Federico Fellini was a real one Teacher of Italian cinema, loved all over the world. His films, full of satire and veiled in melancholy, are masterpieces. Lifetime Achievement Oscar in 1993, Fellini was twice the winner of the Moscow Festival. In 1960 he received the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and, in 1985, the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Film Festival. With "La strada", "The nights of Cabiria", "8 e mezzo", "Amarcord", he won theOscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
Some curiosities
Federico Fellini was not only a great director. Details of him that are probably unknown to most are told, which allow us to get to know his personality better. We know, for example, that he was very attracted to the world of the paranormal and magic. Gustavo Rol, one of the most famous psychics in Italy and abroad, would often give him advice. While not fond of the small screen, Fellini was the star of several commercials and produced more than one film destined for TV.
36 streets that overlook the seafront of Rimini, his hometown, are named after him, and the local airport also bears his name. Although Rimini played a decisive role in Fellini's tales, no scenes from his films were shot there. Its name has inspired the signs of restaurants, clubs and discos around the world. Fellini, who was named one of the ten greatest film directors of all time by Entertainment Weekly magazine, often used aphorisms, especially in the interviews he gave.
The life
Federico Fellini was born in Rimini on January 20, 1920. His father, Urbano, is a representative of liqueurs, sweets and foodstuffs; his mother, Ida, is a housewife. He attends the classical high school and dedicates himself to drawing, a passion that manifests itself in the form of cartoons and caricatures. While still a teenager he sends them to the newspapers that publish them. In 1939 he moved to Rome with the excuse of attending university, in reality he aspires to become a journalist. Enrolls in the Faculty of Law. A few months after his arrival in the capital, he made his debut as a cartoonist on Marc'Aurelio, the main Italian satirical magazine. He begins to meet famous people and writes his first scripts, also collaborating on some films.
The most important meetings
In 1941 Fellini began working on the radio and, a year later, he met Giulietta Masina, the woman of his life, whom he married in 1943. They met in the EIAR (Italian Body for Radio Hearings) studies. The two have a son, Pier Federico, in March 1945, but the child dies just 11 days after birth. In 1943 he met the director Roberto Rossellini and with him collaborates on the screenplays of "Rome city open"and "Paisa”, Two films that open the season of Italian cinematic neorealism.
The most famous films
In 1950, Fellini made his debut as notes with "Variety Lights”, Which he directs with Alberto Lattuada. In 1952 he directed, alone, "The white sheik", Which sees the protagonist Alberto Sordi. In 1953, with "The vitelloni”Wins the Silver Lion and becomes famous abroad. But the great international success came in 1954 with "La strada”, In which Giulietta Masina, in the role of Gelsomina, and Anthony quinn, in that of Zampanò. With "The nights of Cabiria”Wins another Oscar. In 1960 he released what would become one of his most famous films, "Dolce vita", With protagonists Marcello Mastroianni and the Swedish Anita ekberg. Followed by other films that will remain in history, including "8 and a half"and "Amarcord". In 1993, he received the Oscar for Lifetime Achievement.
The death
The director died at the Policlinico Umberto I in Rome on October 31 of the same year, at the age of 73, suffering from a stroke. It was the day after the fifty-year anniversary of marriage to Juliet. The image of the desperate actress at her husband's funeral, with a rosary in her hands, moved everyone. Juliet disappeared five months later from lung cancer.
(Photo: Federico Fellini Facebook page)
