Skip to content
1981
Federico Fellini (1920–2020)
  • ISSN: 2047-7368
  • E-ISSN: 2047-7376

Abstract

This article explores the public image of Federico Fellini in post-war Germany. While Italy was a recurring topic in German cinema, Italian movies were almost absent. This situation changed with the introduction of Fellini’s films in West Germany. Fellini was an important mediator between German and Italian culture as he and Giulietta Masina were promoted as an ingenious couple. The article considers the special situation of West German film culture in the 1950s, which was distinguished by a high degree of commercialisation. Film theoretical concepts such as theory were hardly discussed. The analysis in this article is based on the examination of contemporary film reviews and marketing material. I will place Fellini’s films in the context of the reception of Italian cinema in Germany. This also includes a comparison with other countries on which studies have already been presented. Fellini’s rise to an auteur in Germany coincides with a fundamental change in film culture. I will focus in the last part on this previously unexamined correlation.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1386/jicms_00053_1
2021-01-01
2026-04-19

Metrics

Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Andrews, David. ( 2013), Theorizing Art Cinemas: Foreign, Cult, Avant-Garde, and Beyond, Austin:: University of Texas Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  2. Anon. ( 1956;), ‘ Das Lied der Straße. ’, Deutsche Illustrierte, 42:11, p. 3.
    [Google Scholar]
  3. Anon. ( 1957a;), ‘ La Strada-Team zeigt neuen Film. ’, Der Abend, n.pag.
    [Google Scholar]
  4. Anon. ( 1957b;), ‘ Die Nächte der Cabiria. ’, Film Revue, 11:11, p. 43.
    [Google Scholar]
  5. Anon. ( 1961;), ‘ Persönliches. ’, Literatur Revue, 5:2, p. 32.
    [Google Scholar]
  6. Berghahn, Wilfried. ( 1962;), ‘ Amore. ’, Filmkritik, 2:6, pp. 9092.
    [Google Scholar]
  7. Bondanella, Peter. ( 1992), The Cinema of Federico Fellini, Oxford:: Princeton University Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  8. Cavell, Stanley. ( 2005;), ‘ What good is a film museum? What is a film culture?. ’, in W. Rothman. (ed.), Cavell on Film, Albany, NY:: SUNY;, pp. 10714.
    [Google Scholar]
  9. Chatrian, Carlo. ( 2016;), ‘ Preface. ’, in C. Dillmann, and O. Möller. (eds), Beloved and Rejected, Cinema in the Young Federal Republic of Germany from 1949 to 1963, Frankfurt:: Deutsches Filminstitut;, pp. 1213.
    [Google Scholar]
  10. Delouche, Dominique. ( 2013;), ‘ La signora Fellini. ’, in Z. Valdés,, D. Delouche, and J. Méjean. (eds), Giulietta Masina, La muse de Fellini, Paris:: La Tour Verte;, pp. 3376.
    [Google Scholar]
  11. Dyer, Richard. ( 1987), Heavenly Bodies, Film Stars and Society, London:: Macmillan;.
    [Google Scholar]
  12. Dyer, Richard. ( 1998), Stars, , new ed.., London:: British Film Institute;.
    [Google Scholar]
  13. Ellis, John. ( 1982), Visible Fictions, London:: Routledge and Kegan Paul;.
    [Google Scholar]
  14. Fellini, Federico. ( 1953), I vitelloni, Italy:: Peg-Film;.
    [Google Scholar]
  15. Fellini, Federico. ( 1954), La strada, Italy:: Ponti-De Laurentiis Cinematografica;.
    [Google Scholar]
  16. Fellini, Federico. ( 1955), Il bidone (The Swindle), Italy:: Titanus;.
    [Google Scholar]
  17. Fellini, Federico. ( 1957), Le notti di Cabiria (Nights of Cabiria), Italy:: Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica;.
