Federico Fellini

December 16, 1996

One of Italy's greatest film directors and an influence to filmakers around the world, Fellini was born in Rimini, Italy on January 20, 1920. Much of his film work is autobiographical and full of some delicious black humor. During his childhood, he was fascinated by the circus and vaudeville performers that came to his small town. His upbringing in Catholic schools would affect his later work in films, particularly in the spiritual Juliet of the Spirits (1965). His first couple jobs before he entered film work were as a crime reporter and as an artist. Fellini began his career in films as a writer for acclaimed Italian actor, Aldo Fabrizi.

In 1943, he met and married actress Giulietta Masina, who would appear in many of Fellini's films and who would remain with him for the next fifty years. After WWII, he got his first break when he collaborated with Roberto Rossellini on the screenplay for Rossellini's groundbreaking film, Open City. Fellini debuted as a director in 1950, with Variety Lights. It was not a highly noted movie. The following films, The White Sheik (1951) and I Vitteloni (1953), were much more succesful in his native country. He breakthrough internationally came in 1954, with the touching comedy-drama La Strada. The film earned the first Academy award for Best Foreign Film. It was also the beginning of a collaboration with composer Nino Rota that would continue in much of Fellini's work until Rota's death in 1979. The rest of the 1950's did not see any huge development in Fellini's career as a filmaker.

In 1960 however, he opened the decade with a bang. With his two most highly influential films ever, La Dolce Vita (1960) and 8 1/2 (1963), he broke new grounds in filmaking styles and opened the doors for people who would tear down censorship in movies. His work from then on ranged from beautiful (Juliet of the Spirits, the autobiographical Amarcord (1974)) to blah (City of Women (1981), Intervista (1987)). His last completed work, the sad-yet-poignant Voice of the Moon (1990), ended a career that was full of laughter and good fun. In 1993, he received the special Academy Award for his outstanding lifetime achievement in filmaking. He dedicated his speech to his wife, Masina. He died October 31st, 1993, only a day after he and Masina had observed their 50th wedding anniversary. In his hometown of Rimisi, thousands of spectators applauded the procession that brought Fellini's casket from the main piazza to the cinema house, where Fellini had seen many of his first films as a child. This was a beautiful end to one of cinema's greatest artists, and one of the world's most respected filmakers of all time.

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