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Reviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
FELLINI: I'M A BORN LIAR
It’s hard to believe that a film about the Italian director Frederico Fellini could be tedious.
Music by Nino Rota and excerpts from his films upstage the talking-head interviews,
which include Fellini himself and actors Donald Sutherland and Terence Stamp. Fellini
ponificates on the art of directing: “What’s real is what I invented;” on actors: “Puppets
are happy to be puppets;” and refers to himself as a craftsman who’s a medium. He
reveals that the key to creative process is making oneself available: “Spontaneity is the
secret of life.” The other interviews collaborate that he was indeed a master puppeteer.
Sutherland labels Fellini a dictator “threatened by his own superficiality,” although one
wishes there would have been footage or anecdotes supporting this. And in a highlight,
Stamp offers a great impersonation of Fellini offering direction. However, these
revelations will hardly be eye-opening to most actors, directors and fans of Bravo’s
Inside The Actor's Studio. Much of the footage of Fellini directing can also be seen in
Ciao Federico (Mystic Fire Video), directed by Gideon Bachmann, which shows more
on-set interactions with his cast and crew. KT
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