“I Vitelloni” 1953. Fellini’s first box-office success is a seminal tale about a group of friends just graduated from high school who aren’t sure what to do with their lives. Fine ensemble acting and a core storyline that hasn’t lost anything with age despite its 1950’s surroundings, this excellent seriocomedy laid the groundwork for countless similar efforts that followed, including George Lucas’ “American Graffiti.”

“Night of Cabiria” 1957. Absorbing, compassionate, episodic film about a Rome prostitute with a heart of gold whose life frequently proves true the maxim that no good deed goes unpunished. Despite being let down time and again, Cabiria somehow manages to still see the glass as half full. An amazing performance by Giulietta Masina (wife of the director), this is a moving motion picture in every respect. Not surprisingly, it won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.

“La Dolce Vita” 1960. The film that catapulted the Italian director to international prominence and gained him mainstream admirers is a groundbreaking modern odyssey through the streets of Rome by a disaffected journalist who gives into the growing decadence around him. At times raw, overtly sexual and always engrossing and enigmatic, it made a bona fide star of Marcello Mastrioanni.

“8½” 1963. Another one-of-a-kind journey of decadence and self-discovery follows a successful director who just can’t seem to get his latest project off the ground, distracted by his own self-doubts, wives and mistresses, the demands of the studio and public, and the comfort of his wealth. Often imitated, this funny, inventive and highly personal extravaganza features many now-classic vignettes, winning the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.

“Amarcord” 1974. Fellini’s ode to his youth, this sentimental story (drawn from many of the director’s own experiences) is set in a small Italian village during the reign of Mussolini. Richly observed characters and bawdy humor work side-by-side with Fellini’s patented cinematic flourish, which helped earn the film the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film. Nostalgic, at times dramatic, like so much of his work, it has been often imitated but rarely equaled.