In "Fellini: Dolce Vita", I read the wonderful story about the birth and behind the scenes of the film, many of which are moving or hilarious, and I can understand why Pasolini talks about the realism in Fellini There are so many factors, the stories are based on local materials, and the actors and characters are intertwined; I also have a more three-dimensional understanding of this film and the enthusiastic and energetic filmmakers at that time, such as angry words and humorous. The former king of Egypt, Amato, an investor who loved the streets of Veneto so much that he acted flamboyantly, Rizzoli, an old man who had unconditional trust and affection for Fellini like a father, and the Roman people who were curious and enthusiastic on the set ...
There are many versions of the popular song "Mack the Knife" mentioned in the article. Personally, I think it is compared to the version of Nino Rota: https://music.163.com/song?id=509218060
I remember a film critic said that after watching "The Dolce Vita" after Mastroianni's death, he is now old, and he feels that Marcello in the film seems to be younger. He once admired him and criticized him. , and when I look again, I sympathize and love him more and more.
The street of Veneto has changed a long time ago, and the original film of more than 3 hours mentioned at the end of the film should not have a chance to see it, so let’s just read this article and think about it.
The following excerpts are taken from "Fellini: A Sweet Life". The bolded parts are the key points of personal reading. There are moving moments, strange discoveries, and funny clips.
In the 1950s, a person dealing with the entertainment industry or with words, with "intellect", even if there was no specific initiative or action, liked to go to Via Veneto, sit there, drink coffee and chat. In the Rosati coffee shop, there are often parties such as Tararico, Fraiano, Patty, Sandro De Feo, Panuzio and some talented people. They chat, using freshly "baked" puns and one-liners; or "deeply" exploring some tidbits, or arguing over a cultural event, and so on. Their remarks and comments will appear in "World" and "Express" magazines in ten days or at most two weeks, so that people all over Italy can taste and appreciate the eloquent and incisive arguments of these elites. .
At Strega on the sidewalk across the street, or further on, at Donay's, the actors and the film industry gather. Near midnight, or even later, people who have just attended the premiere of a movie or play come here in twos and threes. Here they are joking, their ingenuity at their best: either bashing someone out of context, or using humorous and sarcastic language to ruthlessly dig at someone who isn't there or even a friend close to them. But this kind of sarcasm is well-intentioned. Even when those nightlife people in Via Veneto recall those past events many years later, the memory is kind, and even if they slander others, they are innocent and innocent. There are also some small stars from other places who come here to join in the fun; the stuntman from the movie city will also appear here to hug an actor; there are also actor agents waiting here, they are waiting patiently, looking forward to this kind of event. In a relaxed atmosphere, have a heartfelt conversation with a famous director.
There was a popular saying after the war that there was no real nightlife in Rome, because people were not allowed to indulge at night because of the "will of the Pope". It is true that the Roman Prince Eugenio Pacelli, who was the Pope at the time, established some strict regulations that acted as a deterrent, but it cannot be concluded arbitrarily from this that in the inevitable trend of princely authority There is an inevitable connection between the period of decline (died 9 October 1958) and the wave of carnivals in Via Veneto that followed - which lasted for several years. In fact, in the months since the death of the Prince, there has been restlessness on Via Veneto - celebrities and people of the upper class, who leave the nightclubs near this avenue or return to the "luxury" hotels located near the avenue, It is customary to spend a few hours there when passing Via Veneto when the "Grand Hotel". As a result, the Romans formed the habit of strolling around the brightly lit Via Veneto at night; some were out of curiosity and wanted to witness the demeanor of celebrities up close, while others joined the fun and watched photojournalists chasing celebrities and celebrities The sight of avoiding the photojournalist to avoid getting on camera. People go to see "The Barefoot Countess" on this street, which refers to actress Ava Gardner, who starred in the 1954 Hollywood film "The Barefoot Countess," which was filmed at Cinéma de Rome; Feared, actively cooperated with the photojournalist; the former king of Egypt, Farouk, became impatient with the reporters who were chasing after him, and he answered the reporter angrily: "In a few years, there will be only five monarchs left in the world: on the cards The four great kings plus a Queen of England."
