Figure 1.-- This is Federico Fellini and his younger brother Rccado about 1933 when the boys were about 12-14 years old. They are dreassed in the their Balilla uniforms. This was the Fascist youth movement. Italian children were required to join. Federico seems to have passed into the older division. Despite having 10 years more than Hitler to indoctrinate young people, the Balilla unlike the Hitler Youth appears to have had little impact. And unlike many aspects of his youth. The Balilla never appeared in his films. We have never even this explained in detail. We suspect that it has more to deal with boys and their familoes than the nature of the youth organization. "

Federico Fellini is perhaps Italy's best known film director and scriptwriter. He came from a humble family. his middle-class mother marrying a father of peasant oigins.He was born in Rimii (1920). He had two siblings, Riccardo (1921–91) and and Maria Maddalena (1929–2002). Riccardo also became ca filmmaker. He began school in a Catholic primary school run by nuns and later attended a state public school. He was a excellent student and amused himself with drawing. He enjoyed American cartoons. He also enjoyed films and the circus. His parents incouraged his education and he was inrolled in a gyymnasiym (academic secondary school) (1929). Federico and Riccardo participated in the compulsory Bailla,Fascist youth group. It does not seem to have had an important impact on him. There were no scenes in his film about the experiences. And he failed his military ulture exam at school. He graduated (1938)after which he mived to Rome where he worked with drawing caraicatures in bars and entry level jons in newsppers and writing material for humor magazines. He then got involved with filkm making and was almost captured by the British in Libya where he was making his first film. Radio and film jobs got him draft deferments An Allied air raid over Bologna destroyed his medical records helping him avoid the draft. Fellini and and e Giulietta Masina, his future wife, hid in her aunt’s apartment until Mussolini's (July 1943). The Allies liberated Rome (June 1944). He helped make ends meet by drawing caricatures of GIs in the diffult cinditions of war toirn Europe. Childhood and adolesent expeiences are an important part of his films. He is Known for a trademark style of blending fantasy and humor along with florid images with an Italian earthiness. He is seen as one of the most importnt filmmakers of the 20th century. Fellini's films like Fellimi himsels is apolitical. And the people who populate his films are ordinarty people with all the strengths and foibles of real people.

Created: 6:38 AM 8/29/2014
Last updated: Created: 6:38 AM 8/29/2014