Marco Ferreri (1928–1997) was one of Italian cinema’s boldest auteurs. A maverick personality, he worked with some of the most popular actors of the time (Marcello Mastroianni, Michel Piccoli, Catherine Deneuve, Gérard Depardieu, Ugo Tognazzi, Carroll Baker, Roberto Benigni, Isabelle Huppert, Christopher Lambert and others), and directed internationally acclaimed films. His filmography includes The Conjugal Bed (1963), The Ape Woman (1964), Dillinger Is Dead (1969), the scandalous La Grande Bouffe (1973), the absurdist western Don’t Touch the White Woman! (1974), The Last Woman (1976), Bye Bye Monkey (1978) and the Charles Bukowski adaptation Tales of Ordinary Madness (1981). Ferreri’s cinema dealt in highly original ways with contemporary issues: the crisis of marriage, relationships between sexes, consumerism, and political disillusionment. His films were controversial and confronted censorship issues, leading to Ferreri’s fame as a master provocateur.
This book examines Marco Ferreri’s life and career, placing his work within the social and political context of postwar Italian culture, politics, and cinema. It includes a detailed production history and critical analysis of his films, with never-before-seen bits of information recovered from Italian ministerial archives and in-depth discussion of the director’s unfilmed projects.

Roberto Curti is an Italian film historian and the author of numerous published books and articles. He lives in Cortona, Italy.

Roberto Curti
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 334
Bibliographic Info: 35 photos, filmography, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2024
pISBN: 978-1-4766-8249-5
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5357-0
Imprint: McFarland

Introduction: A Pale Blue Gaze at the World 1

One—King Midas in Reverse: The Early Years 13

Two—A Martian in Madrid: El pisito (1958), Los chicos (1960), and El cochecito (1960) 21

Three—Till Death Do Us Part: Gli adulteri (1961) and L’ape regina (1963) 44

Four—Meet Mr. Ponti: La donna scimmia (1964), Il professore (1964), and L’uomo dei 5 palloni (1965) 59

Five—Ferreri Against Ferreri: Marcia nuziale (1966), Corrida! (1965–66), and L’harem (1967) 77

Six—The Breaking Point: ­Break-up (1967–1968) 96

Seven—The Seeds of 1968: Dillinger è morto (1969), Il seme dell’uomo (1969), and Perché pagare per essere felici!! (1970) 108

Eight—Paper Bombs: L’udienza (1972) and La cagna (1972) 130

Nine—The Physiological Machine: La Grande Bouffe (1973) 146

Ten—The Malaise of Civilization: Touche pas à la femme blanche (1974) and L’ultima donna (1976) 169

Eleven—The Child Is the Father of the Man: Yerma (1978), Ciao maschio (1978), and Chiedo asilo (1979) 188

Twelve—Tales That Witness Madness: Storie di ordinaria follia (1981) and Storia di Piera (1983) 210

Thirteen—Exploded Cinema, Exploded World: Il futuro è donna (1984), I Love You (1986), and Come sono buoni i bianchi! (1988) 229

Fourteen—Long Live the Old Flesh: Le Banquet (1988), La casa del sorriso (1991), and La carne (1991) 249

Fifteen—Chronicles of a Disappearance: Diario di un vizio (1993), “Faitz ce que vouldras” (1994), and Nitrato d’argento (1996) 264

Epilogue 284

Filmography 287

Chapter Notes 299

Bibliography 315

Index 317