LUCI DEL VARIETÀ

His screenwriting for Rossellini, Germi and Lattuada, among others, was so successful that the young Fellini had never even considered trying his hand at directing. The man who encouraged him to make the move was experienced director, Alberto Lattuada. I remember the Milanese filmmaker telling me: “In the period from 1947 to 1949, Federico did some excellent screenwriting work on three of my films Il delitto di Giovanni Episcopo (Flesh Will Surrender), Senza pieta (Without Pity) and Il mulino del Po (The Mill on the Po); so, while we were writing the fourth, about the bitter life of a group of third-rate variety show performers, it came quite naturally to me to propose that he should co-direct it”. – Aldo Tassone, Fellini 23½. Tutti i film, Edizioni Cineteca di Bologna 2020.