A New Documentary-Drama on the Making of 'La Dolce Vita'

One hundred years after his birth, Federico Fellini is more relevant than ever with new facts about his life and filmmaking still being uncovered.

Towards the end of 1958, Fellini went through a complicated professional period and found himself in a deep depression. Despite having already won two Oscars for "La Strada" and "Le Notti di Cabiria," which starred his wife and muse Giulietta Masina, he could not find a producer interested in his new project: a story he wrote along with colleagues Ennio Flaiano and Tullio Pinelli. The project was titled, "La Dolce Vita."

One producer, Giuseppe Amato, believed in the script and that's all it took to create the immortal masterpiece. Now, a new documentary-drama sheds light on the iconic film that was almost never made. Through re-enactment, clips from the film, and archival images, "The truth about La Dolce Vita" by Giuseppe Pedersoli reveals the correspondence between Fellini and his producers, and the long and winding road to getting "La Dolce Vita" made.

Referred to as the liveliest man in the Italian film industry, Amato was a highly respected and prolific filmmaker during Italy’s post-war era. He produced iconic films like "Roma Open City," "Umberto D" and "The Bicycle Thieves."

The story was constructed from unpublished documents that tell the story behind the tumultuous making of "La Dolce Vita." One of the first images in the documentary is also one of the first images we see in "La Dolce Vita"- the ruins of the ancient aqueduct at the Parco degli Acquedotti, which is a short distance from Cinecittà studios and Piazza San Giovanni Bosco where Fellini shot much of the film.

Amato became obsessed with the script and woke in the middle of the night seeing images of “Rome Open City” and “Umberto D,” two films that he produced. He called his friend, Alvaro Mancori, who is now in his 80s and telling the story in the film. He even met with Padre Pio in Pietrelcina in Puglia, to seek his advice on whether to pursue making the film. After what Mancori describes as ten minutes of staring at each other, Amato felt that Padre Pio had given him the blessing to proceed. There was actually a newspaper headline stating this. Now, he had to return to Rome and convince Dino De Laurentiis to hand over the script after already investing millions. He was confident that it would happen. Then low and behold, Dino De Laurentiis shows up giving his side of the story. What a beautiful surprise. I can’t tell you how many times I went back and rewatched scenes. This was one of them. (Spoiler Alert) So the two producers traded “La Dolce Vita” for “La grande Guerra”.. in other words, Marcello Mastroianni for Alberto Sordi, a win-win situation.

The docu-film will premiere out of competition next month at the 77th Venice Film Festival, which runs September 2-12, and will be available to stream through Festival Scope's annual Venice Sala Web. Intramovies is handling world sales. We'll keep you posted on when it will be available outside Italy. In the meantime, if you haven't seen "La Dolce Vita" yet, click on the image to stream it.

Comments

Federico Fellini: A Look into the Life and Career of an Icon

A Fellini family portrait “The term became a common word to describe something on the surface you can say is bizarre or strange, but actually is really like a painter working on a film,” said Martin Scorsese when asked to define “Felliniesque,” an adjective inspired by one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. The oldest of three children, Federico Fellini was born in the seaside town of Rimini in 1920. His father was a traveling salesman, so his mother was left to do the bulk of raising the children. One can argue that Fellini was born for his destiny. “You could tell that even as a child, he was different and unique. He was very intelligent, well above average. He was always the one to organize things, direct the others, make up games. He could control the other kids with just a look, said Fellini’s sister, Maddalena, in an interview with journalist Gideon Bachmann. Not only was Fellini directing the children, but he was also putting on shows and charging ...

The Timeless Talent of Stefania Sandrelli

On screen since the tender age of 14, she has captivated audiences for more than 50 years with a compelling combination of strength and vulnerability. She achieved stardom at just 14 years old playing the angelic cousin of a love-struck Marcello Mastroianni in Pietro Germi’s “Divorce Italian Style.” More than half a century later, she is still going strong and remains one of Italy’s most esteemed actors. Stefania Sandrelli was born on June 5, 1946, in Viareggio in the province of Lucca in northern Italy. As a child, she studied music and dance. Then in 1960, she won a beauty pageant and was featured on the cover of Le Ore magazine. Her purity captivated the country and shortly thereafter, movie offers began pouring in. Just one year later, she made her cinema debut in three feature films: Mario Sequi’s Gioventù di notte , Luciano Salce’s The Fascist, and Pietro Germi’s Divorce Italian Style . She instantly became a star and before long was a key figure in Italy’s legend...

'Salvatore Giuliano' blends documentary realism with dramatic storytelling

"Salvatore Giuliano" is a 1962 Italian crime drama directed by Francesco Rosi that dramatizes the real-life events surrounding the life and death of the legendary Sicilian bandit and folk hero. Giuliano rose to notoriety after the liberation of Sicily from fascist control in 1943, when he formed a gang that joined a separatist army. When the army dissolved, he and his gang intensified their outlaw activities. One of their most significant crimes was the Portella della Ginestra incident, during which dozens of men, women, and children were killed or wounded. This act prompted the authorities to launch an all-out war against Giuliano. His defenses slowly crumbled, and on July 5, 1959, his body was discovered in the courtyard of a house in Castelvetrano. That moment serves as the starting point for Rosi's film. Giuliano's fame is tied to his involvement in the Sicilian independence movement and his battles against both the Italian government and the Mafia in the 1940s a...

Gianfranco Rosi to premiere 'Sotto le nuvole' at Venice Film Fest, exploring Naples' history

Documentary filmmaker Gianfranco Rosi will premiere his much-anticipated latest film at the upcoming 82nd Venice International Film Festival , which runs August 27 - Sept. 6. "Sotto le nuvole" (Below the Clouds) takes a deep dive into the rich history and culture of Naples and the area surrounding Mount Vesuvius. There has not been much information revealed but so far, we know that the film will focus on themes similar to those explored by Rosi in his previous works, such as the examination of Roman culture in "Sacro GRA" (2013) and Lampedusa's refugee crisis in "Fuocoammare" (2016). The film's synopsis reads, “The land around Vesuvius is a vast palimpsest. On the surface, underground and even beneath the sea of the modern city of Naples and its surroundings, the memory of history is etched into tunnels, walls and fissures, the remains of women, children and men — statues, buried cities. Only thin layers separate contemporary and ancient life, an...

"Roma 11:00" – The Tragic True Story of Desperation in a World of Poverty

There couldn’t have been a more perfect couple than Lucia Bosè and Raf Vallone in Giuseppe De Santis’ 1952 “Roma 11:00.” A tragic story based on true events, the film follows several young women in post-WWII Rome as they answer a job listing for a typist. When 200 women are in line on one staircase over several floors, a crack leads to the collapse of the entire staircase. Dozens were injured and one was killed. The tragedy spoke to the poverty and desperation that existed for so many Italians in the early 1950s before the ‘58 industrial boom began. Cesare Zavattini was one of the screenwriters. Elio Petri was the assistant director who interviewed many of the victims and cast a few in supporting roles. In addition to Bosè and Vallone, the film stars Carla Del Poggio, Massimo Girotti, Maria Grazia Francia, Lea Padovani and Delia Scala. The film is set in Largo Circense 37, while in reality the collapse took place in via Savoia 31, in the Salario district, on J...

Italian Cinema Today

Search This Blog