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Released by: Raro Video
Released on: 3/15/2011
Director: Federico Fellini
Cast: Riccardo Billi, Anita Eckberg, Tino Scotti, Pierre Etaix, Anne Fratellini, Victor Fratellini, Federico Fellini
Year: 1970
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The Movie:
Fellini's 1970 made for Italian television movie, I Clowns, was originally broadcast in black and white on the small screen and then shortly thereafter shown in color in theaters. It is, like so many of his pictures, an odd film and while you can't really call it plot-less, this strange mix of documentary, reenactments and standard footage is a tricky movie to classify - we can just sum it up by calling it 'Fellini' and leaving it at that but this picture was obviously quite a personal project for the director.
Fellini's obsessions with clowns and the circus in general is fairly well known and it's been said that before he went into filmmaking that he considered a career as a ringmaster, so it makes sense that he'd eventually make this picture, much of which is based off of his own personal memories. Interestingly enough, Fellini himself plays the ringmaster in this picture, which begins when a young boy meant to be the director as a child watches a circus tent being set up outside her window late one night. From there we witness an Italian film crew that has set out to document the clown troupe on their travels.
The crew heads to Paris to film some of the masters of the clowning arts plying their trade and there Fellini, who has come with the filmmaking team, runs into Alice Chaplin, daughter of Charlie Chaplin before meeting up with Anita Eckberg (who Fellini had used in previous films) at a Parisian circus. As Fellini realizes, though his trek around Paris, that the circus arts in general are on the decline, he decides to stage a grand display in which he'll show the world all of the pomp and grandeur that the circus holds for him.
First things first - if you're as perturbed by clowns as some of us are, you'll likely find this whimsical and, dare I say it, magical film a bit creepy. The performers hide behind their makeup and have this otherworldly presence to them that for some of us is quite literally the stuff of nightmares (blame Poltergeist if you like). If you can get past that, however, you'll be treated to an interesting film that, if not one of the director's best, was obviously a picture that meant a lot to him. By focusing on actual events from his own personal childhood experiences Fellini really brings us into his world and shares with us his appreciation of the theatricality and spectacle of the circus he so obviously loved quite dearly.
While the documentary aspect of the production was completely staged and not at all anything more than a series of setups and scripted interviews, it gave the director the context in which to express his own thoughts, feelings and ideas in regards to the clowns that populate the picture. The contrast between these interview segments and the performance segments are quite interesting, with the former looking rather dull and the later shot and lit with obvious artistic intent. It's almost as if he's trying to tell us that the theatrical world is what matters in life, rather than bland day to day banality.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The transfer on this disc is 1.33.1 fullframe, which makes sense given that it was composed with both theatrical and television presentation in mind. There are spots where there's a bit of head room that could maybe have been tightened up but overall the compositions look pretty damn good in what we're going to assume is an open matter transfer. As to the quality of the video itself, there is some obvious edge enhancement in spots and some of the darker scenes look a little bit murky but everything is perfectly watchable.
Italian and French Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono audio is supplied with optional subtitles available in English only. Levels are well balanced and the score courtesy of Nino Rota sounds quite clear. This won't floor you, but it certainly sounds just fine.
As far as the extras go, Raro wins some pretty serious bonus points in this department. The disc contains a sixteen minute short film from Fellini called Un Agenzia Matrimoniale that was made in 1953. The 35mm black and white short is presented in its original Italian language with optional English subtitles. This short was actually included in the anthology film L'Amore In Citta so it's not been impossible to see but it's still a rather obscure entry in the director's filmography and its inclusion here is a welcome one.
Also on the disc is an excellent Italian language documentary entitled Fellini's Circus, presented with English subtitles. This forty-two minute piece includes input from Fellini expert and film historian Adriano Apra in which Fellini's style is dissected and examined in a manner that makes some interesting comparisons to his other works. We're also educated on the director's infatuation with the circus and with circus performers and taught how the camera was used in certain ways to create a certain tone in this picture. It's quite an interesting and enlightening look at Fellini's talents and a very solid critical examination of this particular film.
Inside the slipcase that houses the DVD inside its own handsome cardboard book is a fifty-page softcover book that contains Fellini's own written reflections on this film, some interesting photos and illustrations made for use in promoting the picture by the director himself, and more. It's a very classy way to close out the supplements on an all together excellent package.
The Final Word:
A bizarre and even slightly unsettling picture, Fellini's I Clowns is pretty interesting stuff. It may not rank with his established classics but it's a beautifully shot and strangely compelling picture. Raro have rightly rolled out the red carpet for its North American DVD debut and offered up an excellent array of extra features alongside a decent presentation.
