Federico Fellini's Intervista is, like so many of the Italian auteur's films, above all else, a love letter to the intoxicating power of cinema. "Intervista" translates as "interview," which is precisely what fuels this journey into Cinecitta, the famed Italian movie studio, and its past - Fellini takes viewers on a surreal, magical trip through his career, stopping along the way to pay homage to, well, himself and his work.

While ostensibly a sweeping ode to past cinematic glories, the film got its start, ironically enough, as a television project, before being reworked for the silver screen. It's particularly poignant when considering that Fellini makes several pointed statements about the ossification and decline of the filmmaking process - he very nearly was forced to make a film that might've never seen the flickering light of a projector.

Marcello Mastroianni and Anita Ekberg star in this film-within-a-film that retraces Fellini's rise to international prominence through the films he crafted at Rome's famed temple of moviemaking, Cinecitta Studios. As Intervista opens, Cinecitta is celebrating its 50th anniversary and Fellini is being interviewed by a Japanese TV crew about his career at the studio as production begins on his latest film.

In a series of flashbacks, dream sequences and cinematic asides, Fellini expertly manipulates and mines his own past to create a dizzying celluloid collage of a life inextricably bound up in its works: a young stand-in for Fellini depicts his arrival at Cinecitta via trolley to interview a star as Mastroianni (dressed as Mandrake the Magician) floats by a window and Fellini visits Ekberg's villa where the iconic Trevi fountain scene from La Dolce Vita is replayed.

The elegiac tone and bittersweet wistfulness on display in Intervista is nothing new to the Fellini filmography - his greatest works (La Dolce Vita, 8 1/2) have always been fueled by an undercurrent of yearning for a past or a future that seems just out of reach. While some may view Intervista as more of an eulogy than a celebration, it is arguably one of Fellini's more brash, joyous films - albeit a joy heavily tinged with resignation.

The Video:

Federico Fellini's Intervista is presented, much like Koch Lorber's glowing restoration of La Dolce Vita, in a luminous 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. Some grain and minor print defects are evident, but on the whole, this is a very impressive transfer that does lush justice to Fellini's distinct vision.

Offered in a remastered Dolby Digital 5.1 or Dolby 2.0 stereo, Federico Fellini's Intervista is presented in its native Italian with optional English subtitles. The whimsical theme, dialogue and slight ambient effects are all well-represented in this mix. Purists may find the 2.0 stereo mix more to their liking, but the 5.1 soundtrack wasn't at all distracting.

While only a handful of extras are included, what is onboard will please most Fellini fans. The main attraction is a 51 minute, 26 second Italian documentary (with forced English subtitles) filmed during the making of Intervista, which features interviews with the cast and crew. The film's evocative trailer is offered in anamorphic widescreen as are a series of photo montages set to the film's memorable score.

A wonderful glance back at cinematic history and one man's journey through a golden age of film, Federico Fellini's Intervista is an easy recommendation for aficionados of the auteur and perhaps even a great blind buy for those wanting to see what all the fuss is about. Highly recommended.