Intervista *** (1987, Marcello Mastroianni, Anita Ekberg, Federico Fellini) – Classic Movie Review 5486

Director Federico Fellini’s 1987 fantasy comedy drama film is a delightful and imaginative tribute to the Rome film studio Cinecittá on its 50th anniversary and mostly a generous toast to himself. It unanimously won the 40th Anniversary Prize for Fellini at the Cannes Film Festival in 1987.

Working on his new film, Fellini is interviewed by a Japanese TV crew about his movies at Cinecittá. He talks about his initial encounter with the studio as a reporter, and then tells us about his life, his actress wife (Giulietta Masina) and of course his classic movies.

He takes the Japanese crew and his frequent star Marcello Mastroianni (dressed as Mandrake the Magician) to meet Anita Ekberg, and they watch a clip from his film La Dolce Vita (1960), in which they both starred.

Fellini is on good-humoured, candid form in this often revealing and moving, always entertaining fantasy documentary.

There was to be only one more Fellini film, The Voice of the Moon, in 1990. Now they are all gone: Fellini (1920–1993), Ekberg (1931–2015), and Mastroianni (1924–1996).

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5486

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