CANS 406 Lecture 2: ITAL 477 WORD
22 May 2018
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Department
Course
Professor
Notes ITAL 477
Federico Fellini - “ Il faut être absolument moderne”
- He was never a true neorealist filmmaker
- Modernity was a key concern, creating a new Italy. He wanted to confront modernity.
- Significant social turmoil in Italy, becoming more Americanized
- Fellini vert forward looking in the respect of elite Italian culture
- The relationship of the couple, between men and women was radically changing
because of modernity
Biography
- Born in Rimini, near the Adriatic sea, vacation town, small town
- Says all his cinema is autobiographical
- Grew up in a catholic family, religion needs to be talked about. Catholicism is being
eroded as a result of modernization
- Very interested in caricature, manifests in his film, he was a cartoonist
- Married to Giulietta Masina, she was his lifelong companion despite having many
affairs
- La Dolce Vita and 8 1/2 were internationally successful
- Fellini became a celebrity later in life
Neorealism
- Black and white is associated with neorealism
- Early in 60s they made the move towards colour films
- His cinema after 1972 becomes more self-absorbed than self-aware
Imaginative World
- Interest in comedy and laughter
- confronting the complexities of modernity, especially in the dichotomies that come
forward in the modern period
- Opposition between reason and imagination, the creation of a dream world
- Imagination is real what we imagine is as deeply important as reality and the real
world
- Issue of sexuality and the relation between men and women. A crisis in masculinity
when Italy lost the war, the war effort was a disaster
- He did not have a political agenda and was interested in popular culture
- Sustained meta-cinematic mediation issue of cinema becomes a part of his films
Neorealism is…
- Narrative cinema , search for the meaning of image
- Fellini never abandons the narrative until Intervista, he likes to work in small narrative
units, no strong plot
I Vitelloni
Fausto Scene
- First part is when he is packing his bags inside the house
- Outside world is like the anti-chambre
- The central event is what happens inside
- They run into the obstacle of the father
- Fausto is kept in, blocked They're all trying to get out but they cannot break away
from their environment
- These characters are very static
- Fausto suggests to Moraldo that he should not believe him
- A game that is played to mask that these characters are static = always saying they
will leave but never do
- The little sister is a moral perspective= in Fellini’s films children represent a moral
compass
- Issue of parenthood is brought forward with the little sister = reflects that Sandra is
actually having a child not just being pregnant
- The little sister is the only female presence in this scene
- The father son relationship is problematic
- Relationship with Moraldo and the younger boy = having work is very important in
society at the time and the little boy works, moral voice of reason again
- None of the men are working
- Institution of the family: In Italian society the family is the pillar of society = showing
that there is something profoundly troubling in family life
- The relationship of the boy and Moraldo is strange
- Moraldo is very cold and non-comital
- Moraldo is narrating the film because he is the only one who left and he is reflecting
on his experience
- The narration is part of the group, the voice must be taken ironically
Fausto
- Doesn't mean that his emotions are fake, he's a liar but he does feel emotions
- Emotional immaturity and he is at the mercy of his emotions
- He is not trying to be consistent enough
- He is too childlike to understand the consequences of his emotions
- Hard to hold him accountable because he doesn't understand
Dante
- Connection between Dante and moral principle
- Moral pilgrimage with Fellini
- Fellini had a complicated relationship with Catholicism
- How do we look at dream analysis and fantasy = secular or a religious view
- Problematic dreams connected to catholicism especially in 8 1/2
- Dealing with life beyond material reality, largely invisible dimension and human
existence
Document Summary
Federico fellini - il faut tre absolument moderne . He was never a true neorealist filmmaker. Modernity was a key concern, creating a new italy. Significant social turmoil in italy, becoming more americanized. Fellini vert forward looking in the respect of elite italian culture. The relationship of the couple, between men and women was radically changing because of modernity. Born in rimini, near the adriatic sea, vacation town, small town. Grew up in a catholic family, religion needs to be talked about. Catholicism is being eroded as a result of modernization. Very interested in caricature, manifests in his film, he was a cartoonist. Married to giulietta masina, she was his lifelong companion despite having many affairs. La dolce vita and 8 1/2 were internationally successful. Fellini became a celebrity later in life. Black and white is associated with neorealism. Early in 60s they made the move towards colour films. His cinema after 1972 becomes more self-absorbed than self-aware.