After witnessing these spontaneous events on the Via Veneto, photojournalists were eager to create incidents. One of the leaders was the Roman, Tazio Segchiaroli, who had tipped off Fellini. He was "famous" at the time, both for his altercation with actor Walter Chiara ("Nights of Kabylia") and for his harassment of Egypt's former King Farouk: 1958 On the night of August 14, Sequiaro was chased and beaten by the latter for constantly photographing Farouk with a flash . Journalists use all means to go after celebrities, the purpose is to get sensational news, and make a little money from it. Usually, the photojournalists on Via Veneto are rivals, and each one will beg the other for extortion at any time, but sometimes they also act together: after setting the target, a reporter sneaks up to the "prey" to make a surprise attack, using The flash lit up, and other reporters filmed the unfortunate's reaction. The most attacked on the streets of Veneto were Anita Eckberg and her husband Antonio Steele, who were often caught by journalists because of drunkenness, jealousy, quarrels and fights that later Reflected in the film by Fellini.
Gradually, Fellini was attracted by the nightly performances on Via Veneto, and he followed with curiosity what was happening there, and the film Morado into the City came to his mind (this was Fellini's finished filming). A new background for a new film conceived with its collaborators after The White Chief. At this time, Fellini said: it would be a mistake to go back to the past. It's time to say goodbye to adolescence, Rimini is far away, the father figure is gone, a generation that has barely experienced war. It's time to change the subject matter of the movie, and now it's time to do everything in your power to focus on the people around you and reflect what's going on right now. Gradually, a series of scenarios in the mind were interpreted as live notes, a yellowed diary became an "open-ended work", and the three playwrights (Fellini, Pinelli, Fraiano) and Explore this. Pinelli was not in favor of making such a film, and he complained that a plan for "Memoirs of Casanova" had been shelved. Therefore, Pinelli was not confident in revising the book of "Morado Into the City" according to Fellini's new concept. It is difficult for him to imagine how to interpret such a theme in a melodrama style, and this is only the director's. an idea. On the contrary, Fraiano was uncharacteristically. Fellini's idea attracted him, and he had experienced the situation and it was very in line with his wishes, so he was full of confidence. He believes that instead of using narrative threads to run through the plot, each paragraph can stand on its own. Fraiano was so excited when he heard Fellini say, "We should create a Picasso sculpture, smash it up, and put it together as we want".
As the work progressed, the three writers became more and more fond of such an upcoming film. The only one who wasn't interested was producing De Laurentiis. He likes the old-fashioned "Morado," the characters have flavor, in the style of a typical Italian comedy. And now the film seems broken, full of unknowns, and risky. In September, the three screenwriters gave De Laurentiis the first draft they had written in three months, and he didn't appreciate it after reading it, but he was also reluctant to arbitrarily impose his opinion on Fellini. . So, he gave the book to the authoritative critics at the time, Levy, Vicentini, and Chiarini. The latter also unanimously agree with the producer's opinion. Among the many problems, the most prominent is that the film lacks the "healthy power" in contemporary society, which is a typical proposition of neorealism theory.
What irritated Laurentiis in particular was the scene in the film, "The Massacre at Steiner's House." As a kind Napoli person, Detis quoted a famous line at the end of the famous Napoli playwright Eduardo's comedy " Felumena Mathurano ": "Children are the heart of their parents!" Pray to the director to make changes to the cruel scene of "a father murdering his children". Not only that, because the length of the film is too long, the producers hope to simply delete the role of Steiner, the tragic intellectual. But Fellini insisted that Steiner's character was one of the central themes of La Dolce Vita, and that removing him would completely change the meaning of the whole film.
