| Login |
Not a member yet? Click here to register.
Forgotten your password? Request a new one here.
|
|
|
| Fellini News Update #15 |
Researching and documenting the influence of Federico Fellini
on popular culture.
July 25, 2005
Greetings from Fort Worth, Texas
Topics:
1) Felliniana Archive News- becomes a reality -
2) In Memoriam- Beluzzona - Alberto Lattuada -
3) People- Scorsese pimping? - Casanova giantess turns 50 - Eric Burritt speaks -
Dante Ferretti in Venice -David Parenti’s, Fellini X -
4) Six Degrees of Separation- Fellini/Flash Gordon/Skywalker - John Waters/Fellini -
5) Festival News- Toronto’s Fellini Express -
6) Book/Music/DVD/Broadway News & Reviews- Marco Pesaresi’s Rimini -
AMARCORD Magazine- Rota/Fellini Folk Opera - Lupo does La Strada - I Vitelloni review -
Fellini and Success - DVD.Times.com - CriterionCo.com News - Sweet Charity on Broadway -
3 Tales of a Fountain - Foreign Films in America - Fellini’s Rossini -
7) Student Essay of the Month- Mr. Holmes gives 8 1/2 a 10.
8) Odds ‘n Ends ‘n Trifles- G.Q.’s “Best Pair” Poll - U.N.E.S.C.O.’s Fellini medal -
Fellini 5 Euro - Fortean Fellini - Fellini Costumery @ The Pushkin - Time’s Film Poll
1) Felliniana Archive News:
Please check out the new Don Young Felliniana Archive website. Gradually,
most of the 5000 item collection will be available as an online gallery as well as this
and all previous Fellini News Updates. Thanks for looking.
http://www.felliniana.com
2) In Memoriam:
July 26 marks the anniversary birth date of Maria Antonietta Beluzzi, the lovely,
excitable tobacconist in AMARCORD. Her small role made a big impact in the film
and secured her place in the Felliniian iconography. (See Odds ‘n Ends below) She
made few other films in a brief career, but she left an indelible mark with her sweet
face and that blue angora sweater. I’ll definitely be raising a toast to her memory on
Tuesday.You can read the Variety obit, here:
http://print.google.com/print/doc?articleid=RTbnTmjjiDG
Alberto Lattuada, Italian film director, has died at age 90. He is probably best
known as having co-directed Fellini’s first film, VARIETY LIGHTS (Luci del Varieta).
You can read more about the man and his other Fellini connections, here:
http://film.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,12589,1521296,00.html
3) People:
Martin Scorsese has struck a deal with Philips Electronics Co. to promote their
new Ambilight widescreen Flat TV.
Click Here
Scorsese was asked to come up with 10 films that demonstrate masterful use of light
and color. "Films use light and color to tell a story in a special narrative way, which delivers
a strong emotional and intellectual impact on the viewer," Scorsese said. "That made a
very strong impression on me and has affected how I try to use color in all of my films."
Included in his selections is Fellini’s SATYRICON. I couldn’t agree more. Check out the
complete lists and read more at:
http://blogs.indiewire.com/thereeler/archives/005034.html
Sandy Allen the 7’-7” giantess and world’s tallest woman, who had a role in Fellini’s
CASANOVA, celebrates her 50th birthday. Read all about it here:
Click Here
Read an interview with Eric Burritt, director of, Fellini Ungrateful Celebration, a documentary
film of the Intl. Fellini Academic Conference, held in 2003, in Seattle, Washington:
http://www.edizionidamiano.net/fellini3.html
Dante Ferretti, Fellini’s set designer from City of Women to Ginger and Fred, will head the
jury for the 2005 Venice Film Festival this fall. He recently worked on The Aviator for Scorsese.
Read more, here:
Click Here
Italian artist, David Parenti , creates strikingly beautiful works in pencil and mixed media.
His works dedicated to Federico Fellini are now available in a new book, Fellini X.
Please check out his work, here:
http://www.davidparenti.it/
4) Six Degrees of Separation:
According to media essayist, Jim Hill, no less than Federico Fellini is directly responsible for
the existence of the Star Wars films of George Lucas. The story goes like this: Lucas’ dream
project was to do a remake of Flash Gordon. Only problem was someone else owned the rights.
Someone named Fellini! Unable to secure the rights, Lucas started work on a new idea featuring
a guy named Skywalker. Read this fascinating story, here:
http://www.jimhillmedia.com/mb/articles/showarticle.php?ID=1542
In a recent interview, film director, John Waters, reveals that he once took Federico Fellini to
see his film, Pink Flamingos. Read more about him and his show at the Andy Warhol Museum, here:
http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/entertainment/arts/s_335168.html
5) Festival News:
Toronto, Ontario is the latest stop on the Tutto Fellini express as it travels to every corner
of the globe, except Texas. (Yet.) All 24 of Fellini’s films will be screened through August 20.
Read about that and other exciting events at Cinematheque Ontario, here:
Click Here
6) Book/Music/DVD/Stage - News & Reviews:
Rimini, a new book by the late Italian photographer, Marco Pesaresi, whose photo images are
evocative of Fellini’s, will be available in September. Check out this link to a slide show of his work:
http://www.fotoinfo.net/gallerie/slideshow.php?set_albumName=album08
AMARCORD, the indispensable periodical published by the Fondazione Federico Fellini in
Rimini, has two new issues available. The most recent focuses on it’s namesake film, AMARCORD,
with a reexamination of the film. Read about it here:
http://www.federicofellini.it/amarcord.asp?id=331
Order in the U.S. from Cineaste in New York:
http://www.cineaste.com/index.htm
Nino Rota, Federico Fellini and the Making of an Italian Cinematic Folk Opera:Amarcord.
