The Clowns - I Clowns

This insightful and loving homage to the world of clowns and the circuses of yesteryear was obviously a project close to Fellini’s heart. Indeed, the director admits to having been fascinated and intrigued by this dying species since his childhood, and his obsession with clowns manifested itself in works such as La Strada.

I Clowns is an entertaining mockumentary as well as a analytical documentary (made for TV in 1970) that takes us back to the heyday of the circus clowns. Along the way we learn a lot about the hierarchy, the meaning of the costumes, and get to meet some of the old masters who fondly remember their craft and bitterly lament the decline of this particular art-form. Through photographs, we are also introduced to such legends as Grock - the ‘king of clowns’, and Joseph Grimaldi.

The film further examines our fascination with clowns, and how their follies and melancholic expressions mirror our own emotions. Fellini himself, together with a crew of rather clumsy assistants, travels from Rome to Paris in search of the history of clowns, and visits some of the former venues (or those which still stand). We are also treated to a surprise cameo appearance by bombshell Anita Ekberg (La Dolce Vita) who visits a circus performance and afterwards shares bowls of pasta with the artists.

The film concludes with a lengthy sketch performed by some circus clowns depicting the funeral of one of their colleagues. The only thing amiss is the soundtrack to The Kinks hit ‘Death Of A Clown’…

Special Features of this Blu-ray release include:

New and improved English subtitles

Fellini’s Circus – an essay-film by Italian critic and scholar Adriano Aprá

36-page booklet about the film, and rare archival imagery.