Fellini, Federico

Fellini, Federico fādārē´kō fāl-lē´nē [key], 1920–93, Italian film director. After World War II he wrote screenplays for such neorealistic films asRossellini'sOpen CityandPaisan.He began directing in 1950 and quickly abandoned neorealism in favor of professional actors and scripted tales of almost fablelike simplicity that express a basically humanistic outlook.

He enjoyed international acclaim withI Vitelloni(1953),La Strada(1954; Academy Award),Nights of Cabiria(1957; Academy Award),La Dolce Vita(1960), and8 1⁄2(1963; Academy Award), the latter two widely considered his black-and-white masterpieces. Filmed in color beginning withJuliet of the Spirits(1965), his movies became a celebration of life in all its beauties and grotesqueries while also exploring Fellini's wildly imaginative dream life. These later works, includingFellini Satyricon(1969),Amarcord(1973; Academy Award),City of Women(1980),Ginger and Fred(1984), andVoices of the Moon(1990), feature international casts of distinctive faces and camera gymnastics that substitute for traditional drama.

See his tape-recorded autobiography (with C. Chandler)I, Fellini(1995); hisThree Screenplays(tr. 1970); hisThe Book of Dreams(tr. 2008); biography by H. Alpert (1986, repr. 1998); study by G. Salachas (tr. 1969);Fellini: I'm a Born Liar(documentary film dir. by D. Pettigrew, 2002).

See more Encyclopedia articles on:Film and Television: Biographies