xposed cleavage and her open skirt crossed with cuts of her strong arms and her continuing maternal household duties and her embrace. In La Dolce Vita, the sexual object is in a more complex relationship with the man. She is not only an object of desire, and sexual partner, but she is also a friend and confidant of the main character.The second character type that Fellini portrays in several of his films is the wife. In 8-1/2 and La Dolce Vita he characterizes the wife as a mother substitute. In 8-1/2 there is a harem fantasy sequence, and the wife plays the motherly role by cleaning house. In all of the films, the husband and wife have difficulty communicating with each other. One scene in City of Women visually shows this with multiple barriers: physical (a column and doorway), spatial (the characters are on opposite sides of the screen) and social (a crown with turned backs). In Juliet of the Spirits, Julieta is the “superwife.” She plays all of the above stated roles, and also it is apparent that she has her own interior life. This is shown by the use of mirrors and reflections within reflections. The final character archetype that I noticed in Fellini’s films is the “macho man.” This is probably best illustrated in the harem sequence in 8-1/2. In this the main character imagines himself as the master of all women he has ever desired, real or fantasized. In City of Women the doctor is the idealized male stereotype who now has to deal with women’s increasing independence. I do not think that this character was as effective, however, in showing this archetype as much as the harem sequence did. In La Strada the male character is kept a prisoner by these male virtues- he cannot communicate his own feelings. Fellini definitely has many trademarks, but I chose these to write about because they are the least remarked upon. But, surely when one watches any Fellini film, there is a definite look and feel t...
