Tullio Pinelli
Encyclopedia
Tullio Pinelli was an Italian screenwriter best known for his work on the Federico Fellini
classics I Vitelloni
, La strada
, La Dolce Vita
and 8½
.
He first met Fellini in a Rome kiosk in 1947 while they were reading opposite pages of the same newspaper. "Meeting each other," explained Pinelli, "was a creative lightning bolt. We spoke the same language from the start... We were fantasizing about a screenplay that would be the exact opposite of what was fashionable then: the story of a very shy and modest office worker who discovered he can fly; so he flaps his arms and escapes out the window. It certainly wasn't Italian neorealism
. But the idea never went anywhere either." The anecdote about flying presages their 1963 film, 8½
, which begins with the protagonist, a prominent film director, who dreams of escape by flying out of his car caught in a traffic jam.
Pinelli died on 7 March 2009 in Rome. He was married to the French-born actress Madeleine LeBeau
, who had roles in 8½ and Casablanca
(1942).
Federico Fellini
Federico Fellini, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI , was an Italian film director and scriptwriter. Known for a distinct style that blends fantasy and baroque images, he is considered one of the most influential and widely revered filmmakers of the 20th century...
classics I Vitelloni
I Vitelloni
I vitelloni is an Italian comedy drama film directed by Federico Fellini. Recognized as a pivotal work in the director's artistic evolution, the film has distinct autobiographical elements that mirror important societal changes in 1950s Italy....
, La strada
La Strada
La Strada is a 1954 Italian neorealist drama directed by Federico Fellini in which a naïve young woman is sold to a brutish man and goes on the road as a part of his itinerant show....
, La Dolce Vita
La Dolce Vita
La Dolce Vita is a 1960 comedy-drama film written and directed by the critically acclaimed director Federico Fellini. The film is a story of a passive journalist's week in Rome, and his search for both happiness and love that will never come...
and 8½
8½
8½ is a 1963 Italian fantasy film directed by Federico Fellini. Co-scripted by Fellini, Tullio Pinelli, Ennio Flaiano, and Brunello Rondi, it stars Marcello Mastroianni as Guido Anselmi, a famous Italian film director...
.
Biography
Born in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, Pinelli began his career as a civil lawyer but spent his free time working in the theatre as a playwright. Descended from a long line of Italian patriots, his great-uncle General Ferdinando Pinelli quashed the bandit revolt in Calabria following Italian unification.He first met Fellini in a Rome kiosk in 1947 while they were reading opposite pages of the same newspaper. "Meeting each other," explained Pinelli, "was a creative lightning bolt. We spoke the same language from the start... We were fantasizing about a screenplay that would be the exact opposite of what was fashionable then: the story of a very shy and modest office worker who discovered he can fly; so he flaps his arms and escapes out the window. It certainly wasn't Italian neorealism
Italian neorealism
Italian neorealism is a style of film characterized by stories set amongst the poor and working class, filmed on location, frequently using nonprofessional actors...
. But the idea never went anywhere either." The anecdote about flying presages their 1963 film, 8½
8½
8½ is a 1963 Italian fantasy film directed by Federico Fellini. Co-scripted by Fellini, Tullio Pinelli, Ennio Flaiano, and Brunello Rondi, it stars Marcello Mastroianni as Guido Anselmi, a famous Italian film director...
, which begins with the protagonist, a prominent film director, who dreams of escape by flying out of his car caught in a traffic jam.
Pinelli died on 7 March 2009 in Rome. He was married to the French-born actress Madeleine LeBeau
Madeleine LeBeau
Madeleine LeBeau is a French actress.-Early life:...
, who had roles in 8½ and Casablanca
Casablanca (film)
Casablanca is a 1942 American romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Paul Henreid, and featuring Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre and Dooley Wilson. Set during World War II, it focuses on a man torn between, in...
(1942).