    [Google Scholar]
  18. Fellini, Federico. ( 1959), La dolce vita, Italy:: Pathé and Riama;.
    [Google Scholar]
  19. Greer, Germaine. ( 1993;), ‘ Fellinissimo. ’, in P. Bondanella, and C. Degli-Esposito. (eds), Perspectives on Federico Fellini, New York:: Hall;, pp. 22539.
    [Google Scholar]
  20. Gregor, Ulrich. ( 1966), Wie sie filmen, Gütersloh:: Mohn;.
    [Google Scholar]
  21. Krüger, Karl-Heinz. ( 1957;), ‘ Italiens Filmdichter Fellini schuf ein neues Meisterwerk. ’, Der Abend, n.d. , n.pag.
    [Google Scholar]
  22. Krüger, Karl-Heinz. ( 1962;), ‘ Filmpublizistik in Deutschland. ’, Filmkritik, 4:5, pp. 20507.
    [Google Scholar]
  23. Landy, Marcia. ( 2008), Stardom Italian Style: Screen Performance and Personality, Bloomington:, IN:: Combined Academic Publishers;.
    [Google Scholar]
  24. Luft, Edmund. ( 1956;), ‘ Besprechung Vitelloni. ’, Filmblätter, 15, p. 402.
    [Google Scholar]
  25. Méjean, Jean-Max. ( 1997), Fellini, un rêve, une vie, Paris:: Editions du Cerf;.
    [Google Scholar]
  26. Mereghetti, Paolo. ( 2003;), ‘ L’immagine femminile. ’, in L. De Giusti. (ed.), Storia del cinema italiano, Venice:: Marsilio;, pp. 36982.
    [Google Scholar]
  27. Morin, Edgar. ( 1961), The Stars: An Account of the Star-System in Motion Pictures, New York:: Grove Press;.
    [Google Scholar]
  28. Sanna, Simonetta. ( 1998;), ‘ Das Italienbild in der DDR (1949–1961). ’, in H. Schmidt-Bergmann. (ed.), Zwischen Kontinuität und Rekonstruktion: Kulturtransfer zwischen Deutschland und Italien nach 1945, Tübingen:: Niemeyer;, pp. 13565.
    [Google Scholar]
  29. Schmidt-Bergmann, Hansgeorg. ( 1999;), ‘ “– eine selbstverständliche littérature engage”: Die italienische Nachkriegsliteratur in Deutschland zwischen Nullpunkt’ und Restauration. ’, in A. Comi, and A. Pontzen. (eds), Italien in Deutschland Deutschland in Italien, Die deutsch-italienischen Wechselbeziehungen in der Belletristik des 20: Jahrhunderts, Berlin:: Erich Schmidt;, pp. 2335.
    [Google Scholar]
  30. Surliuga, Victoria. ( 2016;), ‘ Co-making Federico Fellini: Giulietta Masina’s achievement. ’, in P. Bernardini,, J. Granata,, T. Lobalsamo, and A. Zambenedetti. (eds), Federico Fellini, Riprese, riletture, (re)visione, Florence:: Franco Cesati Editore;, pp. 13144.
    [Google Scholar]
  31. Talmon-Gros, Walter (1958)., ‘ Spitzenerfolge der Spielzeit. ’, Film-Echo, 12:1&2, pp. 34.
    [Google Scholar]
  32. Vicas, Victor. ( 1959), Jons und Erdme (The Wife of the Other), Federal Republic of Germany:: Kurt Ulrich Film GmbH and Nembo Film;.
    [Google Scholar]
  33. Wahl, Chris. ( 2011;), ‘ “Man spricht Italienish,” Italien im bundesdeutschen Film der 1950er Jahre. ’, in F. Bono, and J. Roschlau. (eds), Tenöre, Touristen, Gastarbeiter, Munich:: Edition Text and Kritik;, pp. 13343.
    [Google Scholar]
  34. Wiesner, Norbert. ( 1959;), ‘ Besprechung Jons und Erdme. ’, Film-Echo, 72:13, p. 1182.
    [Google Scholar]
  35. Ahrens, Stephan. ( 2021;), ‘ The sanctifying effect of Federico Fellini. ’, Journal of Italian Cinema & Media Studies, 9:1, pp. 101115, doi: https://doi.org/10.1386/jicms_00053_1
    [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1386/jicms_00053_1
Loading
/content/journals/10.1386/jicms_00053_1
Loading

Data & Media loading...

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a success
Invalid data
An error occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error
Please enter a valid_number test