Fellini for Beginners

I have to be honest... I’m just not a huge Fellini fan. I tried getting into his work years ago and it just didn't click for me at all. To be fair, I've always struggled with Italian cinema in general—well, except for Leone, though technically those aren't even really Italian films... So I told myself, maybe I just need more time.

Even Tarkovsky's Nostalghia felt like such a struggle at first. It wasn't until recently, after watching Nostalghia a few more times over the last couple of months, that things changed. Now, certain scenes just loop in my head constantly!

So, I watched La Strada yesterday. It felt like the perfect vibe for this holiday season, and honestly, it was the first time Fellini actually resonated with me properly.

Maybe the issue was that I jumped straight into the heavy hitters—the 8.5/10 stuff and those super abstract movies that were just way too much for me to handle right away...

It's finally clicking why he had such a massive impact on later directors who cite him as a major inspiration... you see it everywhere, from Lynch and Scorsese to Wes Anderson and the rest of them.

I feel encouraged now to tackle his filmography in order—starting with the ones that have more conventional storytelling and working my way up to those wild, later masterpieces. Besides what you watch, I guess it really matters *when* you watch it...

8 1/2 is a pretty heavy Fellini flick. I’ve watched my fair share of European art house movies, so I guess I’m still not entirely sure if I totally get this one.
You've got more poetic Fellini films to check out... Amarcord... La Strada... Nights of Cabiria... Dolac Vita... Don't give up on him just yet by thinking, "Man, I'm just not feeling the Italian filmography," because there is so much incredible stuff to dive into.

So, I think I’ll suggest one of his films that isn't exactly "heavy," nor is it quite as famous or critically acclaimed... but it is truly a pleasure to watch 😁 because it features everything from machismo to feminism, though above all, it offers such a wonderfully diverse array of women) — City of Women

I'll definitely get to know him better over the next year...🙂
so thanks for all the suggestions.
I actually brought this thread back from the dead because I just finished watching La Strada the other day and man, what an impression it left.

As for American cinema in general—well, I just queued up some Antonioni, so my watchlist is growing fast!😉

Samuel Scott54 said:8 1/2 is a pretty heavy Fellini flick. I’ve watched my fair share of European art house movies, so I guess I’m still not entirely sure if I totally get this one.
You've got more poetic Fellini films to check out... Amarcord... La Strada... Nights of Cabiria... Dolac Vita... Don't give up on him just yet by thinking, "Man, I'm just not feeling the Italian filmography," because there is so much incredible stuff to dive into.

Fellini is an absolute legend—there's really no debating that. But that part in bold? Oh yeah, it's rich, maybe even overflowing. Honestly, it sits right up there among the top two or three greatest European collections out there.

Peterlic didn't exactly adore him, though I suspect he held a secret respect for the guy behind closed doors. He just found him incredibly tedious, according to 😁

I’m actually the complete opposite here. Even though he was my professor and I learned a ton from him, this is one of those rare moments where I have to disagree. If we're talking cinematic heavyweights, American cinema follows the French, with Italian cinema right there as the second best in Europe. And then you've got the British. Honestly? I’d put them in third. In my view, the absolute peak of Italian and French filmmaking is much higher than anything the UK has produced, even if the British maintain a certain consistency that keeps them in that third-place spot. I'm not saying the British peak is weak—not at all—but let's not lose sight of just how massive the peaks were for the Italians and the French.

Dolac Vita is solid. Even if it drags in certain spots, the core idea hits home. You’ve got this tabloid journalist wandering through a hollow, high-glamour Rome, surrounded by all that heavy symbolism... it really leaves an impression, especially with those iconic shots and how the whole thing is structured. And man, that soundtrack? Totally spot on.

I actually vibed with Proba Orchestra a lot more. The way it’s shot reminds me so much of those Bunuelian films from that era. Honestly, it might even be my favorite Fellini flick. For now, at least! I still have so much more to discover...🙂

Watching *Women in Revolt* is honestly such a vibe. The themes all bleed into one another, but that surrealist backdrop is just perfect for this kind of story.

Now, *Satyricon*... that was a slightly less pleasant ride. In my opinion, it’s just way too over the top. At least for me... 😬 The only part that really grabbed me was the depiction of decadence in Rome, which is a theme he explores in plenty of his other movies anyway. Some parts of the film felt a bit dull, while others were just straight-up "too much."

Just my two cents! 🙂 I don't think I have anything else lined up from Fellini left to watch.

Look, I don't have an issue with one of the Fellini films specifically. It’s more that... sometimes I just don't have the energy for movies that aren't going to leave a lasting mark—the kind of stuff that stays with you, haunts you, and sticks in your brain forever.

I stumbled my way into Jean-Jacques Beineix's Betty Blue somewhat reluctantly, and honestly? I'll never forget something that beautiful as long as I live.

Jacob Cooper5 said:Look, I don't have an issue with one of the Fellini films specifically. It’s more that... sometimes I just don't have the energy for movies that aren't going to leave a lasting mark—the kind of stuff that stays with you, haunts you, and sticks in your brain forever.

I stumbled my way into Jean-Jacques Beineix's Betty Blue somewhat reluctantly, and honestly? I'll never forget something that beautiful as long as I live.

What a bizarre coincidence! 😁
I was actually planning on posting c'est le vent, betty in a thread about ghosts and demons and music earlier today, but I changed my mind and decided against it; I suppose it was just meant to be after all.

The movie is somewhat incoherent, but it possesses such a certain, lingering charm.

If you’re a die-hard Fellini fan, you’ve gotta check out this Proba Orchestra show running right now over at the ZKM in New York City.

There’s this one scene in Amarcord that is totally identical to that big scene from a few days ago. The fascists drag this old guy into some filthy little station after he commits a minor infraction, demanding he give them a "Roman" salute—so, of course, the guy plays dumb, pretending he knows nothing about politics, which just earns him a massive verbal beating and a bunch of aggressive questions about whether he supports the regime...
By the end, they punish him by forcing him to swallow castor oil. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Marušić was heavily influenced by Fellini here

What a mess of a solution, honestly


Honestly, the whole movie feels like A Clockwork Orange—just pure, unadulterated intensity. It became a total cult classic mostly thanks to the soundtrack, especially that one scene:
Amarcord (1973) - Dancing in the Mist


That scene used to pop up all the time on American TV back in the eighties—you'd see it during those late-night rotations, maybe on some PBS special or tucked away in a Sunday magazine feature during those educational programs

If I had to pick just one absolute favorite director... it’d have to be Fellini, hands down.

I just love that poetic sense of nostalgia in his movies, especially paired with such incredible soundtracks. My top picks would probably be La Strada, Rome, Amarcord, Dolac Vita, Nights of Cabiria, Il Bidone, and I Vitelloni.

I guess his other stuff like Otto e mezzo, City of Women, Juliet of the Spirits, and And the Snow Goes On aren't far behind either!