L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2018 www.italoamericano.org 6 73, far from old, and with some more projects on the line. He h a d r e c e i v e d , w e s a i d i t , a n Oscar to his career, in "recogni- tion of his place as one of the screen's master storytellers." It was his fifth, after winning the Best Foreign Language award in 1956 for La Strada, 1957 for Nights of Cabiria, 1963 for 8 1 / 2 a n d 1 9 7 4 f o r A m a r c o r d . I n d e e d , e v e r y t h i n g w a s f i n e until the beginning of the Sum- m e r , t h a t y e a r , w h e n h e h a d surgery to reduce an abdominal aneurysm and suffered a stroke two months later, while recover- ing in his hometown of Rimini. Even his beloved Giulietta had fallen ill and was in Rome: they were separated and that, certain- ly didn't make things better. October was the month Fate had chosen for Federico to leave this world: a while before, he had m a n a g e d t o r e t u r n t o R o m e where, on the 17th of the month, he suffered another, this time fatal, stroke. He died on 31st of O c t o b e r , a t t h e P o l i c l i n i c o Umberto I. Those of his last days at the hospital and of his death, were t r u l y s u r r e a l m o m e n t s : h i s friends Ettore Scola and Franco Zeffirelli, Maurizio Mein and R o b e r t o M a n n o n i , w a t c h i n g over him and liaising with the press to let the family - Giuliet- ta, especially - time to cope with the events; the urban legend about the Policlinico's base- ment's secret passages, which would allow Masina and others q u i e t a c c e s s t o t h e h o s p i t a l , a v o i d i n g t h e m e d i a f r e n z y awaiting at its entrance; the con- stant presence of Cardinal Sil- v e s t r i n i , w h o c e r t a i n l y h a d prayed to save his friend's life, but was to celebrate his funeral homily instead. It was all strange and reality was almost suspended, because p e o p l e l i k e F e d e r i c o F e l l i n i could not die. Because who cre- ated cinema in that way must have found a manner to cheat death. P o e t s a r e i m m o r t a l i n t h e soul and in the body: isn't it like that? Those were the thoughts of a nation, no, of the world in those days and when the news o f h i s d e a t h f i n a l l y c a m e , expected but not less painful, we were all shaken. The funeral and all the tributes came, spe- cials on tv, magazine covers and cinema retrospectives: it all hap- pened and it was overwhelming, j u s t l i k e t h o s e c i r c u s e s o f humanity and colors and feel- ings Fellini himself loved to portray in his works. For a few w e e k s , w e a l l m o u r n e d a n d remembered. T h e n l i f e c o n t i n u e d , a s i t always does. We cried Masina's passing the following Spring, letting our lips whisper those words "she just couldn't live without him," beautiful and pos- s ib ly tr u e, b u t th at w er e to o cliché and too little to describe the sorrow of a wife. Life con- tinued for years and years, Felli- n i ' s w o r k u n f o r g o t t e n a n d unforgettable, his name always there, high in the Parnassus of the world's most emblematic artists. And this year, more than any other year, we remember with pathos and affection the day of his departure. In the end, this is the way Mankind works, when it comes to the big moments of existence: it celebrates their a n n i v e r s a r i e s , n e v e r m i n d i f they are joyous or not, because it's a way not to forget and also a way to exorcize fear. Fear of the future and of loss, fear that something or someone is not coming back. But when it comes to art and its great names, we shouldn't feel abandoned, nor lost. As one of our greatest poets, Ugo Fos- colo, taught us, artists live in their art and Man lives in the words and love of those remem- bering. This is why, 25 years on, Federico Fellini is more alive t h a n e v e r . C e r t a i n l y i n t h e minds and work of the many directors and actors he inspired. Not, I believe, in those who tried to imitate him, without ever managing to reach his level of poetical and aesthetic affla- tus. Always and especially in his own work, which is modern and classical at once, imbued as it is in the images, scents and movements of a world made of d r e a m s , a w o r l d w h e r e t i m e stopped and no longer exists, just like in the works of another master - of the stage rather than the camera - Samuel Beckett. T h i s i s w h y , 2 5 y e a r s o n , Fellini's work is so contempo- rary. In the end, he had told us h i m s e l f , o n c e , w h e n h e s a i d how, in his movies, he quite simply filmed his own dreams. And dreams, like real art and real beauty, never grow old. Dreams, like real art, real beau- ty and real artists like Federico, never die. Giulietta Masina, Fellini's wife and artistic muse, was his companion for 50 years. Photo: MARKA / Alamy Stock Photo Fellini told the dreams and existence of Italy, becoming a symbol of Italian art in the world. Photo: Album / Alamy Stock Photo NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS Continued from page 4

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