Ginger and Fred

1985 film by Federico Fellini

Ginger and Fred
Italian theatrical release poster

Italian	Ginger e Fred

Directed by	Federico Fellini
Screenplay by	Federico Fellini Tonino Guerra Tullio Pinelli
Story by	Federico Fellini Tonino Guerra
Produced by	Alberto Grimaldi Heinz Bibo
Starring	Marcello Mastroianni Giulietta Masina
Cinematography	Tonino Delli Colli Ennio Guarnieri
Edited by	Ruggero Mastroianni
Music by	Nicola Piovani Irving Berlin Jerome Kern Lorenz Hart
Production companies	Produzioni Europee Associati (PEA) Les Films Ariane France 3 Cinéma Revcom Films Stella Film Rai 1 Anthea Film
Distributed by	Istituto Luce-Italnoleggio Cinematografico (Italy) Acteurs Auteurs Associés (France) Tobis (West Germany)
Release dates	13 January 1986 (1986-01-13) (Paris) 22 January 1986 (1986-01-22) (France and Italy) 20 February 1986 (1986-02-20) (West Germany)
Running time	125 minutes
Countries	Italy France West Germany
Languages	Italian English
Box office	$837,623^[1]

Ginger and Fred (Italian: Ginger e Fred) is a 1986 satirical comedy-drama film written and directed by Federico Fellini and starring Marcello Mastroianni and Giulietta Masina.^[2]

The title is a reference to the American dancing couple Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The two leads portray Italian impersonators of Astaire and Rogers who reunite after thirty years of retirement for a vulgar and bizarre television extravaganza.

The film was the subject of a trademark claim in the United States by Ginger Rogers, who claimed in Rogers v. Grimaldi that the film violated her Lanham Act trademark rights, right of publicity, and was a "false light" defamation.^[3] The Second Circuit rejected this claim, finding that "suppressing an artistically relevant though ambiguous[ly] title[d] film" on trademark grounds would "unduly restrict expression."^[4]

Plot

Amelia and Pippo were once together famous as dancers, imitating Ginger Rogers' and Fred Astaire's dance routines. Thirty years after they've retired, they team up one more time for a live TV show. Although this reunion is overshadowed by Pippo's lack of stamina, their performance is well-received and revives their popularity for another day.

Cast

Giulietta Masina as Amelia Bonetti (Ginger)
Marcello Mastroianni as Pippo Botticella (Fred)
Franco Fabrizi as Show host
Friedrich von Ledebur as Admiral Aulenti
Augusto Poderosi as transvestite
Martin Maria Blau as assistant director
Jacques Henri Lartigue as Brother Gerolamo
Totò Mignone as Totò
Ezio Marano as the intellectual
Antoine Saint-John as bandaged man
Friedrich von Thun as kidnapped tycoon
Antonino Iuorio as TV inspector
Barbara Scoppa as journalist
Elisabetta Flumeri as journalist
Salvatore Billa as Clark Gable
Caterina Vertova

Reception

Critical response

Ginger and Fred has an approval rating of 77% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 13 reviews, and an average rating of 7/10.^[5]

Awards and nominations

Ginger and Fred was nominated for best foreign film awards in 1986 by the U.S. National Board of Review of Motion Pictures,^[6] as well as the 1987 Golden Globes and BAFTA. Masina received a David di Donatello for Best Actress award for her role (1986).

References

^ "Ginger & Fred".
^ "NY Times: Ginger and Fred". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-12-23. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
^ Rogers v. Grimaldi, 875 F.2d 994 (2d Cir. 1989).
^ Rogers v. Grimaldi, 875 F.2d 994, at 1001.
^ "Ginger and Fred | Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes.
^ "1986 Award Winners". National Board of Review of Motion Pictures. 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2016.