FAVOURITE JUNGIAN SYMBOLS IN FELLINI

By: Umberto L.

Jungian symbols detected (suggestions are welcome!):

1. Statue of Jesus Christ (opening sequence); The monster-fish (final sequence)
2. Head of an undeterminate giant statue coming out from the water (opening sequence); The whale
3. The excavating machine; The subterranean ancient villa
4. Head of a giant statue of a divinity (emperor Nero?); Trimalchio’s mausoleum; The labyrinth with the minotaur; The frescos (final sequence)
5. Anita Ekberg’s billboard
6. The giant metronome; The wrecking ball (final sequence)
7. Head of a puppet (held by Alberto Sordi after the party)
8. The spaceship.
9. The speaking portrait of Benito Mussolini; The “Rex”
10. The big slide; The arena; The hot air balloon
11. The aircraft; Various characters and objects in the final dream sequence
12. The Gloria N; The love-sick rhino
13. Huge pig’s trotter (opening and final sequence)

Above: “Il Casanova di Federico Fellini” (1976).
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01

La dolce vita

Federico Fellini
02

Fellini's Casanova

Federico Fellini
03

Fellini's Roma

Federico Fellini
04

Satyricon

Federico Fellini
05

Boccaccio '70

Vittorio De Sica
06

Orchestra Rehearsal

Federico Fellini
07

I vitelloni

Federico Fellini
08

8½

Federico Fellini
09

Amarcord

Federico Fellini
10

City of Women

Federico Fellini
11

Juliet of the Spirits

Federico Fellini
12

And the Ship Sails On

Federico Fellini
13

Ginger and Fred

Federico Fellini

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Umberto L.

27Jun10

You are absolutely right. Fellini's discovery of Jung - thanks to the meeting with his future psychologist, Ernst Bernhard - brought him to abruptly change his direting style between "La Dolce Vita" and the segment from "Boccaccio '70" entitled "Le Tentazioni del Dottor Antonio". By the way, I still can't explain why there are many previous films like "I Vitelloni", "Le Notti di Cabiria" and "Lo Sceicco Bianco" that are so close to the style adopted by Fellini in the 1960s and that feature Jungian symbols or magic elements just like the late films do...

apursansar

27Jun10

That's a spot-on list. I read that Fellini discovered Jung in 1960 which would mean that the previous films are not directly influenced by his writings, but archetypes can obviously be found in a lot symbols, irrespective of us using them in a conscious or subconscious way.

Umberto L.

15Jun10

Thanks for your appreciation! "Jungian symbols" here stays for "archetypes of the collective unconsciuos", i.e. a collection of figures that are common to all the cultures, since they lie in the unconscious of every human being. (Example: How come that you can find pyramids in Africa, in Asia and in the Americas?) In this case Fellini, who has been a notorious supporter of the theories of Carl Gustav Jung, has placed some of these figures in his movies... @Alana: I am not familiar with Derek Jarman. However, I think I might watch something from him, since I am interested in jungian psychology. What would you suggest?