Fellini NEWS UPDATE
It’s Fellini Day, Again!
It’s Fellini Day!
Essential Fellini - Criterion Box Set Announced
On August 11, Criterion Collection finally announced their upcoming, November 24th release of, Essential Fellini. Details are at the Criterion site HERE. Once there you can also watch a wonderful video trailer that describes the disc along with a creative montage of film images.
Fellini News Update: Fellini @ 100
January 20, 2020 is the 100th anniversary of Federico Fellini's birth. Numerous film fests, academic investigations and celebrations are occurring around the globe throughout the year. Some of us simply celebrate with a hearty Italian pasta dinner and a viewing of a favorite Fellini film.
Anita Ekberg: 1931 - 2014
Anita Ekberg, the fiery, outspoken muse and actress of Federico Fellini died Sunday, 11 January , 2015.
Fellini News Update: SPECIAL
Fellini's epic film sensation of 1960, La Dolce Vita, finally gets a proper DVD and Blu-Ray treatment with the Criterion Collection release on 21 October 2014.
Fellini News Update #22
1) Criterion Current:
The Criterion Collection website publishes a series of film essays, news, interviews and photo/video galleries about film. They call it, Current. They recently published a photo-gallery titled, Around the World with 8 1/2, in honor of the films worldwide release 50 years ago.
Fellini News Update #21
January 20 is the 93rd anniversary of Federico Fellini's birth. Buon compleano, my dear departed friend!
Fellini News Update #20
1) Calling all Fellini scholars:
Professor Ted Price, of Montclair State University, has issued a Call for Abstracts for participation in a Roundtable discussion to celebrate Fellini at the 40th anniversary NeMLA convention, next February. Dr. Price is the co-author, with his late wife, Barbara Ann Price, of the indispensable, Federico Fellini bibliography, published in 1976.
Fellini News Update #19
1) Opening Credits: Roma Cinema Fest
The second annual Roma Cinema Fest will take place, October 18 - 26, with a special tribute to Fellini. More on this exciting event later.
Fellini News Update #18
The BIG news is the fulfillment of a ten year struggle to bring Tutto Fellini to my hometown, Fort Worth, Texas. After many false starts and dead ends, I finally found the right organization and the right people who were able to pull of such a daunting event.
Fellini News Update #17
1) In Memoriam
February 22, is Giulietta Masina’s birth date. The longer she is gone, the more she grows on me. Her work in, La Strada and Nights of Cabiria become more cherished and timeless. Here’s to the memory of, La Masina!
Fellini News Update #16
1) Felliniana Archive News
This Update and all the previous ones will be available online at the website very soon. You can also expect to find a more complete sampling of the ever-growing archive in the near future, as well. Thanks for looking.
Fellini News Update #15
1) Felliniana Archive News
Please check out the new Don Young Felliniana Archive website. Gradually, most of the 5,000 item collection will be available as an online gallery as well as this and all previous Fellini News Updates. Thanks for looking.
Fellini News Update #14
1) DVD Alert!
At long last, Boccaccio 70, the rarely seen 1962 omnibus film featuring episodes by 4 of the most renowned Italian directors of the 60’s is now available on DVD in the U.S. with English subtitles. Fellini’s contribution, The Temptation of Dr. Antonio, is one of his most “Fellini-esque” works, bringing together such disparate elements as a 50 foot tall Anita Ekberg in all her glory, a troop of Boy Scouts, a flurry of nuns and a real live Cupid. Those who have watched with a mixture of curiosity and alarm the moral ambiguities of certain members of the Bush administration will get a kick out of the title character, played by Peppino de Filippo.
Fellini News Update #13
1) Happy Birthday Giulietta Masina
First and foremost, February 22, is the birthdate of Giulietta Masina, aka: Mrs. Fellini, aka: Gelsomina, Cabiria, Ginger, et al., aka: La Maisna. Her career was pretty much defined by her work with Federico. She appeared in eight of his films. Although she won numerous awards for her acting across Europe, it was only the films that won Academy Awards. Both La Strada (which was the first ever film to win an Oscar for Best Foreign Film) and Nights of Cabiria won Oscars and both are difficult to imagine without Masina's inspired acting. She was certainly as deserving of those golden stauettes as much as her director.
Fellini News Update #12
1) Happy Birthday, Nino!
December 3, is the birthdate of Fellini's longtime musical partner Nino Rota. I know many of you share my enthusiasm for his music. Rota left us with an abundance of works to discover and rediscover. It's impossible to to pick a single favorite.
Fellini News Update #11
1) Six Degree's of Separation and Ray Bradbury
My enduring fascination with the works of Fellini has led me down many a literary and philosophical side road. Nothing can replace watching the films, but to fully appreciate Fellini, one must have encounters with the likes of Dante, Petronius, Boccaccio, Jung, Poe, Kafka, and Flash Gordon to name a few. As a layman student, these side trips in search of Fellini have helped to fill some gaps in my formal education. After a while, a kind of Six Degrees of Separation becomes evident. There are so many connections.
Fellini News Update #10
1) Anita and Marcello Birthdays
"Who are you, Silvia? You are everything. You are the first woman on the first morning of creation. You are mother, sister, lover, friend, angel, devil, earth, home."
The words are Fellini's, brought to life by Anita Ekberg and Marcello Mastroianni in the 1960 landmark film, La Dolce Vita. Marcello would have been 80 years old today (9/28/1924). Anita will turn 73 tomorrow (9/29/1931). Their back to back birthdays and last weeks release of the film on DVD are cause for celebration.
Fellini News Update #9
If you happen to find yourself in London during August and September 2004, you will have 34 opportunities to view Fellini's Amarcord. 28 showings of I Vitelloni, a paltry 10 for 8 1/2 and at least a few showings of all the other Fellini films plus several documentaries and other goodies. The National Film Theatre presents this extraordinary event. You can read all about it at bfi.org.