The film director Frederico Fellini is often thought of as heady, art-film neorealist auteur, dealing in heavy themes. So imagine my surprise when, a Sunday morning a few years ago, my six-year-old daughter noticed my DVD copy of Fellniâs film La Strada, asked me about the people on the cover, then sat down and watched it with meâand loved it.
The truth is that for all his seriousness, Fellini was frequently funny and childlike in his directing style. Now, to celebrate the centennial of the directorâs birth, the Castro Theater hosts Fellini 100, an all-day celebration with four Fellini films: La Strada, Juliet of the Spirits, Amarcord, and I Vitelloni. I may be biased, but if youâre a newcomer to Felliniâs work, start with La Stradaâa charming, slightly dark movie about a brutish traveling strongman and his partner, with brilliant star roles for Anthony Quinn and Guilietta Masina. Fellini 100 gets underway on Saturday, March 7, at the Castro Theater in San Francisco. Details here.âGabe Meline
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