Another conflict Fellini had with the producers was the cast. De Laurentiis plans to use a large international star lineup: Maurice Chevalier, Barbara Streisand, Henry Fonda, Walter Pedro, Louise Resnais , Silvana Mangano, etc. De Laurentiis believed that an Italian actor would not be a big hit, so he wanted to persuade Fellini to cast Paul Newman, who was ready for the role; Cielo Mastroiani has a soft spot, although he has just met him, but his impression of him has been lingering, and then he talked to him, so he does not want anyone to replace Mas now Troiani, not only that, Fellini immediately renamed the protagonist Morado "Marcello": the cast has been decided, there is no room for negotiation! De Laurentiis felt frustrated and lost his face, because he was used to the obedience of others, but he did not want to offend Fellini, and was full of admiration for the latter's talent.
The next question is, who is investing in producer De Laurentiis? The big studio Titanus is only willing to invest 400 million lire, but Fellini's grand plan goes well beyond that. One day, Fellini and his old friend Don Pepino Amato met by chance at the "Exselsior" luxury hotel in Via Veneto, where the latter's home and office are located. Filming within the jurisdiction, ecstatic, generous, even said: there is absolutely no problem with investment. Amato was one of the founders of the reconstruction of Italian cinema after the war, and he invested in several films. At the same time, Amato also has a reputation in the film industry for his genius in creating many new, surreal cinematic vocabulary. And the billionaire Angelo Rizzoli (a big publisher) who is keen on movies is willing to invest 600 million. He believes that this film will become a landmark film in the history of film and will go down in history forever. However, he requests that the film be It was called Via Veneto, and Fellini titled the film "La Dolce Vita," and assured him in a firm tone that the title would bring him good luck. At the same time, Fellini received a call from a German who was willing to pay the director if he could create a role for actress Lily Palme; the northern Italian region of Lombardy, in the name of publisher Tofanelli The leading investment group is also willing to participate in the filming of the film. For a time, the producer appeared like a lantern, which made people dazzled. Even the general liaison and general organizer of the film, Clement Fracassi, couldn't figure it out.
Amato sticks to the title, Via Veneto. At each discussion meeting, with the support of the legal team behind him, he expounded his views with eloquent eloquence, and sometimes even said: If the title of the film is not used, he would rather drink the ink and spit it out than sign it. The contract; another time, clenching and chewing the official document with the stamp with his teeth; in the last meeting to decide the title, he accused the other party of raping him, so he started to take off his pants... Put aside these exaggerated anecdotes Legend has it that, in fact, Amato was one of the most experienced film experts in Italy, and he always came up with forward-looking and innovative ideas for the film industry, which earned Rizzoli's trust. Rizzoli, the billionaire old man, wasn't really so interested in this ultra-modern, baffling film, but Amato, who struck the old man with his wit. Therefore, after Rizzoli and Fellini met, they both left a good impression on each other. Rizzoli treated Fellini almost like a son, full of love, and wanted to pass on his precious life lessons to the "dear artist" (as he called Fellini immediately after meeting), And said that if Fellini worked hard, he could become the richest director. Rizzoli sees Fellini as a grotesque, eccentric child, and thinks Fraiano gave Fellini a bad idea . Because someone had told Rizzoli that Fraiano was a genie who would do hilarious pranks, and that had an impact on Fellini. When Rizzoli read the scene in which Steiner shoots his children and then kills himself, he blamed Fraiano. He said to Fellini: "This kind of crazy thing, such a kind person like you, will not come up..." De Laurentiis prayed for the director to have "healthy strength" in the film, And Rizzoli implored Fellini to "give people a ray of light" in the film.
The frequent relocation of the offices of "La Dolce Vita" doesn't affect Fellini's work in the slightest. He is constantly making appointments, collecting photos, and discussing the script with the screenwriter and his trusted friends. His secret meetings with Gao Shen had become his work habit: he dragged the friends he wanted to see into the car, and drove around the suburbs of Rome in the middle of the night, discussing them at the same time, and was not willing to give up until he completely understood the problem. Among the invited friends was Pasolini. Pasolini and Fellini were very close and were often invited to the movie city to watch demos with him and exchange views.
