Discussion Questions for Women in Film Gathering, September 6, 2011
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1 Discussion Questions for Women in Film Gathering, September 6, 2011: Focal Film: Juliet of the Spirits (Giulietta degli spiriti, 1965; Dir. Federico Fellini) This film offers a huge range of female roles. What is unique is that these female characterizations, like most of the content of the film, are presented as fantastical, dream‐like or literally in dreams—as much a product of Juliet’s mind as they are reality. This is, after all, Juliet “of the spirits.” Consider some of the many interesting female roles in the film: * Juliet, a housewife and the focus of the film (played by Giulietta Masina) * Suzy, the playgirl neighbor (played by Sandra Milo) * Iris, a spirit (also played by Sandra Milo) * Fanny, a circus ballerina and childhood memory of Juliet’s (also played by Sandra Milo) * Juliet as a child * Juliet’s mother and two sisters (all with a strong physical contrast to Juliet) * Juliet’s two nieces * Valentina, a medium * Laura, Juliet’s childhood friend who committed suicide * Juliet’s two maids * The American female doctor * The nuns from Juliet’s childhood 1. With which roles are you most able to Identify? Why? 2. How does Juliet use these roles as possible models, that is, choices as she considers her uncertain future? 3. Juliet is played by Giulietta Masina, Federico Fellini’s wife for 50 years. Two earlier trademark roles for Masina were Gelsomina, the tragic waif in La Strada (1954), and Cabiria, the optimistic prostitute in The Nights of Cabiria (1956), both Fellini films. In fact, Fellini said it was difficult to ignore these earlier efforts when making Juliet of the Spirits. How does Juliet compare with Gelsomina and Cabiria? 4. Fellini said that Juliet was his effort to address questions of freedom and self‐realization for a woman. Keeping in mind the era in which the film was made, how has this film answered such questions? 5. Scholar Peter Bondanella has written that “Fellini’s assumption that women were superior creatures and that men could at best be considered comic figures was a perspective that emerged with his maturity.” He further notes that Fellini defined his male characters as dependent on women, especially mother figures. How well does this apply to Juliet of the Spirits, do you think? 6. Bondanella also contends that Juliet of the Spirits is Fellini’s first “feminist film,” arguing women’s need to achieve a psychological independence apart from their male partners. Again, 2 how well does this apply to Juliet of the Spirits? Can you think of examples of Juliet’s behavior that support or contradict this? 7. Juliet of the Spirits was Fellini’s first experience shooting a feature film in color. How does he (with cinematographer Gianni di Venanzo) use a full range of colors, particularly to emphasize aspects of Juliet’s imagination? Do these colors present a special female aesthetic vision for Juliet or for other female characters? 8. Much of the action in Juliet of the Spirits takes place in the mind of Juliet. Is this her internal, private fantasy, or is it a hybrid world that she actually perceives as real? 9. Giulietta Masina was devoted to her husband, Federico Fellini. However, she was repeatedly disappointed or frustrated by the roles he asked her to play. In the case of Juliet of the Spirits, she did not appreciate the esoteric, phantasmagoric and sexual situations that Fellini invented for her. Still, critics have noted that Masina brought a personal humanity to the role. What do you think is Masina’s particular contribution to the role? 10. Fellini began his work in film apprenticed to Italian Neorealists such as Robert Rossellini. As his directorial career proceeded, he infused greater amounts of fantasy and surrealism into his films. Notably, both 8‐1/2 (1963) and Juliet of the Spirits (1965) followed Fellini’s experimentation with LSD, and his study of dream interpretation and Jungian psychoanalysis. What do you find in Juliet of the Spirits that reflects this move from realism to surrealism? 11. Some critics have said that Juliet of the Spirits is essentially a female counterpart to 8‐1/2 (in fact, one book calls Juliet “9‐1/2” and another “Il Maestro in Drag”). If you have seen 8‐1/2, think about how true this might be. And if Marcello Mastroianni is Fellini’s alter ego in 8‐1/2, what comparable function does Giulietta Masina play in Juliet of the Spirits? 12. The fashions in Juliet of the Spirits (by Piero Gherardi, with substantial input by Fellini) are almost another star of the film. Fashions range from haute couture to the eccentric, but all are precisely defined in line and color. How do these fashions contribute to the overall message of the film? 13. A variety of motifs are woven throughout the film. What meaning do you think is carried by the motif of “duality”—pairs of people, often women, are contrasted with one another? 14. Another motif is what we might call “obscuring and revelation”—the use of mist, smoke, darkness, hats, faces shot in silhouette, and mirrors to control what we see. What examples of this are most memorable for you? 15. Are there any particular messages and meanings in this film that have personal importance to you? Are you able to connect with this film on a personal level? .