Fellini 8 1/2 - Tapa dura

One of the world's first celebrity photographers -- and the very person for whom the term "paparazzo" was coined -- Tazio Secchiaroli was both companion and confidante to Italy's most renowned cinematic stars, including Marcello Mastroianni, Sophia Loren, and Frederico Fellini -- who would later immortalize the photographer in La Dolce Vita. Secchiaroli's portraits of these and other personalities combine the immediacy of photojournalism with the glamour and sensuality that personified Italy in the 1950s and 60s -- the heyday of its cinematic glory. But it was as Fellini's set photographer that Secchiaroli's passion for glamour, action, and the cinema thrived. This volume of sixty black-and-white photographs taken on and off the set at the legendary studio Cinecitta, where Secchiaroli was given free rein during the filming of 8 1/2, offers not only a generous sampling of Secchiaroli's best work, but an intimate look at Fellini's own unique persona and creative process. Secure and relaxed, even in front of Secchiarali's lens, Fellini felt free to indulge in the kind of juvenile clowning for which he was famous. As a result, Secchiaroli was able to capture the vibrant, otherworldly atmosphere on Fellini's set which, like his films, was colorful, chaotic, and magical. A must for fans of Fellini, films, and fine celebrity photography, this exciting volume offers a one-of-a-kind perspective on the making of a masterpiece.