nothing is certain, everything is imagIned
fellini, in my eyes, is without a doubt one of the true auteurs of modern cinema. 'modern' in the original sense of the word. the films possess a degree of sophistication and complexity that most films nowadays fail to reach.
and no one can accuse me of being nostalgic. because the films were made way before my time over fourty years ago.
la dolce vita translates to the sweet life, referring (i guess) to the lives of the upper class roman socialites. we follow the protagonist marcello through a series of seemingly unrelated escapades/episodes; the linking factors being marcello, and the break of dawn at the end of every episode.
"The night begins with promise and ends with nothing.
The dawn always breaks at the end of a sequence, and
the daylight has a way of making everything look, not
fresh and new, but decayed and ruined."
every image is loaded with potential interpretations, every frame artfully considered and opens up new questions. marcello dreams of things of which he assumed when they are once achieved, he would attain meaning in his life.
8 1/2 is similar in the way it is about the protagonist, this time Guido. but it's clear that no matter what they are called: marcello / guido / mastroianni. they all reflect fellini as a man struggling to understand the world within him, and beyond him. in a way, they also reflect the modern man facing the challenges and uncertainty of modernity. in the film we are taken into guido's state of mind as he faces a creative block. the genius of it all lies in how vaguely the scenes transform and overlaps from reality to fantasy. it's like a metaphysical imagery transfigured into something somewhat concrete. guido attempted to reconcile his childhood memories, his personal life, work, and everyone around him.
they are about emptiness and they questions the very value of morality. i like that the films don't try at all to represent 'good values', or tell of the 'i can make through the ____' inspirational bullshit. i like that, beyond the superficiality of them all, they reveal one's inner complexity, and leave an impression so everlastingly profound. i love the multiple readings and the symbology of all the little details. i love that fellini realises that some things are more complex and do not warrant a simple answer. i love that they are not scripted, but yet sounds like poetry and mantains an effortless intelligence. i love that they are confronting, indulgent and unashamedly 'arts for arts sake'.
and it helps that the films are just too beautiful for words. mastroianni walking down the corridor, tapping his shoes. anita eckberg dancing in a nightclub, playing with a kitten on her head, and taking a dip at roma's fountain trevi. the statue of jesus christ helicoptered over ancient, modern and renaissance rome. the yuppies lazing around a rich man's house reciting poems, singing songs, and talking about feminine wisdom versus masculine uncertainty.
you see....
trivia 1 : you know the term papparazi? it came from la dolce vita.
trivia 2 : la dolce vita was condemned by the vatican to eternal inferno. lol.... as always making a big deal out of nothing
trivia 3 : noone knew when the filming of 8 1/2 began. strangely shots from the screen test were used in the final cut. as it's kinda autobiographical, i imagine that some of the actual hysteria behind the camera would actually make it to the final cut. the original ending was chopped off completely, in favour for what was originally meant to be the movie trailer
[photo credit: la dolce vita from www.ledoux.be : otto e mezzo from www.symphonyspace.org]
and no one can accuse me of being nostalgic. because the films were made way before my time over fourty years ago.
la dolce vita translates to the sweet life, referring (i guess) to the lives of the upper class roman socialites. we follow the protagonist marcello through a series of seemingly unrelated escapades/episodes; the linking factors being marcello, and the break of dawn at the end of every episode.
"The night begins with promise and ends with nothing.
The dawn always breaks at the end of a sequence, and
the daylight has a way of making everything look, not
fresh and new, but decayed and ruined."
every image is loaded with potential interpretations, every frame artfully considered and opens up new questions. marcello dreams of things of which he assumed when they are once achieved, he would attain meaning in his life.
8 1/2 is similar in the way it is about the protagonist, this time Guido. but it's clear that no matter what they are called: marcello / guido / mastroianni. they all reflect fellini as a man struggling to understand the world within him, and beyond him. in a way, they also reflect the modern man facing the challenges and uncertainty of modernity. in the film we are taken into guido's state of mind as he faces a creative block. the genius of it all lies in how vaguely the scenes transform and overlaps from reality to fantasy. it's like a metaphysical imagery transfigured into something somewhat concrete. guido attempted to reconcile his childhood memories, his personal life, work, and everyone around him.
they are about emptiness and they questions the very value of morality. i like that the films don't try at all to represent 'good values', or tell of the 'i can make through the ____' inspirational bullshit. i like that, beyond the superficiality of them all, they reveal one's inner complexity, and leave an impression so everlastingly profound. i love the multiple readings and the symbology of all the little details. i love that fellini realises that some things are more complex and do not warrant a simple answer. i love that they are not scripted, but yet sounds like poetry and mantains an effortless intelligence. i love that they are confronting, indulgent and unashamedly 'arts for arts sake'.
and it helps that the films are just too beautiful for words. mastroianni walking down the corridor, tapping his shoes. anita eckberg dancing in a nightclub, playing with a kitten on her head, and taking a dip at roma's fountain trevi. the statue of jesus christ helicoptered over ancient, modern and renaissance rome. the yuppies lazing around a rich man's house reciting poems, singing songs, and talking about feminine wisdom versus masculine uncertainty.
you see....
trivia 1 : you know the term papparazi? it came from la dolce vita.
trivia 2 : la dolce vita was condemned by the vatican to eternal inferno. lol.... as always making a big deal out of nothing
trivia 3 : noone knew when the filming of 8 1/2 began. strangely shots from the screen test were used in the final cut. as it's kinda autobiographical, i imagine that some of the actual hysteria behind the camera would actually make it to the final cut. the original ending was chopped off completely, in favour for what was originally meant to be the movie trailer
[photo credit: la dolce vita from www.ledoux.be : otto e mezzo from www.symphonyspace.org]
posted by (nothingness) at 02:24
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