Federico Fellini once picked the most “personal” movie he ever made
Without a doubt, Federico Fellini is one of the most recognisable names in film history and arguably Italy’s finest cinematic export. Born in 1920, the filmmaker rose to prominence as a screenwriter in the 1940s before meeting Roberto Rossellini, for whom he provided the screenplay Rome, Open City.
Fellini began working closely with Rossellini, establishing himself as a talented writer, before embarking on his own directorial career, releasing Variety Lights, co-directed by Alberto Lattuada, in 1950. It didn’t take long for the filmmaker to gain critical praise with films such as I Vitelloni, La Strada, and Nights of Cabiria.
The 1960s saw Fellini release more of his most iconic movies, such as La Dolce Vita, 8½, and Juliet of the Spirits. Yet, Fellini’s legacy as one of cinema’s greatest voices only continued into the ‘70s with movies like Roma and Armacord.
The filmmaker is known for his dreamy style, often focusing on childhood, imagination, memory and fantasy. From his early Italian Neorealist-influenced work to his later masterworks, which are considerably more experimental and ambitious, there is something in Fellini’s back catalogue for everyone.
For Fellini, feeling and emotion are central to experiencing cinema. He once said: “I don’t like the idea of ‘understanding’ a film. I don’t believe that rational understanding is an essential element in the reception of any work of art. Either a film has something to say to you, or it hasn’t. If you are moved by it, you don’t need it explained to you. If not, no explanation can make you moved by it.”
Thus, when Fellini once picked out his favourite film he ever made, he selected the one that felt most personal: La Strada. Released in 1954, the film received mixed reviews upon its release, although it has since been unanimously applauded as one of Fellini’s most spellbinding works. La Strada follows a young woman who is purchased by a cold-hearted circus entertainer, only to fall for a happy-go-lucky fool. Emotional and bittersweet, the director described the film as (via Fellini: His Life and Work by Tullio Kezich) “a complete catalogue of my entire mythological world, a dangerous representation of my identity that was undertaken with no precedent whatsoever”.
Fellini once revealed that he is “attached” to La Strada out of sentimentality, with the movie clearly evoking strong emotions and memories within the filmmaker. The director explained: “Above all, because I feel that it is my most representative film, the one that is the most autobiographical; for both personal and sentimental reasons, because it is the film that I had the greatest trouble in realising and that gave me the most difficulty when it came time to find a producer.”
