I watched this feature doc with fascination. I read somewhere (LA Times, I think) that all the interviews (save those with Mastroianni and Masina)including the priceless one with Fellini were culled from director Pettigrew's private archives. This explains why I didn't feel I was watching archive footage leftovers like so many other Fellini docs. What I saw were in-depth archival interviews shot with a very specific purpose: To craft a balanced testament of the man. It's what makes this portrait of the Maestro the best I've seen.
There's a genuine personal vision behind the film, a comprehensive knowledge of Fellini that's weighed objectively, warts and all: The deviousness, the vulgarity, the narcissism, the childish tantrums (Fellini's not above screaming at an actress, especially if she's a bit player, or insulting Mastroianni, his so-called alter-ego), the capacious charm (I love the few moments when Fellini speaks English), the guilt-ridden seducer, the jet set director who skewers his own pretentiousness, the astute theoretician of artistic processes, the maniacal maker of a legendary self, the genius puppet-master, the silly perfectionist of plastic oceans, the wise old man who's seen and done and shown it all on film.
The great strength of this doc lies in the fact that what's presented is expertly judged. For me, the finest aspects of Fellini's mind displayed here are the insights into women and creativity, and the interpretations of life, art, and death. If you understand Italian, it will knock you for a loop. If you don't, you'll be moved nonetheless. To be frank, only a boor would miss the meaning of the Maestro's simple eloquence.
I understand this was Fellini's last filmed discussion. It shows: You can feel him haunted by death in the doc's disturbingly tight close-ups. It's an edgy, almost Shakespearean touch that thrilled me, made it a privilege to witness. Would that we had the last of Kubrick captured on film in this way.
I've often wondered if Fellini had a big screen in place of a heart. After watching this doc, I'm convinced there's absolutely no difference.
There's a genuine personal vision behind the film, a comprehensive knowledge of Fellini that's weighed objectively, warts and all: The deviousness, the vulgarity, the narcissism, the childish tantrums (Fellini's not above screaming at an actress, especially if she's a bit player, or insulting Mastroianni, his so-called alter-ego), the capacious charm (I love the few moments when Fellini speaks English), the guilt-ridden seducer, the jet set director who skewers his own pretentiousness, the astute theoretician of artistic processes, the maniacal maker of a legendary self, the genius puppet-master, the silly perfectionist of plastic oceans, the wise old man who's seen and done and shown it all on film.
The great strength of this doc lies in the fact that what's presented is expertly judged. For me, the finest aspects of Fellini's mind displayed here are the insights into women and creativity, and the interpretations of life, art, and death. If you understand Italian, it will knock you for a loop. If you don't, you'll be moved nonetheless. To be frank, only a boor would miss the meaning of the Maestro's simple eloquence.
I understand this was Fellini's last filmed discussion. It shows: You can feel him haunted by death in the doc's disturbingly tight close-ups. It's an edgy, almost Shakespearean touch that thrilled me, made it a privilege to witness. Would that we had the last of Kubrick captured on film in this way.
I've often wondered if Fellini had a big screen in place of a heart. After watching this doc, I'm convinced there's absolutely no difference.
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