How did Carl Jung’s ideas influence Federico Fellini’s films?

Federico Fellini’s cinematic style was profoundly shaped by the theories of Carl Jung, whom the director regarded as his preferred psychoanalytical theorist.1

Jung’s concepts regarding the collective unconscious were instrumental in helping Fellini translate his internal world into visual storytelling. By studying Jungian analysis, Fellini gained a deeper insight into the unconscious, which allowed him to move beyond the constraints of Neorealism and superimpose dreamlike, hallucinatory, and surreal imagery onto ordinary situations.231

This influence is particularly evident in how Fellini utilized his own dreams and fantasies as raw material for his films, often recording these visions in illustrated notebooks. His work, such as Juliet of the Spirits, reflects this preoccupation with the supernatural and the psyche. Ultimately, Fellini’s engagement with Jungian thought helped him pioneer a form of "psychoanalytical cinema," where autobiography, fantasy, and the exploration of the unconscious became central to his unique artistic vision.14