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Federico Fellini: Giulietta Masina
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In 1993 Fellini received an Oscar "in recognition of his cinematic accomplishments that have thrilled and entertained audiences worldwide." That same year, he died of a heart attack in Rome at the age of 73, a day after his fiftieth wedding anniversary on October 31st. His wife, Giulietta Masina, died six months later of lung cancer on March 23 1994. Fellini, Giulietta Masina and their son Pierfederico are buried in the same bronze tomb sculpted by Arnaldo Pomodoro. Shaped like a ship's prow in the water, the tomb is located at the main entrance to the Cemetery of Rimini.
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Swindle and The Swindlers are both English-language titles for 1955's Il Bidone, a lesser-known effort from Federico Fellini. Broderick Crawford, Richard Basehart, and Franco Fabrizi play a trio of con artists who victimize the Italian bourgeoisie (who are shown to be no better than the crooks). Giueletta Masina (Fellini's wife), who had previously costarred with Richard Basehart in La Strada, here plays Basehart's wife. Humphrey Bogart had been intended for the role played by Broderick Crawford; one wonders how Crawford's self-deprecating curtain speech about the hollowness of his existence would have played in Bogart's hands. Swindle was not released to the US until nine years after its completion.
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Ginger e Fred skewers the medium Fellini loved to hate with a behind-the-scenes view of a variety show broadcast, a genre he loved except when mutilated by TV. Two former dancers from the 1940s, Ginger (Giulietta Masina) and Fred (Marcello Mastroianni), who imitated the dance routines of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, reunite after retiring for 20 odd years. Only Ginger and Fred offer any genuine emotion in this showcase of superficiality and exploitation. And it's clear that their act is the swansong of authenticity, at least in this representative program.
The success afforded to the film left Fellini in a state of confusion as he considered his next project. Ultimately, his writer's block became the subject of perhaps his greatest film, 1962's 8 1/2, the story of a filmmaker (Mastroianni) attempting to mount a movie which remains unmade. Again, the international acclaim was virtually unanimous, with yet another Oscar forthcoming, and after winning the Great Prize at the Moscow Film Festival, he never again entered festival competition. With 1965's Giulietta Degli Spiriti, Fellini worked for the first time in color. After experimenting with LSD under the supervision of doctors, he began scripting Il Viaggio di G. Mastorna, inspired by the death of his friend Ernest Bernhard. Over a year of pre-production followed, hampered by difficulties with producers, actors, and even a jury trial.
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A trio of swindlers preying on the local peasantry is the focus of Federico Fellini's engrossing drama. Broderick Crawford plays the cold-hearted gangleader, with Richard Basehart, Franco Fabrizi and Giulietta Masina. 98 min. Standard; Soundtrack: Italian Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English. In Italian with English subtitles.
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"Amarcord" was the fourth Fellini film to win an Oscar as Best Foreign-Language Film, but as he continued making films in the 80s he found it increasingly difficult to find financial backing and distributors. The downturn in his critical reputation and the inaccessibility of several key films led many to dismiss them as unimportant or as further signs of his "self-indulgence". "Fellini's Casanova" (1976), while perhaps not one of his most important films, was unusually, indeed strikingly, cold, filled stunning imagery which cannot be easily dismissed. "And the Ship Sails On" (1983), meanwhile, proved that his flair for flamboyant characterization had not lost its comic or satiric prowess in its commentary on self-absorbed artists and motley others (including a homesick rhinoceros). "Ginger and Fred" (1985), though heavily criticized by many upon its release (the last to get a full art-house run in the U.S.), has more than its share of touching and amusing moments as his two most important actors, Masina and Mastroianni, play a dance team reunited for what can only be described as "Fellini TV".
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