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DISCOVERING THE WORLD OF FEDERICO FELLINI
January 20th, 1920. A train, travelling between Viserba and Riccione, passes through the Italian coastal town of Rimini. And at this precise moment, just as the train enters the main station of Rimini - the city that would become inextricably bound with Fellini - a young woman in the first class compartment, gives birth to her first son, Federico. And so, Federico Fellini entered the world as dramatically as any of his films. Aboard a moving train.
Well, except, he didn’t. This is but one of the many tall tales that make up the self-constructed Fellini mythology.
Watch or listen by clicking below to discover the world of Federico Fellini!
THE PODCAST
Watch below or find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Buzzsprout.
If you're thinking of watching Fellini for the first time (do it!), here are some questions you can think about as you watch:
1. Fellini’s early work is considered to be part of the Neorealist movement, a politically-minded movement, despite Fellini’s aversion to politics. Does Fellini’s cinema successfully avoid politics? Does cinema need to be political? If not, what does Fellini’s cinema achieve apolitically?
2. Certain films seem to be an exception to this, where Fellini directly confronts politics, such as the portrayal of the Fascist party in Amarcord. How do you think Fellini explores politics when they do appear in his films?
3. Another important part of Neorealism was to convey truth, but as we’ve discussed, Fellini was not always a fan of doing this. Do stories benefit from being truthful? If a story tells us a lie, can we still find some truth in it? Do you think Fellini is an honest liar (whatever that may mean)?
4. Dreams, theatrics, the circus, and fantasies appear frequently in various forms in Fellini’s catalogue. What role do you think these play? What bearing do these have on the relationship between truth and lies, reality and fantasy in his films?
5. Many social issues crop up throughout Fellini’s films, how do you think Fellini handles topics such as gender inequality, poverty, racism, and religion?
6. Fellini’s Catholic upbringing and the teachings of the Church manifest in many of Fellini’s works. Does Fellini advocate or condemn the Church? Or both? Or neither? Do you think Fellini is a Catholic filmmaker?
Let us know what you think and drop us a comment on YouTube!
ABOUT NEON EYE
Neon Eye is a film production company based in Edinburgh. As well as offering a platform for these curations and an accompanying video podcast, the company also creates and produces creative films of varying forms, from documentary to drama, and commercial videos for other companies, individuals, and enterprises.