At 11:35 on March 16, 1959, "Sweet Life" was officially launched in Studio 14 of the Cinema City, where artist Gallardi built the dome of San Pietro's Cathedral. The first shot that started shooting was the scene where Anita Ekberry climbed the zigzag staircase. She was wearing a priest's robe and a monk's wide-brimmed hat. She was calm and calm, and she didn't shoot at all. Anxiety the night before. Eckberg, the model born in Malmö, Sweden in 1931 (and elected Miss Sweden at 19), hesitated for a long time before accepting the role of American actress Sylvia, fearing that the film would become A mockery of one's upper-class life and one's own marriage. But now, she's happy to be the center of attention, and Fellini and Mastroiani dote on her, affectionately calling her "Anitona" (Anita's nickname) . Next, a scene of a press conference for Sylvia at the Grand Hotel was filmed in the Cinema City studio. To this end, Fellini called in reporters - real reporters, in the moments before the actual shooting, Improvised questions to reporters. The long scene of the actress inside and outside the club was shot on set at the Caracalla Amphitheatre. Then, in the cold, late night, the scene where Anita and Marcello bravely jump into the Maiden Springs quickly made headlines around the world, and Fellini's filming set became an entertaining attraction in itself. , the visitors came one after another, the Romans wanted to see the filming scene of the film crew in Maiden Springs, and the joyful nightlife of the beautiful Nordic blonde became a symbol of the festival carnival, and soon and destined to become a classic image of an era . This epoch-making scene was so memorable that, fifteen years later, Ettore Scola recreated the scene of "La Dolce Vita" at the Maiden Springs in his film "We Loved This Way": Fellini and Mastroiani appear happily in the film.
The nightclub that Marcello took his father to was built on the edge of the baths in Tivoli, a suburb of Rome, and the exterior of the baths was used as the night view of the swimming pool of Villa Maddalena. On April 25, Anouk Aimee, who played Maddalena, made her debut. The French actress was introverted, and Fellini could not speak French well. The initial communication was a bit awkward. But soon, "Anukina" (Anouk's nickname) became part of the Fellini family. When Anuk and Marcello were filming the night scene of a prostitute's house in Skiavita, many young people came to watch, thinking of her as Anita Eckberry, but when they found out that they saw When it was Anouk Aimee, he left disappointed. Even so, "Anukina" was not uncomfortable. In May, the scene of "Castle Noble" was filmed in Bassano, Sutri, 42 kilometers from Rome. The scene was filmed in a spectacularly beautiful 16th-century building owned by Don Livio Odescalchi. For the scene, Fellini, with the help of Guidarino Guidi, who was familiar with the etiquette and customs of high society, brought the actors here, and they all performed brilliantly. Fellini, as if at home, commanded these real nobles, dressed nobles, actors and extras with ease and ease. The background music played during the filming was "MACK THE KNIFE" by German Jewish musician Kurt Weil (1900-1950), but due to copyright reasons, this music cannot be kept in the sound of the film (in order to avoid Suspected of plagiarism, Rota prepared a similar, slightly different theme music for Fellini).
In view of the various restrictions on live-action shooting on Via Veneto, such as only shooting in the middle of the night and many other regulations, after repeated hesitation, the production department decided to build a section of this famous street in Studio 5 of the Cineplex. On June 6, the cocktail party for the inauguration of Via Veneto was held in the studio, and Rizzoli also attended, but he gave a heavy expression to the anxiety of the increasing cost of shooting. The sidewalk of the Paris coffee shop is exactly the same as the real one, except that the original steps have been changed into flat roads. Fellini kept telling everyone that cinema does not imitate reality, but creates it; he also said that he preferred Via Veneto in Cinéma City as real. Since a certain time, Fellini has always been like this, he likes to build any scene himself (and, Studio 5 has become his exclusive use).
