FILM-FORWARD.COM

Reviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video

FELLINI: I'M A BORN LIAR
Directed by: Damien Pettigrew.
Released by: First Look.
Country of Origin: France/Italy/UK. 105 min. Unrated.
With: Frederico Fellini, Terence Stamp & Donald Sutherland.
Released by: First Look.

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
May 30, 2003

Home

About Film-Forward.com


Contact us