Towards the Moon with Fellini

Towards the Moon is a unique behind-the-scenes look at the great Italian director Federico Fellini working on his last film, La Voce della Luna.   A one-hour moc-u-mentary, it is presented by Christina Engelhardt, a German-American actress whom Fellini invited into his inner circle.  He said he chose Christina because of  messages sent to him by voices he believed to be supernatural.

Towards the Moon is a movie within a movie. Christina plays a young journalist who comes to Italy to seek out the great director.  She blusters onto his set to ask permission to follow him.  Fellini consents, but with the proviso that she must stay out of the way and ask him nothing about the film he is directing. 

Christina, of course,  asks everybody else; the stars, Roberto Benigni and Paolo Villaggio; the producer, Cecchi-Gori; as well as a host of other crew members.  No one can tell her anything about the film they're working on.   They haven't seen a screenplay or gotten any instructions from the great director himself.  Everyone is essentially in the dark about what they're working on.  In fact, most of the cast and crew are hoping Christina will unearth what they haven't been able to.

The title La Voce della Luna  implies the film is about the voice of the moon, so Christina decides to ask the moon itself, and has it lassoed down for consultation. 

Sadly, the moon has nothing to say because it is just a massive piece of mozzarella.

While Christina never actually discovers the plot of Fellini's movie, her inquiries start to reveal the fact that every crew member, every actor,  and even all the producers are devoted to their beloved Fellini.  They will follow him unconditionally, no matter what mad film adventure he takes them on. 

Christina asks if Roberto Benigni thinks this might be a love story?  "All films by Fellini are love stories and all love stories are Fellini films", quips Benigni.   Indeed, we discover that Fellini's La Voce della Luna is about the love he feels for, and receives from, his adoring colleagues. 

Federico Fellini traveled to Los Angeles for the first time in 1984.   He made the trip to meet Carlos Castaneda to discuss adapting don Juan for the screen.  These were difficult times for Fellini whose popularity was waning, especially with producers.  He felt a film about ancient magic and mysterious sorcerers would dispel the dark cloud he was under.

Just days away from his flight to LA, Fellini received a phone call from a bizarre mechanical sounding Voice, foretelling what he should expect on his American journey.   Fellini assumed the call was a prank, but was disturbed by the cryptic and intimately personal nature of the message.

Christina Engelhardt had moved to LA on a spiritual whim, weeks before Fellini's arrival.  A psychic confidante had foretold encounters with extraterrestrials and sorcerers, and famous Italian directors who would transport her to a new life in Rome.

At his LA hotel, Fellini received another call from the Voices who told him to have one of his entourage bring a dancer. But she should not come alone, she should bring a woman.  Sophie, a ballerina, invited Christina. The following morning, Fellini asked to see Christina and told her about the Voices, and how they had chosen her to be their muse.    She believed his strange story and began receiving eerie phone calls herself.  A strange alien Voice assigned her and Fellini a personal color in place of a name.  Federico, green, and Christina, pink.

Fellini took Christina with him to the Yucatan to meet Castaneda.  Because of the nature of Castaneda's work, Fellini felt sure that he could help explain the significance of the strange mechanical Voices that haunted them.  But Castaneda knew nothing, except that don Juan had long ago predicted that Fellini would come in search of answers.

Back in LA, the Voices continued to besiege Fellini and Christina.  Their purpose, although unclear, was possibly to persuade Fellini to direct a film, their film, which would express their mission on Earth. Fellini was frightened, and returned to Italy with Christina in tow.  But the Voices followed and began to communicate in ways beyond the telephone.

Fellini decided to go public with his experiences and published a story in Corriere Della Sera, Italy's national newspaper.  The public was enchanted by the stories and demanded more, which led to the publication of the beautiful graphic novel Trip to Tulum, illustrated by Milo Manara.   The novel pictorialized Fellini and Christina's trip to the Yucatan and their meeting with Carlos Castaneda.

Federicoís next and final film entitled, The Voice of the Moon, starred Roberto Benigni and was released in 1990, six years after the Voices began to haunt him.  As in the graphic novel, Christina played the role of an American journalist searching for the truth.   In fact, neither Fellini nor Christina ever figured out what it was that the Voices wanted.  Fellini, sometimes known as the puppet master, often wondered if he had somehow offended  vengeful spirits who decided to play him at his own game.

Fellini's friendship with Christina grew.  The stories and graphic novel attracted  a group of Castaneda devotees who tried to convince Fellini and Christina to become their spiritual leaders, to move to Mexico, and to start up a new cult.

In 1993, Federico received a life-time achievement award at the Oscars.  Christina  stood close by watching as he made his farewell speech to the world.  Four months later Fellini suffered a deadly stroke.  He fell into a coma never to awaken.  He died on  Halloween night.

For fourteen years, this moc-u-mentary about Fellini's last film has been shelved in an archive gathering dust.  Out of love and respect for Fellini's memory, and his great kindness to her,  Christina has remastered and translated the film, a small but significant portrait of a very great director at work. The book, Fellini, Castaneda, and I, says it all. 

                      e-mail: angelheart007@earthlink.net        
                      Fellini, Castaneda, & I