L'ultima sequenza (2003)
22 Apr 2003 • Documentary • 0h 50m
This is a featurette found on the DVD of 8½, and on the disc I got, the only one. L'ultima sequenza, "the final scene", or, more dramatically, as it's internationally known, "the lost ending", deals with, well, it's... right there, in it's American title. It consists of what may be thousands of stills, interviews, and... oh, wait, that's actually all. The first ten minutes, we don't see a single moving picture. Instead, it's Fellini's voice(get used to it for this, he apparently only did radio), and photographs. He switches back and forth between speaking English and Italian, which may bother some. In any event, it is straining, and to open with that is what I would label a mistake. Please, some clips to break it up, someone else(apart from the person asking the questions) talking, *something*. Fortunately, there is interesting stuff in what he says, as he talks about how cinema is overly manipulative, and that we've been conditioned out of meditating to a movie. "Understand it?", he asks. "You're not supposed to; you're meant to *feel* it." As this progresses, and we see live images(thank goodness) as actors and crew add their thoughts, we also learn of the train bit, which was another way Frederico considered closing the film. Unfortunately, the majority of what we hear is "I don't really know anything", so for 50 minutes, we... don't find out much, apart from what the director tells us. That is a lot of time for not that amount of info, even if it is worth listening to. I recommend this solely to the biggest fans. 5/10
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Italian, English
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Italy
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