Federico Fellini: His Life and Work

By Tullio Kezich

Book Overview

"Trenchant in its critical analysis, absorbing and sympathetic in its account of his private life, Kezich's Fellini is a revelation. It effaces virtually everything written to date about the Italian maestro . . . This engrossing biography mirrors its subject. It's affectionate, garrulous and often rambling, and in sudden flashes of brilliance it offers a penetrating view of Fellini's life and art." --Peter Cowie, The Nation

"Few writers are able to approach Fellini with the privilege of intimate experience and friendship . . . Kezich fills the pages of this biography with uncommon detail and artistry, presenting a chronicle that weaves life with film, fact with fantasy, in a style reminiscent of the great director's avant-garde style . . . For the aficionado of Fellini's works, this narrative of his life provides a sea of subtle, precious anecdotes. To those yet unacquainted with the Italian master, the book is an introduction not only to the man's life, but his art, also. It's a captivating read." --Karoun Demirjian, The Christian Science Monitor

"Kezich's forty-year friendship with the maestro allows him to offer up an intimate and lively portrait of Fellini filled with revealing anecdotes and psychological insight." --Michel Ciment, author of Kubrick and Kazan on Kazan

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0865479615
• ISBN13: 9780865479616
• Release Date: March 2007
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 1.34 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

1 of 3 Essential Fellini Biographies

There are, as far as I can tell, 3 major substantial Fellini biographies. Each one brings something different to the table. One is written by Tullio Kezich, who was a film critic and friend of Fellini. What's best about this book is how Kezich places each film in the context of its time, how it was received by the audiences. As he was a critic, we get a lot of information from that point of view. Personally, I found John Baxter's Fellini biography to be a more interesting read. Baxter is more likely to report on some unfavorable things about Fellini that Kezich, as a friend of Fellini, would not, especially regarding Fellini's marriage. Baxter also reveals many interesting details regarding scenes that were cut from Fellini's films. Further, he includes loads of details regarding the financial deals involving Fellini's films. Lastly, and I feel most importantly, there is "I, Fellini" by Charlotte Chandler. In my opinion, I think it's rather dubious of Chandler to claim an author credit for her book. She recorded conversations with Fellini over the course of 14 years and used them to edit together this book, essentially creating a Fellini autobiography. (So an "edited by" credit would be more accurate, imo, but this is a minor nitpick.) Though she does write a very detailed final chapter dealing with the last year of Fellini's life, probably 95% of this book is Fellini speaking in his words. For this, I place this book as the most essential Fellini book. You get him discussing more or less everything here, including his thoughts and ideas on the film projects that he never got to make. (Also invaluable to understanding Fellini is his own "Making A Film", "Comments On Film" "Fellini on Fellini", & Liliana Betti's "Fellini, An Intimate Portrait".)