Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini is one of the most celebrated and influential figures in the history of cinema. Steeped in the Italian neo-realist movement of the 1940s and 1950s, Fellini went on to help rewrite the visual style and cinematic grammar of cinema with such universally beloved pictures as 8 1/2, La Dolce Vita, Amarcord, and many more that he wrote but did not direct.
Although Fellini passed away in 1993, his work continues to be felt by audiences and filmmakers around the globe. His legacy is forever cemented in the annals of all-time great moviemakers that helped shape the way movies are made and received.
10 Amarcord (1973) 87%
The term Felliniesque has never been more apparent than in the Italian maestro’s 1973 wacky comedy Amarcord, set in 1930s Italy. Through a series of short episodes told over a one-year period, the film follows a zany family as they try to make heads or tails of life in the wake of Mussolini’s rise to power.
Amarcord was named Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards, while Fellini was nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.
9 La Dolce Vita (1960) 96%
Translated as The Sweet Life, La Dolce Vita is often praised as one of Fellini’s most influential and important films. Through a skein of vignettes, the movie chronicles one week in the life of Marcello (Marcello Mastroianni), a galivanting paparazzo in Rome.
While engaged to marry Emma (Yvonne Furneaux), Marcello beds international screen stars Maddalena (Anouk Aimee) and Sylvia (Anita Ekberg) in a desperate attempt to fill the void in his soul and rid his sense of existential angst.
8 Nights Of Cabiria (1957) 97%
Nights of Cabiria is a stunning character examination of Maria (Giulietta Masina), an aimless sex worker who wanders the streets of Rome looking for love in all the wrong places.
Despite the shattering heartbreak that she suffers as men use her for her body, Maria moves through life with a supreme air of optimism that she will find her one true love. The film won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, as well as The Palme d’Or at the 1957 Cannes Film Festival.
7 La Strada (The Road) (1954) 98%
Known as The Road in English, this film traces the ungainly exploits of Gelsomina (Giulietta Masina), a free-spirited young woman who is sold by her mother to a traveling circus roadshow against her wishes.
The drama of the story centers on the hardship and abuse Gelsomina faces when becoming part of strong man Zampano’s (Anthony Quinn) chain-breaking sideshow. Once again, The Road won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in its year.
6 8 1/2 (1963) 98%
Often cited as Fellini’s greatest cinematic contribution, 8 1/2 is a dazzling visual representation of the warped mindset of a famous film director following his latest cinematic success.
Attempting to find peace of mind during a quiet respite, Guido (Marcello Mastroianni) is hassled over and over again by the various people in his personal and professional life. Simply beyond reproach, the film won a Best Foreign Language Oscar to go with another Academy Award for Best Costume, Black and White.
5 Il Bidone (1955) 100%
As the middle-leg of Fellini’s Trilogy of Loneliness (which also includes La Strada and Nights of Cabiria), Il Bidone tracks a threesome of con artists who lead a life of crime while providing for their loved ones.
The plot picks up when Augusto (Broderick Crawford) runs into his estranged daughter and realizes he must fund her now-adult lifestyle. Augusto betrays his two conmen pals, resulting in a vengeful beatdown that makes Augusto question his entire existence.
4 Variety Lights (1950) 100%
Co-directed by Albert Lattuada, Fellini’s directorial debut, Variety Lights, draws a passionate love triangle between vaudeville performer Checco (Peppino De Filippo), his neglected lover Melina (Giulietta Masina), and new upstart singer Liliana (Carla Del Poggio).
After Liliana joins the traveling performance group, Checco writes a new production that both will star in as a way to get closer to the young starlet. Checco’s action draws the envious ire of his longtime mistress, sending all involved into a romantic tailspin.
3 The White Sheik (1952) 100%
Co-written by Michelangelo Antonioni, The White Sheik marks Fellini’s second feature film as a director. The story centers on a newlywed couple whose fidelity is tested by the sensuous city of their honeymoon destination.
When Ivan (Leopolda Trieste) and Wanda (Brunella Bovo) touch down in Rome for their honeymoon, the bride ditches her groom to seek out Fernando (Alberto Rivoli), aka The White Sheik, a man she idolizes from an illustrated book. In her absence, Ivan searches the bustling city for his new wife as an important family appointment approaches.
2 The Clowns (1970) 100%
Fellini’s longheld fascination with clowns is the subject of his eponymous 1970 documentary. Drawing on past memories of circus clowns he witnessed as a child, the made-for-television doc sees Fellini travel to Paris in search of the next great clown performers.
On his travels, Fellini reunites with his La Dolce Vita star Anita Ekberg and continues on his quest for the new crop of European clowns. The film was named winner of the Top Foreign Films of 1972 by The National Board of Review in the U.S.
1 I Vitelloni (The Young And The Passionate) (1953) 100%
According to Rotten Tomatoes, The Young and the Passionate ranks as Fellini’s finest feature film. Better known as I Vitelloni, the movie revolves around a quintet of young men at a formative crossroads in their small-town Italian existence.
Specifically, the slice-of-life character examination tracks the philandering Fausto (Franco Fabrizi), the fame-starved Riccardo, the quixotic Aberto, the metropolitan hopeful Moraldo, and the wannabe playwright, Leopoldo. All five men long for a better life as they float their way through their dreary quotidian routine. For the film, Fellini earned an Oscar nod for Best Original Screenplay.
