| Ginger and Fred | |
| Native Name: | |
| Screenplay: | Federico Fellini Tonino Guerra Tullio Pinelli |
| Story: | Federico Fellini Tonino Guerra |
| Producer: | Alberto Grimaldi Heinz Bibo |
| Cinematography: | Tonino Delli Colli Ennio Guarnieri |
| Editing: | Ruggero Mastroianni |
| Music: | Nicola Piovani Irving Berlin Jerome Kern Lorenz Hart |
| Runtime: | 125 minutes |
| Country: | Italy France West Germany |
| Language: | Italian English |
| Gross: | $837,623[1] |
Ginger and Fred (Italian: Ginger e Fred) is a 1986 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]
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.
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]
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).