The late Italian actor reminisces (a year or so before he was late) in front of the cameras of Giuseppe Rotunno, who had photographed him numerous times before. Nothing in the talk is too revealing or probing, everything's quite light and charming -- and the foreign-film buff will be gratified at the mention of such names as Visconti, Petri, Ferreri, Germi, Monicelli, Scola, and of course Fellini. Interspersed are generous unedited chunks of Mastroianni's film work, together with bits of his TV work and stage work. The print quality of the clips is uneven (The Tenth Victim, of all things, looks particularly stunning), and they are not always well identified. Some are real rarities (Ferreri's Don't Touch the White Woman), some are given more than their due (Ferreri's Bye Bye Monkey), and there are some lamentable omissions as well (Antonioni's La Notte, Visconti's The Stranger, Zurlini's Family Diary). The Mastroianni fan might have preferred a balance tipped more toward clips instead of toward interviews; and in a three-and-a-half-hour movie, this is not a minor consideration. Directed by Anna Maria Tatò. (1997) — Duncan Shepherd
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