Fellini is so over rated

Kind of funny how you seem to deplore how self-indulgent Fellini is (which isn't necessarily wrong), and yet you seem to think that Godard is ok. Truth is, Godard is probably the most over-indulgent director of the lot. You've probably just seen À Bout de souffle or something, but if you've seen alot of his movies, he's really full of himself (he also like to spew alot of garbage at Cannes each year, too). I'm not a big fan of Godard, but I don't dislike him all that much, either, it's just an aquired taste.

Fellini has made some true masterpieces and is one of my favorite directors. I actually hated several of his movies the first time I saw them, mostly because I didn't quite "get them". However, it was only because I wasn't at that stage in my cinematic development yet, and upon second viewing of alot of those, they've grown to be some of my favorite movies.

Dear louise-wilder,

Here is a story for you. Before Titanic came into the movies there was a huge advertising for month and month... But it was then I got really frightened of this brainwash when I visited a small town "somewhere in Europe" and to my horror I discovered a mini 3D-model in a little window - something about Titanic. Later I could see that it was the window of a little cinema or so. I never wanted to see the film (partly because of the story) because I had a feeling that it won't be a good film.

I think I don't have to explain that after this incident I really didn't want to see it. I remember that time I was thinking about the dangerous effects of politics and other kinds of brainwash mechanisms and how frightening all that was. I really thought that this was how the world functioned in every way. If you work hard you can make people believe anything. You could persuade people to do things they normally wouldn't. I KNEW that millions of people would go the cinemas and watch Titanic. I also knew that the film cost a lot of money and therefore it was important to advertise it in order to make people go to see the film.

I am of course very happy for all those who liked the film or even so who couldn't wait for the film to come to the cinemas. Well, I also have seen the film (why had that happened is a long-long story). I don't know - in my view the story is really silly, the characters are cardboard types, but the strangest thing ever is when an old lady hops on the ship's rail in order to throw the nacklace into the sea. I don't think there is an old lady in the world who would be able to do so, but never mind.

I am going to be honest - I had three scenes I liked:

a) Leonardo is painting upstairs on the ship's deck, he has this look on his face like painters have who look at their models for longer than the sheet itself.

b) I like when the old lady's eye changes to the young girl's eye (both are green),

c) and almost at the end when we can see the rich ladies in the boats and the only one who is healthy thinking says something like this, after none of the wives want to help their husbands and they even stop her when she tries to help: "I don't understand you. Your husbands are among these people in the water, how can you not help them?"

That's it. Not much...


But you should answer a question, why was it important to cover this topic - again? There are so many films about this tragedy. I could never answer this question.

If you’re going to reference Godard as an example of a great film-maker then have the courtesy to spell his name right you idiot.

You know a lot of people think Fellini is self-indulgent, and by gosh, kids, that's why I love him. In fact La Dolce Vita isn't one of my favourite Fellini films because it hasn't quite reached the beautiful crazy weird visions that he later came to indulge in. As far as I'm concerned, he was only just starting to get going when he made Giuliette degli Spiriti. Fellini films, after the the mid 60's, are a celebration of all in life that is weird wonderful and different, and I understand why he concetrated on this theme because its something that I am myself fascinated by in life. But what I also love about Fellini is that he refused to make it dark either. Nowdays, it seems, when someone makes a "weird" film, it always seems to be dark or brooding. However Fellini injected it, greatly helped by Nino Rota, with a beautiful sense of humour and intrigue and light.

If you're into plots and storylines with easily-understood characters and easily digestible films where your brain isn't necessary, then stick to Hollywood movies. But for those of us who love cinema as a moving painting, well we have Fellini and the other great directors. I guess for those of us who love Fellini, we're the type of people who can sit through a movie and never ask "what did that all mean?"

The matter is that you watched this movie like the people of the 1800 read Madame Bovary. I'm sure you don't like Madame Bovary, La coscienza di Zeno, Proust's Recherche. This is a modern film. It goes nowhere cause life goes nowhere. It's a trip. To the decadence. Far from the heroes, that don't exist. To the men. The story is inside the people painted in the film. They are the movie's trama.

[deleted]

I'm sure that Fellini will survive your little diatribe as those of us who admire him so wil ignore it.

wow, well you know what you like, and got a discussion going. nice one. but this is really a great film, man! watch it again with an open mind, and just don't expect so much, soak up the photography, dialogue, music, ATMOSPHERE, characterization - and if you wanna, imagine that there is a message there after all. love? hate? parties? it's all life, and some people never get life either, after all. What about "Breakfast at Tiffany's?" It's not as tragic as "Titanic" but it's a love story about a sinking ship, about the conflict between decadence and poverty - I don't know, maybe "La Dolce Vita" is not so different from the films you love, but just doesn't happen to be a product of the same culture.