Fellini News Update #20
Researching and documenting the influence of Federico Fellini on popular culture.
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.
DEADLINE for submissions is September 15, 2008.
2) Tutto Fellini:
In 2006, when Tutto Fellini, the complete retrospective of Fellini films, played at the Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, an exhibition of posters from the Felliniana Archive was mounted for the first time. A 10 minute video tour of that exhibition (footage by Cesar Hernandez and edit by Jose Sauceda) is now available for viewing. The video is a work in progress, but you can get an idea of the extent of the exhibition and collection by clicking here.
3) Two recently published books on Fellini are highly recommended:
Federico Fellini: The Book of Dreams, the long awaited, never-before-published, legendary dream notebooks that Fellini kept for many years has been published by Rizzoli International. This 512 page, lavishly illustrated monster of a book is about as close as one can get to being inside the head of the Maestro.
At the urging of his Jungian analyst, Fellini recorded his dreams in his distinctive cartoon style. The comments/dialogue Fellini scribbled on each image have been translated into English for non-Italian speakers/readers. This romp through Fellini's night world offers a glimpse into the genesis of some of his film ideas and a peek into his vivid imagination.
Also included are insightful essays by Fellini biographer, Tulio Kezich, author, Vincenzo Mollica and Federico Fellini Foundation director, Vittorrio Boarini.
Here's a link to the publishers website for more info.
Fellini's 1963 masterpiece, 8 1/2, has long been a subject of interest to University of California at Berkeley professor, D.A. Miller. In his recently published book from BFI Film Classics, 8 1/2, D.A. takes a fresh look at the film 45 years after it first shocked the world.
Here's a link to the publisher's website for more info.
Two other books on Fellini I know little about are coming in 2009:
Listening to Fellini: Music and Meaning in Black and White, (pub. Jan. '09) by Middlebury College Prof., M. Thomas Van Order
Federico Fellini (pub. date April '09) by Mediane Publishers
4) In Memoriam:
Sandy Allen, one of the shining stars in the Fellinian universe has died. At 7' - 7" tall, Ms. Allen was also known as the World's Tallest Woman. She played the role of, Angelina the Giantess, in the Academy Award winning film, Fellini's Casanova (Il Casanova di Federico Fellini). You know you're watching a Fellini film when a giantess arm wrestles a sly Casanova who later peeks into her tent as she bathes with two dwarves. And that was just one scene. What a film and what a lady.
Here's a link to a 2001 interview with Sandy.
5) Nine:
Nine, the Broadway musical inspired by Fellini's 8 1/2, is being made into a Hollywood film musical directed by Rob Marshall, (Chicago, 2002). The incredible cast includes Daniel Day Lewis as Guido, Penelope Cruz as Carla, Nicole Kidman as Caludia, Kate Hudson as a Vogue journalist, Judi Dench as Liliane La Fleur (surely this is the mysterious woman originally played by Catterina Borrato), Marion Cottillard (Edith Piaf, 2007) as Luisa and Sophia Loren as Guido's Mamma. To top things off, pop singer, Fergie (Grindhouse, 2007) will play the role of lusty, Saraghina. Oh My God!
Shooting starts in October in the U.K.
Here's a couple of Links to the story:
Fergie as Fergie
Edra Gale as Saraghina
6) Ballerina Ballroom Cinema of Dreams:
Speaking of Fellini's 8 1/2, that film has been specifically chosen by actress, Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton, 2007), to close the Ballerina Ballroom Cinema of Dreams film festival in her hometown of, Nairn, Scotland. The festival runs through August 23rd. Sounds positively smashing. Let's all go!.
Read more about it here.
7) Federico & Hugo: 2 of a kind?:
Author, filmmaker, political commentator, Fellini collaborator and Renaissance man, Aldo Vidali, asks the question: "What do Hugo Chavez and Fellini have in common?" For the answer, read Aldo's recently published essay, Fellini's 2008 Visit to Hugo Chavez, here.
8) Film poster art of a different color:
How would you design the poster art for your favorite film? A London art gallery challenged over forty artists with that provocative question. Read more and see some of the results, here.
8 1/2 by Fons Schiedon
9) Felliniana Archive news:
Recent notable acquisition:
A very rare, original Italian 4-sheet of Nights of Cabiria (Le Notti di Cabiria)
