This past Tuesday, what many consider to be Federico Fellini’s final masterpiece, The Clowns (I Clowns), has hit the Blu-ray shelves for the first time ever in the states, all thanks to the good and classically oriented folks at Raro Video. Fellini has featured clowns in many of his films and this “docu-comedy” is a way for him to finally pay homage to his childhood obsession in full-length feature form.
Made for Italian TV in 1970, The Clowns starts off with a retelling of Fellini’s first encounter with the circus and why he became infatuated with clowns. From there we are taken on his quest, along with his crew, to hunt down the greatest surviving European clowns. His travels take him from Italy to France where he conducts in-home interviews with some of the greats and explores their human side and what it was like to be a clown. Cut in between all the interviews, we are given, or shown, actual circus performances to get a better understanding of the different types of clowns and how the show has evolved.
I really want to say that this film is a faux-documentary, that it’s a feature film where everyone in the actual crew gets screen time in an attempt to make it feel real, but that would be inaccurate. You can’t call it a regular comedy because it has all the elements of a documentary as well. When I was watching the film, I was having a constant battle in my head, leaving me very confused for the entire 92 minute duration as I tried to figure out what kind of film I was watching. Luckily I read the back of the box and the phrase “docu-comedy” appeared, as that is really the best way to describe this odd film.
I’ll say right off the back that this film isn’t for everyone. As my mom and I sat down to watch it we were expecting something way different, maybe like a character driven story. We were wrong. This movie is literally a passion piece about clowns, so if you don’t care about the circus at all or if Fellini’s filmmaking doesn’t interest you then skip it. But if you do have an appreciation for film and want to expose yourself to something radically different then you should at least give it a watch. It’s a unique experience and definitely a first for me.
While the movie itself came off a bit weird, many of the performances were rather impressive and there were random spots throughout the film where it became hard not to laugh. I mean, it IS a film about clowns. It was nice to see some innocent comedy in an age where even kids films have sexual innuendos infused in the dialogue. Despite all 
of this, my favorite part of the film ending up being Nino Rota’s circus/carnival-sounding score; It made you feel like you were actually at the circus and it easily transported you to another world, one where everything seemed so much simpler. It really makes its impact during some of the sadder, more dramatic scenes, specifically the beginning of the funeral performance which turns in to a wild, upbeat finale for the film.
Not only does the blu-ray look stunning but the package also contains some fantastic special features:
-New HD transfer from original 35MM negative (the film looks fantastic)
-Un Agenzia Matrimoniale, a short movie by Federico Fellini. 1953, Italia, 16 minutes, 35 mm, b/w, Italian original audio with English subtitles. (This may have been my favorite part of this blu-ray package. I really enjoyed the story of the short)
-Fellini’s Circus, a visual Film essay by Adriano Aprà. Fellini Expert and film Historian, Adriano Aprà examines the director’s lifetime fascination with the circus while also comparing its stylistic features to other Fellini films. Italian original audio with English subtitles. (A very long an in-depth look at the film, offering explanations of scenes and Fellini’s thought process)
-A fifty page fully illustrated booklet on Fellini’s own reflections and notes concerning the genesis and production of the film. Also included are exclusive original drawings by the director himself. (A treat to read as it offers more details from the man’s mind. It is cool to compare his drawings to the characters’ costumes that you see throughout the movie.)
While Fellini’s The Clowns isn’t for everyone, I’m still having trouble deciding if I really liked it or not. While it was made for Italian TV, this movie was really made for Fellini himself. His love of Clowns clearly shines through and he tries really hard to get the audience to appreciate this art form as well. While a passion piece at heart, The Clowns is a unique film that will probably boggle your mind but if you’re a filmmaker it’s well worth watching. In the end, the special features and booklet were actually more important to me than the movie itself as it was there where I really learned what the film was about and how it was constructed.
Rating: A classic love letter to clowns that curious film buffs should watch (6.6/10)
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