11. Federico Fellini
In a country marked by the documentary-like films of the neorealism directors, it could be considered ironic that Italy’s most famous director is one teeming with surrealism. Unlike other directors who dared to be different by executing a new kind of simplicity, the work of Fellini magnified and enlarged all that had been attempted in cinema before. Fellini’s brief stint with a circus and early work as a caricaturist and cartoonist certainly informed his playful style.
Fellini fell in love with spectacle for its own sake, with consequences wonderful (Amarcord) and dire (Casanova); still, in the ’60s he primed Americans for other Italian directors. Though many have tried to imitate his style, his vision is too large to duplicate.
Image Source: Senses of Cinema