Such is the cumbersome title of what may prove to be the most in depth study ever undertaken
on the subject of the Fellini/Rota collaboration. Author, Franco Sciannameo, is a world class
violist, scholar and teacher, whose book appears to be a fascinating examination of music and
the film from a totally unique perspective. Prof. Paul Chiarra writes, “The story of Nino Rota and
Federico Fellini may well come to be understood as the model for the future of classical composers
and their music, rather than as a glamorous anomaly.” Read more here:
http://www.mellenpress.com/mellenpress.cfm?bookid=6347&pc=9
Pre-Order from Amazon here:
Click Here
Van Cluburn Piano Competition medalist, Benedetto Lupo, has released a new CD featuring
the adapted ballet suite from the film score of LA STRADA by Fellini musical collaborator,
Nino Rota. Read a review, here:
http://www.nj.com/printer/printer.ssf?/base/entertainment-0/1121146921286360.xml&coll=1
You can download a 529 word review, by Philip Booth of the Sarasota Herald Tribune, of the
restored Fellini film, I Vitelloni, for $5.95:
Click Here
Success: Advice for Achieving Your Goals from Remarkably Accomplished People , a new
book edited by Jena Pincott, quotes J.K. Rowling and Federico Fellini, among others, on getting
started. Read a review, here:
http://www.randomhouse.ca/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780375425899
I recently discovered DVD Times, a web site that has very comprehensive DVD reviews,
notably, several Fellini’s. They compare and contrast, in depth, the various international releases.
The reviews are especially helpful for the newly initiated Fellini fan building a collection.
Read about AMARCORD, here:
http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=55661
CASANOVA:
http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=55660
LA STRADA:
http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=57572
JULIET OF THE SPIRITS:
http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=3628
The Criterion Collection, “the gold standard” for film restoration and DVD releases, has
announced the launch of a monthly newsletter. Read about it and sign up, here:
http://www.criterionco.com/asp/newsletter_signup.asp
Christina Applegate stars as Charity in the new Broadway production, Sweet Charity, which is
based on Bob Fosse’s film and starred Shirley McClaine which is based on Fellini’s film, The Night’s
of Cabiria and starred Giulietta Masina in the title role. Read more, here:
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/92763.html
A new book titled, Le Lettere di Ottavia, by Luigi Malerba, stirs a debate on what is, perhaps the
most famous scene in Italian film history: Anita Ekberg’s romp in the Trevi Fountain in Fellini’s,
La Dolce Vita. Read more, here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1479384,00.html
Foreign Films in America: A History, is the title of a recent book by Kerry Segrave, that traces the
history of the foreign film in America from its domination in the early days to its low standing in the present.
Read more, here:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0786417641/dvdtalk/102-6392470-3697710
A new production of Rossini’s opera, Il Turco in Italia, opened recently in London’s Covent Garden.
According to director Moshe Leiser, “Because this piece is not realistic, it gives us a freedom of approach,
and we want to pay a tribute to the Italy we love and to that master of film, Federico Fellini.” Read more, here:
http://www.playbillarts.com/news/article/2161.html
7) Student Essay of the Month:
Joe Holmes, a freshman at Germanna Community College in Fredericksburg, Virginia, wrote this
mini review of Fellini’s 8 1/2. He gives it a “10”!. Say Amen, somebody! Read it here:
http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2005/062005/06232005/108957/printer_friendly
8) Odds ‘n Ends ‘n Trifles:
Speaking of icons, GQ magazine, that bastion of all things male testosterone, has published a poll
asking readers to vote for their “Favorite Pair “ from a list of 19 movie actresses. To my pleasant
surprise, Maria Antonietta Beluzzi, who played the unforgettable tobacconist in Fellini’s AMARCORD,
made the list. You can read ‘em all and vote, if you must, here:
http://creative.advancemags.com/polls/generic_popup.jsp?groupId=52
U.N.E.S.C.O. first unveiled this commemorative medal at Cannes in 1994, in recognition of the
centenary of the birth of cinema as well as Fellini’s enormous contributions. It features a profile of
Fellini and is available in gold, silver and bronze. See the medal, buy one and read more, here:
Click Here
In other coin news, the 85th anniversary of his birth, the Italian Ministry of Finance has issued a
commemorative 5 Euro silver coin bearing his image. You can an view an image of it here:
Click Here
I learned a new word today: “Fortean”. The term, derived form the name of a Mr. Charles Fort, was
coined to describe strange phenomena with no suitable explanation, such as out-of-body experiences,
ESP, ghosts, UFO’s etc. It all sounds very Felliniesque, no? Nigel Watson has written an engaging essay
on how all this relates specifically to Fellini. Read about it, here:
http://www.talkingpix.co.uk/Fortean%20Fellini.html
In June, at the Pushkin Museum on Red Square in Moscow, there was a fashion show featuring the
costumes from famous Italian films, including three of Fellini’s. Against a backdrop of film clips, models
did their thing. Read more, here:
Click Here
Time Magazine’s film critics, Richard Schickel and Richard Corliss recently selected Fellini’s 8 1/2 as
one of the 100 All Time Best Films. No surprise there.
Read more, here:
http://www.time.com/time/2005/100movies/
I welcome contributions and feedback to this newsletter. Please advise if you wish to be removed from the mailing list.
Don Young
Don Young Felliniana Archive
P.O. Box 470041
Fort Worth, TX 76147
USA
http://www.felliniana.com
|
|
|
