Fame, inappetenza e disgusto: il cibo nei film e nei sogni di Fellini

ABSTRACT This article analyzises how food was used in Fellini’s films. The analysis is introduced by references to the early stories written by Fellini for Marc’Aurelio and to the dreams noted by the director in Il libro dei sogni. In films, food describes the social context (from the hunger represented in the films in the 1950s to the televised excesses of Ginger and Fred). Food also takes on symbolic meanings: hunger is also a need for love, the need to fill one’s loneliness and the preparation of food is an expression of the desire to take care of others. In the article a periodisation of Fellini’s filmography is proposed that distinguishes three phases: hunger, lack of appetite, and disgust. The examination of the presence of food suggests an interpretation of Fellini’s oeuvre that is very far from the stereotypical image of his films widespread in large part of the public.