Federico Fellini, His Best

"City of Women" is my favorite by this fellow, even if the critics did not like it. It is a hilarity about a chauvinist pig getting in trouble with a bunch of feminists. Marcello M. stars as usual in the dream sequence movie. The star of the show falls asleep in a train and awakes at the end of the movie. The 2 hour plus interim is exquisitely funny and mind-blowing.
"La Strada" stars Anthony Quinn, Richard Basehart, and Federico's wife Giuletta in the famous tale of love overcoming all abuses. The lead actress is sold to Quinn's "Zampano" and learns to love him. A very heart-rending story. Many critics consider this Fellini's best work. It's my wife's favorite (black & white 1954).
"8 1/2" would be the other critics' favorite. This is Federico's autobiography (he is played by Marcello, of course). It's about a movie director with no ideas who is under a deadline. He don't care about no stinking deadlines, and bulls.... his way through everybody. The quintessential Federico Fellini. (black & white)
"Nights of Cabiria" stars Fellini's wife as a prostitute. But it really is a cute (black & white) story. She would like to find true love but it doesn't happen for her. She never gives up though, and her positive attitude is the key to the story. We shall overcome.
"Satyricon" is a story about Nero's orgiastic Rome. You've just got to see it if you like this director. The collection of unorthodox characters is mind-numbing. It's unreal, bizarre, kooky.

The wife would substitute "I Vitelloni" for "8 1/2". She's wrong but it is good also.

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Offbeat Movie Directors-6 Wild and Crazy Guys

For my money Stanley Kubrick is the best. The reason I think this: Every movie directed by him seems like it's done by a different guy, who seems to be one of the best directors of all time. No style is great style. His record speaks for itself. Basically unflawed.

My wife prefers the Coen brothers, Ethan and Joel, as she says that they can always be counted on to do good work. I cannot disagree. They are consistently quaintly bizarre.

Quentin Tarantino is a most consistently shocking guy: see "Hostel". It ain't quaint. While he didn't direct it he did produce and approve it. Scary, depraved stuff. This guy is way out of control. Violence is a trademark, but it's often funny. "Hostel" ain't funny. If you see it more than once, you I don't want to know.

Alfred Hitchcock is the original king of the macabre. (Edgar Allan Poe didn't make movies.) His "Americanized" stuff is just tremendous. His old movies with the British accents I can't get into much. He always did a cameo in his movies. As a bonus, he had a great TV show with a great theme song ("Funeral March of the Marionette"). You're too young to remember it.

Then there is Federico Fellini. I have 12 of his movies on tape or DVD, so I am fanatical. Everything is in Italian (subtitled in English) though, and some people can't handle that. He's considered one of the greatest European directors, but there's a lot of autobiography in his movies. He's not for everybody, but he's for me. He used very few well known actors. Marcello Mastroianni was his favorite actor.His work has to be watched more than once. Nuns and scaffolding and Rubenesque (Italian) women??

David Lynch is an enigma. His best work is probably better than anybody's. His bad stuff is the worst. "Inland Empire" is hours of black screen-can't see a thing. "Eraserhead" is a cult classic, but it's quirky enough to be creepy. What do I know, I don't like "Rocky Horror Picture Show". This guy is also not for everyone.

Sadly, Hitchcock, Fellini and Kubrick won't be doing any more movies.

Honorable mentions to Clint Eastwood, who does what he wants (it's good and sometimes offbeat) and to Robert Altman, who is inconsistent.

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