Federico Fellini - Rare Interview - 1965 (Subtitles)

Federico Fellini: Film as Vocation, Responsibility, and Mystery

Federico Fellini speaks candidly about how he became a filmmaker, why he feels uneasy judging his own work, and what he believes cinema does to people.

How Fellini Drifted Into Directing

Fellini opens by admitting he didn’t set out with a clear plan to be a director. He drifted into film through journalism and screenwriting.

He describes the director’s role as having an imperious—even tyrannical—quality, something he says shouldn’t fit him, especially because he’s naturally shy. Yet he eventually embraces directing as a mysterious vocation, something he performs with real enjoyment rather than dominance.

Why He Resists Explaining His Own Films

A major theme is Fellini’s reluctance to explain films “from the outside.”

He argues that once a film is finished, he can’t clearly remember what he originally intended—making objective criticism difficult. He’s also skeptical about the “author” talking too much about their meaning. In his view:

• It is the work that should speak.
• Explaining can turn the process into an overly intellectual performance.

Even when he addresses which film he prefers, he frames it as personal memory and sentiment, not as an objective ranking.

Influences: Chaplin, Rossellini, and Beyond

Early emotional formation: Chaplin

As a boy, he was captivated by Chaplin, which felt mythic and emotionally formative—like childhood itself.

Professional shaping: Rossellini

Professionally, he credits Rossellini as essential, not as a strict “master author,” but for showing that cinema could be made with ease and vitality—with an organic rhythm like life itself, not rigid formulas.

Watching habits

He also mentions that he watches movies rarely, and when he does, he doesn’t analyze as a spectator would.

Respected filmmakers: Kurosawa and an American portrait

When discussing filmmakers he respects, he mentions Akira Kurosawa, praising the vivid precision of Chico (subtitled content is garbled as “Si pensa, slow ris?”).

He particularly highlights its portrayal of America as stark and impressive—something that he felt matched his own conflicting impressions from multiple visits to the U.S.

Cinema’s Power—and Its Ethical Weight

The conversation broadens into Fellini’s belief that cinema is powerful in a near-hypnotic way. It can:

• persuade audiences,
• and even condition them emotionally and imaginatively.

Because cinema can shape millions, he emphasizes that the power carries unavoidable responsibility.

How Fellini Works: Scripts, Casting Chaos, and Characters Born at the Last Moment

Fellini closes by describing how films “start being born.”

Writers first, then controlled “literary” work

He collaborates closely with writers, but keeps the “literary phase” tightly controlled. Once the script becomes messy and incomplete, he begins preparing seriously—then starts to see the film develop in person.

Casting as theatrical improvisation

His casting process can be theatrical and somewhat chaotic. He even advertises to bring people to meet him as he begins a new film. Those encounters help him invent characters on the spot—sometimes based on nothing more than a face or person he sees.

He then insists on integrating these last-minute roles into the film at the moment they emerge. Even if this seems bizarre by production standards, he argues it contributes to the cadence and liveliness he needs.

Notable Highlights / Jokes / Key Reactions

• Fellini repeatedly jokes—without fully joking—about how he “shouldn’t fit” the director’s tyrannical authority, but he does it joyfully anyway.
• He’s comically candid that he can’t evaluate films objectively because he no longer remembers what he intended.
• A memorable behind-the-scenes moment is his publicity-style recruitment: he “advertises” (e.g., “Filippo Fellini… it’s about to begin”) to attract crowds and madness, then uses those interactions to generate characters.

Main Plot of the Interview (In Order)

1. How Fellini drifted into directing and why it ended up fitting him.
2. Why he resists interpreting/criticizing his own films and doubts author explanations.
3. Who influenced him: Chaplin and Rossellini, then Kurosawa and a praised American portrait.
4. His core philosophy: cinema is hypnotic and ethically heavy.
5. His process: tight writer collaboration, then a lively phase where the film becomes real through meetings, faces, and last-minute character invention.

People / References Mentioned

• Federico Fellini (speaker)
• Roberto Rossellini (Rossellini)
• Charlie Chaplin (Chaplin)
• Akira Kurosawa
• “Father Christmas” / “Mother” (as childhood influences in an analogy)
• Interview outlet references: The New York Times / New York and other magazines (implied via the subtitled context)