite the young age and the career just begun, Mastroianni managed to achieve the true impact of the journalist, who tries to do everything to get the best shovel, and to woo and accompany film divas like Sylvia, played by the Swedish Anita Ekberg, the example of a beautiful and stupid actress who lives on money and fame, but has managed to get along; famous is the scene of the Trevi fountain, in which the two bathe in clothes, and the famous scene of the woman who said: "Marcello, come here!"that has remained in the history of cinema. The actor is the most blessed among the women who just want to be seen with him as the beautiful Magdalena( Anouk Aimée), it looks like an actress, but in reality I still can not understand what vip it is, but what is certain is that it will turn the head to the protagonist who brings him into his varied world, and let's say that; one can't help but talk about Emma (Yvonne Funeaux), the protagonist's girlfriend, who shows the example of a woman who exhausts the partner's love life, will only annoy him with his too much justified jealousy, example of many famous women who have to accept the expansive life of this too exhausting world.
Surely someone like Mastroianni, who had too many women on set, will look for his ideal girlfriend, an example of how a man wants his soul mate in the end, even if the desire to stay in this life of leisure and vice does not make him feel comfortable. Speaking of the vices of the VIP, this film shows how the stars of the show use their visibility to give free rein to their parties, smoke and so on, and as a final scene in which our protagonist gets a little tipsy, even if they have found a person who is a little out of this world, as if not or at least not able to get out of it; this argument just described is the only part that Fellini has tried to portray in my opinion as the dangerous part, or at least the fun too expansive VIP.
I would like to think about the episode in which Marcello receives the visit of the father (Annibale Nicchi), an Oersonaggio who steals the scene of our protagonist for a few minutes because he has courage in youth and a person who seems to have lived in the world, in which everyone is involved, who is nearby and it is fun to see and hear him, and I was glad to have seen a character who was not the same Mastroianni. If Fellini has brought an exemplary film, it is certain that in the long run they feel the length of the film, which does not seem to end, and in my opinion certain episodes, which should have been shortened, but which probably would not have given the film they actually feel the same JUICE.
Filming in Rome
The scene represents how beautiful Rome and its great history that we all envy from all over the world; its monuments and the charming people make a city, a majestic and luminous, even more so in those years where he was the main center of Italian cinema, and also of many foreign films shot in Italy, and Fellini has chosen the right element from the backdrop for the film. The soundtrack, which brought joy but also the sense of this expansive and sluggish life, is the work of a master like Nino Rota. The great composer, continuing his long collaboration with Fellini, which began in 1952 with Sheik Bianco, now known to the Italian public for his way of giving his music a kind of ballad, wanted to bring the right merit to the life of VIPs thanks to extended melodies. Simply put, an overwhelming film that will always remain in the history of Italian cinema and the true essence of what cinema is.
by Giacomo Fantini rating: 3,55
10 May 2021
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