Born in 1931 in the southern region of Campania, Ettore Scola followed in the footsteps of his mentor, friend and colleague, Federico Fellini, getting his start writing for the Rome-based satire newspaper, Marc'Aurelio. He grew up reading the paper to his blind grandfather, with many of those sketches and jokes written by a very young Fellini. Scola joined the staff of the paper after Fellini moved on, but the two met through mutual colleagues and grew to be close friends.
During his
career as a writer and director, Scola won six David di Donatello’s (the
Italian equivalent to the Oscar) and was nominated four times for an Oscar for
Best Foreign Film. He has dozens upon dozens of titles to his credit, but a few
of the most popular are the 1974 ensemble masterpiece, "C'eravamo tanto
amati" (We all loved each other so much), the 1965 "Lo conoscevo
bene" (I Knew Her Well) directed by Antonio Pietrangeli, starring Stefania
Sandrelli and the 1977 Academy Award-nominated "Una giornata
particolare" (A Special Day) starring Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni.
I recently saw his very latest
work to reach American shores, the 2013 documentary, "How Strange to Be Named
Federico" about his dear friend and colleague.
Scola on the set of "How Strange to be named Federico" |
In "How Strange to Be Named Federico," Scola speaks to the strong presence of the muse in Fellini’s work, which in his case was more than one. It’s safe to say there were four: actor Marcello Mastroianni, Giulietta Masina, his wife of 50 years, the city of Rome and the Romans. It is noted in Scola’s documentary that “Fellini adopted Mastroianni as an ideal alter-ego in his main films."
I recently saw Ettore Scola in person at Rome's Festa del Cinema, where he attended the premiere of his daughters' documentary about him- "Ridendo e Scherzando," featuring Pif. Scola was just what you'd expect from a filmmaker from the Golden Age of Italian cinema- a distinguished, elegant man with a gentle manner. One thing I really admire about the young Italian filmmakers is the great amount of respect they have for their predecessors. They adored the filmmakers we've lost, and continue to pay homage to the greats that are still with us.
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