''Ginger and Fred'' ( it, Ginger e Fred) is a 1986 comedy/drama film directed and written by Federico Fellini and starring Marcello Mastroianni and

Giulietta Masina Giulia Anna "Giulietta" Masina (22 February 1921 – 23 March 1994) was an Italian film actress best known for her performances as Gelsomina in ''La Strada'' (1954) and Cabiria in ''Nights of Cabiria'' (1957), for which she won the Cannes Film F ...

. The title is a reference to the American dancing couple

Fred Astaire Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, choreographer, actor, and singer. He is often called the greatest dancer in Hollywood film history. Astaire's career in stage, film, and tele ...

and

Ginger Rogers Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...

. 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 A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from othe ...

claim in the United States by

, who claimed in ''

Rogers v. Grimaldi ''Rogers v. Grimaldi'', 875 F.2d 994 (2d Cir. 1989) is a trademark and intellectual freedom case, known for establishing the "''Rogers'' test" for protecting uses of trademarks that implicate intellectual freedom issues. Factual background Act ...

'' that the film violated her

Lanham Act The Lanham (Trademark) Act (, codified at et seq. () is the primary federal trademark statute of law in the United States. The Act prohibits a number of activities, including trademark infringement, trademark dilution, and false advertising. ...

trademark rights, right of publicity, and was a "

false light In US law, false light is a tort concerning privacy that is similar to the tort of defamation. The privacy laws in the United States include a non-public person's right to protection from publicity that creates an untrue or misleading impre ...

" defamation. The Second Circuit rejected this claim, finding that "suppressing an artistically relevant though ambiguous ytitle film" on trademark grounds would "unduly restrict expression."

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

as Amelia Bonetti (Ginger) * Marcello Mastroianni as Pippo Botticella (Fred) *

Franco Fabrizi Franco Fabrizi (; 15 February 1916 – 18 October 1995) was an Italian actor. Life and career Son of a barber and a cinema cashier, Franco Fabrizi started his career as a model and an actor in fotoromanzi. Fabrizi also starred on several revu ...

as Show host *

Friedrich von Ledebur Friedrich Anton Maria Hubertus Bonifacius Graf von Ledebur-Wicheln ( – ) was an Austrian actor who was known for ''Moby Dick'' (1956), ''Alexander the Great'' (1955) and ''Slaughterhouse-Five'' (1972). Early life Ledebur was born in Nisko, ...

as Admiral Aulenti * Augusto Poderosi as transvestite * Martin Maria Blau as assistant director * Jacques Henri Lartigue as Brother Gerolamo *

Totò Mignone Ottone "Totò" Mignone (1906–1993) was an Italian dancer and actor of the stage and film.Kezich p.286 He was the elder brother of the actress and singer Milly. Selected filmography * ''Five to Nil'' (1932) * ''The Taming of the Shrew'' (1942 ...

as Totò *

Ezio Marano Ezio Marano (6 August 1927, Brescia – 26 April 1991, Rome) was an Italian actor. Biography He made his debut in the theater in the mid-50s at the ''Piccolo Teatro'' in Milan under the guidance of Giorgio Strehler, in a long series of perfor ...

as the intellectual * Antoine Saint-John as bandaged man *

Friedrich von Thun Friedrich Ernst Peter Paul Maria Graf von Thun und Hohenstein The House of Thun und Hohenstein, also known as Thun-Hohenstein, belonged to the historical Austrian and Bohemian nobility. There is one princely and several comital branches of the ...

as kidnapped tycoon * Antonino Iuorio as TV inspector * Barbara Scoppa as journalist * Elisabetta Flumeri as journalist * Salvatore Billa as

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...

* Caterina Vertova

Reception

''Ginger and Fred'' was nominated for best foreign film awards in 1986 by the U.S.

National Board of Review of Motion Pictures The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered an early harbinger of the film awards season that culminat ...

, as well as the 1987

Golden Globes The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

and BAFTA. Masina received a

David di Donatello for Best Actress The David di Donatello Award for Best Actress ( it, David di Donatello per la migliore attrice protagonista) is a film award presented annually by the Accademia del Cinema Italiano (ACI, ''Academy of Italian Cinema'') to recognize the outstandin ...

award for her role (1986).

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ginger And Fred 1986 films Italian satirical films Films directed by Federico Fellini Films about television Films about entertainers Cultural depictions of Fred Astaire 1980s Italian-language films Films set in Rome Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films 1986 comedy-drama films Italian comedy-drama films Films with screenplays by Federico Fellini Films with screenplays by Tonino Guerra Films produced by Alberto Grimaldi Transgender-related films Italian dance films 1980s dance films 1986 drama films 1986 comedy films Films scored by Nicola Piovani 1980s Italian films

Plot

Cast

Reception

See also

References

External links