For Fracasser, the production director, it was not easy to solve Fellini's problems, and often had to deal with Fellini's impromptu decisions. It is said that one day, Fellini quickly overtook the advancing camera crew, blocked their way, and gestured to them: back. So people went in the opposite direction. The location of the scene of "The Apparition of the Virgin" also took a lot of troubles. After many real scene investigations, a flat land in Tivoli was finally selected, just a few steps away from the scene of "Nightclub". The scene required hundreds of extras and, in the final days of filming, was drenched in rain and artificial water from fire trucks. It was an unforgettable summer in Rome, and many nights in a row, the Romans, driven by curiosity, went to Fellini's filming site to watch the actual shooting. The passage "The Apparition of the Virgin" was adapted from a news report by Tazio Secchiarori. It was the first year, in January 1958, when Tazio Secchiarori read in the newspaper a news about an "apparition of the Virgin" in Terni, he rushed to the place where it happened, there were two A child recounted to him that they had seen the Virgin, and he took a set of pictures on the spot, which later became a remake of La Dolce Vita.
In people's minds, Dolce Vita is a film-verità based on what happened in and around Via Veneto, and this idea is so ingrained that in real life, when a fire breaks out in the Ambassador Hotel And after news of the four fire-bound waiters jumped out of windows to escape, several newspapers wrote that Fellini was going to add it to the movie.
In fact, Fellini was struggling with who would play the role of Steiner. He alternated between French actor Alain Quny and Italian actor Enrico Maria Salerno. He had them both shoot long dailies, and had them both perform parts of Steiner's entire play, but in the end he couldn't make up his mind either. In the end, it was Pasolini's opinion that influenced Fellini: Pasolini likened Quuni to a Gothic cathedral, while the artist Gallardi had already built the magnificent Cathedral of Maria, a scene more suitable for The burly French actor Quny.
The so-called "fun-seeking" scene was filmed in the movie city. The rules of striptease were discussed, and there was laughter from time to time during the discussion. Nadia Gray was very discreet in her striptease in this scene, with "Band-Aids" on many key spots. The production department showed Fellini a stack of bills every day, real or fake. This pressure made Fellini physically and mentally exhausted and in a bad mood. But it was the end of August, and the filming had come to an end. Only the scene where people came out of the villa after the "Happy Fun" ended and the scene where people watched a dead shark dragged out of the water on the beach by the sea . Gallardi prepared a huge dead fish, which Fellini didn't even want to look at, because it reminded him of the unsettling summer of 1934: seeing a big shark on the seaside of Rimini , that looks terrifying. The scene was filmed on the seaside in Aurelia, more than 30 kilometers north of Rome. In early September, the entire filming of the film came to an end after a set of shots was filmed in a helicopter.
For everyone who participated in the filming of "Sweet Life", it was a unique and wonderful experience: there was something new every day, the often unexpected changes of location, the rotation of the characters, the constant changes of the scene, all this deeply Deeply engraved in the hearts of everyone. For Fellini, it was a special long holiday, a feeling that was exacerbated by the absence of Juliette (who was filming in Poland at the time).
The post-editing and dubbing work began in mid-September. There are hundreds of actors who need to be dubbed and the music to be recorded. Rota liked the musical passages used during filming, and he was so excited by the "mix and match" of various tunes, but he had to give up and re-create the music.
In the fall, a remarkable working copy was completed, which preserved the original sound and the voices of the actors during the live filming, the director's passwords, and occasionally a few vivid expletives. The three-hour, 20-minute working demo, which ran for weeks in a small theater in Cinema City, was attended by Fellini's friends and acquaintances, and everyone was thrilled. Most of the first viewers insisted that the three-hour film, which was later edited, mixed, dubbed, and scored, was far inferior to the original, There is charm.
Excerpted from Gates' "Fellini"
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