Fellini News Update #7
For those of you living in the USA, tonight, April 23, is a special night of television. Turner Classic Movies presents, A Night with Fellini. Go to Turner Classic Movies for local showtimes, detailed info and very cool graphics.
The recent documentary, The Magic of Fellini, will be shown followed by La Dolce Vita, La Strada and Ginger and Fred. The showing of La Dolce Vita is billed as a premiere on TCM, and to my knowledge, has never played on US television. It will be braoadcast in widescreen, a special treat for those who have 16:9 monitors. Even if you have seen the film a dozen times, the opening and closing comments by the ever charming, Robert Osborne, are worth tuning in for. As always, TCM programs are commercial-free.
At long last, La Dolce Vita is scheduled for release on DVD in the US on, 9/07/04. It is being released by Koch/Lorber Films who have not revealed many details about the DVD. The 2-disc set will be in widescreen format (enhanced for 16:9 screens) and will probably have the trailer and director/star bio's, as the UK version does. It can be pre-ordered at the usual places. I recommend DVD Planet. They seem to have the lowest price on product and shipping.
Maybe it's simply nostalgia on my part, but La Dolce Vita seems to get better with age. The iconic-image laden, 167 minute spectacle still seems vital and even timely. Timely in the sense that there are still plenty of fascinating characters, "Marcello's", out there willing to sell their souls at a bargain price. The recent expose's of the secret life of corporate executives certainly mirrors the shallow characters Fellini castigated so elegantly in the film. And just imagine what fun Fellini would have had with the current sex scandals in the Catholic church. Finally, the "style" of the film-the 60's panache with the sophisticated wardrobe, dark shades, speeding Vespa's, etc. is enjoying another 15 minutes of popularity. With just a slight squinting of the eyes, La Dolce Vita appears as much a film of the 00's as it was the '60's. I encourage you all to tune in tonight for this special opportunity.
