Intervista

Good evening.

You here already? Go home to bed.

Aha! The chief!

Health and yearning for the Cavalier

Here she is!

It's arriving.

Bring the arc closer.

More. There you go.

Federico! They're here.

Good evening.

Excuse us, please, Signor Fellini.

We know our appointment for the interview is tomorrow morning,

but a little birdie told us that you'd be here tonight.

- That little birdie was you? - No, Federico. I knew he'd say that!

He's right.

Come on! Easy, boy!

Give it here.

- He won't come up. - Sir, aren't you coming up?

No, I trust you guys. I can imagine it from here.

When you see the sound stage roofs, stop and let me know.

What did I tell you?

The megaphone. They can't hear us from up there.

Romano, come forward. Light the mini-arcs.

Now turn them on me.

Romano, go up as we go.

Aim the jumbo at the pines.

Fiammetta, Daniela, get out of the way.

Roberto, go to your booth.

We need to get it higher than those pines.

Can you see Stage 5? Can you see the roof of Stage 5?

Maurizio, answer me!

We mounted lights on that other crane

to create the general effect of moonlight.

We have to go higher to see the stages!

May we ask what you're filming now?

I was thinking this film could open with a dream.

The classic dream where you're flying.

You must have dreams like that in Japan as well.

Yes, of course!

Tonino, zoom slowly forward,

as if the camera was gliding over the soundstages.

There's Stage 5!

It's beautiful from up here!

We can even see the Roman aqueduct!

And the Tuscolana!

But everything's shaking!

We need more smoke up there.

The megaphone stopped working.

The batteries.

Menicuccio! Menicuccio!

This dream led me into a dark place.

Disturbing, but somehow familiar.

I moved slowly

in that deep gloom.

My hands touched a wall

that seemed endless.

In other films, in dreams like this,

I would've flown away. But this time, who knows,

being older, heavier,

I had trouble getting off the ground.

I finally managed to do so,

and I was hovering high in the sky.

But the landscape I glimpsed below through gaps in the clouds...

What was it?

The university?

The municipal hospital?

It looked like a prison, a fallout shelter.

At last I recognized it:

Cine cilia'.

Maybe I had this dream because I knew I'd be meeting you tomorrow morning.

By the way, if traffic or something delays me,

start anyway.

Interview Maurizio Mein, my assistant. He knows much more than I do.

An assistant director's essential tools:

Whistle...

and megaphone.

Nowadays, it's a lost art.

Assistants all become directors.

Remaining an assistant is really heroic,

something almost against nature.

Like a man who decides to stay an adolescent forever,

refusing to grow up and become an adult.

These are the psychological problems of a high-risk profession.

And when it's Fellini you're working for -

Maurizio, Federico's coming!

Excuse me for a second.

Hi, Piero. Everything's fine.

The Japanese would like to ask you a few questions.

- Morning, sir! - Chiodo, come on.

- Clear out! - He called me! He wants me!

- Had any more dreams? - When? How are you, everything okay?

- Where'd she go? Ah, here she is! - Now the first question is:

What does Cinecitta mean to you?

Is it just a movie studio, or is it more?

And if it's more, how is it more?

- How is it more? What a start! Frankly... - Sir, I'm right here.

I see you! Stay right there.

See how he treats me?

- Shall I pick out some of them for a test? - Just a minute.

I found the ideal ones this time: Giancorso, Alfredo, Antoine.

And a surprise. I bet you can't...

- He's a girl. - How did you...

- What's your name? - Sophie.

French?

Three, four. One, two, jump! Three, spin around! Five, six...

Did you make that? For your film?

- No, no. It must be a commercial. - Lovely.

Try Imperial! Click, click, click! It does the trick!

Jump higher! Jump!

You're not in time!

Where do I put the gas, boss?

One, two, three. Fire!

Akaryu!

It's a comfort for me to know Cinecitta exists.

It's a fortress, or perhaps an alibi.

Yes, perhaps an alibi.

Nadia!

She can talk to you about Cinecitta more knowledgeably than I can.

- Morning. - Nadia, these people are from Japanese TV.

Good morning.

- They want an interview. - With me?

You could introduce her as a vestal virgin of the city of cinema.

You see, she's in charge of the film archive

where Cinecitta preserves its memories from its founding until today.

No big deal!

Will you talk with them?

I've got work to do. I have to have my cappuccino.

I'm late already.

Having a cappuccino is part of your job?

When do we start, sir?

Soon! We'll start soon!

Let's follow her. Let's go to the bar and do some work.

Maurizio, I couldn't care less about the role.

- Nobody's looking at me. - I need to be near him.

- Chiodo must always be at his side. - How do I look?

You can't just leave him on his own.

A nice double bed on a dark stage.

- What could be better for a director? - He needs protection, comforting, care.

If this guy gets sick, we all go hungry!

...where everything is done from scratch.

You must provide a start, light and life for everything.

- You feel like God. - Speak for yourself!

Nadia, where are you going?

Nadia! Where are you going?

I really have to be going. The boss is looking for me.

Nuns! To the set!

Nuns! To the set!

Nuns! Let's move it!

Now turn and yell, "Nadia, when am I invited to dinner?"

Excuse us, miss. Are you going to the archives now?

No, I'm picking some chicory.

Do you have chicory in Japan?

We know that Fellini has shot all of his films at Cinecitta.

Are any of his sets still standing?

No, he gets to take them home once filming's done.

Where's the famous pool used in Ben-Hur?

I think it used to be over there,

where they shot Ben-Hur, Qua Vadis, the naval battle in Cleopatra.

You see all those apartment buildings surrounding us?

They build them overnight.

Pretty soon, they'll overrun this whole place.

This is chicory!

What do you do with it?

If you sauté it with garlic and red pepper, it's to die for!

My grandma used to say that chicory tea...

He says it's bitter.

That's what makes it good. It's a nice kind of bitter.

It's just like the Romans. They act tough, but they're sweethearts.

How about going into business exporting chicory to Japan?

I have to go now, sorry.

Thanks a lot.

Have a good day at work.

Signor Fellini, when was the first time you came to Cinecitta?

Well, it was many years ago, in 1940. During the war.

I was a reporter then. I was there to interview a famous actress.

We had to catch a blue tram near the station

in front of an old daytime hotel, the Casa del Passeggero.

Are you getting the sign?

Get a full shot from over here.

- Want the first floor windows too? - Why not.

Come in, Gino. This is Maurizio. The place is disappointing.

The Casa del Passeggero isn't accessible. It's changed owners.

I don't know. Arabs, I think.

Should I come back? Hello, Gino? Over.

Yes, Fellini's here with me at the depot. Over.

Come back then.

Box lunches, my ass! Get over here! Fast!

Have you heard from Peter?

Here he is.

Behind the communist paper you'll find good old Peter.

This is the legendary Notarianni,

old friend and executive producer.

He must've made 300 films. He started out with the Lumiere brothers.

Even earlier.

Just now the Japanese asked me how I get along with producers.

I told them it's a total, reciprocal distrust.

- That's a perfect reply. - These won't hold up. Everything's rotted.

Notarianni!

- Hi, Tonino! - The lights have to go on the mounts.

We'll need a lot.