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EducationalThe Clowns (DVD)
Fellini's fascination with the circus and the surreal come to a head in one of his final masterpieces, The Clowns. The film reflects Fellini's childhood obsession with clowns and begins with a young boy watching a circus set up from his bedroom window.
Though comical and referred to as a "docu-comedy", this film explores deeper human conditions that resonate through the various clowns who vary from a local sex-crazed hobo, a midget nun, to a mutilated Mussolini disciple. The film diverges from its narrative and dreamy state to a more documentary like approach as Fellini searches out these jesters of his youth in Paris to see what has become of them ending with a funeral for one of the clowns. The carnival sounding score composed by Nino Rota and a cameo appearance by Anita Ekberg, the star of his 1960's masterpiece, La Dolce Vita, enhances the Fellini-esque experience.
• New digitally restored version, new and improved English subtitle translation
• Agenzia Matrimoniale, a short movie about Federico Fellini. 1953, Italy, 16 min., 33mm, B&W, Italian language w/ English subtitles
• Fellini's Circus, a visual film essay by Adriano Apra, Fellini Expert and film historian. Apra examines the director's lifetime fascination with the circus while also comparing its stylistic features to other Fellini films. Italian language w/ English subtitles
• 50-page booklet on Fellini's own reflections and notes concerning the genesis and production of the film. Also included are exclusive original drawings by the director himself.
- Federico Fellini - Director
- Victoria Chaplin - Herself
- Anita Ekberg - Herself
- Riccardo Billi - Himself
Reviews
"Highly Recommended. Well, you're not likely to find a more passionate movie about clowns, and honestly, who better to cover this particular field than Federico Fellini. I Clowns is the Italian director's 1970 prankster pseudo-documentary about the art of clowning. Mixing memory, performance, and fact-finding, the filmmaker works his way through Europe talking to famous figures from circuses past and questioning the nature of modern laughter. It's fun, intriguing filmmaking, and new studio Raro Video comes out of the gate swinging with a fantastic package." - "This was shot for Italian TV by Fellini and it was done with so much love that it defies the box it was made for with today. Truly a wonderful film." - Ain't It Cool
Awards
Special David di Donatello Awards
Official Selection Venice International Film Festival
For press and publicity inquiries, please email [email protected]. A selection of press materials for this title may be available for download here.