FELLINI, 8 1/2 COLOUR
Photographs by Paul Ronald
As if by magic, Federico Fellini’slegendary black and white film 81/2 makes anappearance in colour, immortalised by Paul Ronald. The producersaskedhim tophotographscenes in black and white. But Ronald hadtwoHasselblad cameras, and heloaded the second one with a rollof colour film, not knowingwhathewould do withit.
Colourreveals all. It underscores the aestheticchoices’ resolutemodernity, from the sets to Piero Gherardi’s costumes,the eminentlycontemporary figures of Anouk Aimée andClaudia Cardinale, and Marcello Mastroianni’slecherousposes. It takes us out of the film’srigorous structure, brings usbehind the scenes and shows us the festive moodthatprevailedon Fellini’s set.
81/2 was the last black and white film in a long seriesthatthe master beganmaking in the early 1950s. It wasneverintended to beseen in colour, but Piero ServorecentlyfoundRonald’s long-forgotten box of negatives. That rediscovery,accompanied by Anouk Aimée’s recollections, is the focus ofthis show.
Curator of the exhibition: Sam Stourdzé.
With support from the Centre des MonumentsNationaux and the Fondation Fellini pour le Cinéma,Sion.
This exhibition isbased on a projectpresentedin 2011 at the Maison du Diable in Sion, coproducedby the Fondation Fellini pour le Cinémaand the Musée de l’Elysée, whomwethank for it.
Wewarmlythank Anouk Aimée, Piero Servo,and Antonio Moraldi.
Marcello Mastroianni. Courtesy of Paul Ronald, Archivio Storico del Cinema, AFE
Anouck Aimée. Courtesy of Paul Ronald, Archivio Storico del Cinema, AFE