fotoromanzi.Thesewerequicklyproducedphoto-storiesprintedascheap
magazinesforpost-warmovieaudiences(seechapterTwo).Atonepoint
weseewhatlookslikearegularfilmcrewsettinguponabeach.Theyare
abouttoshootasceneinwhichtheWhiteSheikh–achubbyandpale
imitationofthesilentmovieheart-throbRudolphValentino–slayshis
foeandrescuesa‘damselindistress’.Afranticdirectorreadieshisragbag
crewandmarshalshisperformers,noneofwhomcangetjobsinthereal
filmindustry.Theybegintoplaythescenewhensuddenly,inacomic
reversalofcinematicaction,thedirectorshouts‘Holdit!’Theperformers
freezeasifinapartygame.Astillsphotographertakesasingleshot.
Theperformersspringbackintomovementandcontinuethescene.
Sometimestheyposethemselvesorhaltwhenthedirectoryells.^8 Todraw
outtheabsurdityFellinimodelledthephoto-shootverycloselyonfilm-
making,playingitasabattlebetweenthehumblesnapshotandthejug-
gernautofcinema’smomentum,asifaphotographerweretryingtotake
photosduringanactualmovieshoot.Photographyisshownasapoor
relationofcinema,onethatservesitasanimitatorandhandmaiden,
whichinmanyrespectsitalreadywasbythe 1950 s.Fellinireturnedto
14
5 TheWhiteSheikh(FedericoFellini,
1952),still.