8 1/2 - Criterion Collection

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Starring: Bruno Agostini
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Type: DVD
Directed By: Federico Fellini
Studio: Criterion
Release Date: 2001-12-04
Running Time: 138 minutes
Number of Items: 2
One of the greatest films about film ever made, Federico Fellini's 8 1/2 (Otto e Mezzo) turns one man's artistic crisis into a grand epic of the cinema. Guido Anselmi (Marcello Mastroianni) is a director whose film-and life-is collapsing around him. An early working title for the film was La Bella Confusione (The Beautiful Confusion), and Fellini's masterpiece is exactly that: a shimmering dream, a circus, and a magic act. The Criterion Collection is proud to present the 1963 Academy Award® winner for Best Foreign-Language Film-one of the most written about, talked about, and imitated movies of all time-in a beautifully restored new digital transfer. Disc two features Fellini's rarely seen first film for television, Fellini: A Director's Notebook (1969). Produced by Peter Goldfarb, this imagined documentary of Fellini is a kaleidoscope of unfinished projects, all of which provide a fascinating and candid window into the director's unique and creative process.

The Delightful Confusion.....
"The movie business is macabre. Grotesque. It is a combination of a football game and a brothel". Fellini, from the book Fellini on Fellini.

Round and round we go with this film, one of the greatest films ever made, one of my top 10 films, and arguably Fellini's greatest work, or close to it (La Dolce Vita is as good as this one). It's the film where Fellini went into surrealism and dreams and never went back. It's also one of the greatest films ever made about filmmaking and the artistic process. Despite being a cinema person, I don't like films about the business, as they become so esoteric (especially films made about Hollywood) that they are far too "inside" for most. The Hollywood films (especially ones of recent vintage) give the impression that only in Hollywood are there problems on film sets, and that making films is difficult. Problems exist on all films sets. That's life. 8 1/2 is not esoteric. It's a universal film.

We see Guido, a famously successful film director, who is suffering from creative block, a ballooning budget on a film he doesn't want to make, martial problems, mistress problems, health problems, etc., etc.. At times, it's hard to tell what's real and what's imaginary, but you're ultimately not to supposed to know what's real and what's imaginary. This causes much confusion at times, but it's supposed to be, and it works magically. The film is really striking for many reasons. Its excellent pace, wonderful, crisp photography, great performances, its unforgettable imagery, and one of the greatest endings in the history of cinema.

For those who don't know, Fellini called this 8 1/2 because, according to him, it was his "8 1/2th" film. He co-directed his first film (which he counted as half), and made 7 features up until this one. Despite being made over 40 years ago, the film hasn't dated and remains, rightfully so, on many greatest films ever made lists.

Classic, but not quite great
8½ is suffused with the fictive childhood memories of Fellini's onscreen doppelganger, Guido Anselmi (Marcello Mastroianni), which- if the DVD experts on Fellini, and those I've scanned in gathering background information, are correct- are merely Fellini's own true memories transferred to film. They can result in some interesting themes and scenes for the film, but often, most manifestly in the Saraghina and Cardinal digressions, they make far too much of points that could more easily and poetically been conveyed onscreen. Both of these motivs waste a good twenty or more minutes of the film's running time....As for the famed narrative- or meta-narrative. Let me give a brief rundown of what 8½ is about. The film opens with shots of 43 year old married filmmaker Guido Anselmi in a traffic jam. It is obviously a dream sequence- or is it a scene from the film that he is to make, the one this film is about? It is clearly a set piece, and after escaping from his car window, as if from the uterus, he takes to the air, and becomes a kite, pulled back down to earth by whom we later recognize as the filmic representatives of Claudia Cardinale (playing herself), the actress who is to star in Guido's film within this film. As he falls to earth he wakens at a health spa where he is recuperating from a breakdown of some sort, along with his screenwriter, a dense film critic named Daumier (Jean Rougeul). Outside the spa he has a vision of a virginal white clad goddess, also played by Claudia Cardinale- although she is a separate character from the Claudia Cardinale who later appears as an actress in 8½. She manifestly represents an idealized vision of love and femininity to Guido. Daumier then criticizes Guido's ideas for his upcoming film as immature and self-indulgent, as Fellini obviously is striking the first blows for his film's claim to greatness.
He then spots Mario Mezzabotta (Mario Pisu), an old friend who is squiring around a dark, sexy young American girl he intends to marry. Her name is Gloria Morin (Barbara Steele, Mario Bava's horror film diva). Guido then heads to the train station to meet his gauche and buffoonish married mistress Carla (Sandra Milo). He already regrets asking her to come, until that night they play a game of hooker and john, and she eagerly plays her naughty role to sexual perfection. Guido falls asleep and dreams of his parents at a cemetery, His father (Annibale Ninchi) is dead, and his mother (Guiditta Rissone) kisses him lasciviously, then pulls back to reveal it is his wife, Luisa (Anouk Aimée). Later, Guido tries to avoid movie types and reporters who are after the story of what his next film will be about. Some entertainment ensues at the hotel, and Guido is reminded of a mysterious childish saying from his past, asa nisi masa. This nonsense phrase is the film's equivalent of Citizen Kane's Rosebud. How this all turns out is well known and detailed by others.
Incidentally, there is some confusion over why the film is called what it is called. The truth is that the film's final title 8½ refers to the number of films Fellini directed to that point- six features, two short (½) films, and his first film, half a feature, Luci del Varieta, which he co-directed with Alberto Lattuada, thus totaling 7½ films. This was therefore his 8½th film. As for the critical reception and continuing misconstruals this film receives, both positive and negative, it is easy to see why. Much of this confusion is recapitulated in the film's original title La Bella Confusione (The Beautiful Confusion). It is not clear whether or not this internal artistic confusion was genuine, in Fellini's case, but it does not matter to his puppet, Guido Anselmi, for intent is meaningless in art. The end result is all, always all. Thus, 8 ½ is a weird mélange of Freudian pop nonsense (id, ego, superego), and Salvador Dalì lite imagery, that badly dates the film intellectually. All of it is well handled, in beautiful black and white cinematography by Gianni de Venanzo, with an intriguing and well-placed musical score by Nino Rota, to enhance the artificiality of it all, but all the personal references, which in the film do little to enhance an understanding of Guido, even as they may lend obsessive critics insight into Fellini's life, drag the film down by its own overblown heft....8½ improves with rewatching, but it's still too long, filled with clumsy satire- Saraghina and the Cardinal, pointless digressions, and the like.

The Last Great Fellini Film
After 8 films, having acquired the status of an Italian icon (a much criticized one, of course, as with all Italian icons, which Italians - and Italo-Americans like me - take particular joy in tearing down) and overwhelming international fame, Fellini felt himself trapped, boxed in by demands and expectations and unable to create. So he shattered the box, threw away his script and wrote this outrageous, self regarding, egoistic, surreal and utterly brilliant meditation on ....himself! His predicament, his creative problems, his loves, his childhood, his aging, his fantasies. As in the most famous scene, he takes the whip and makes the elements of his life dance around him... at least until he is overwhelmed. And, for most folks, it works utterly. You are swept away in the swirl of images and emotions, and willingly allow yourself to go along for the ride. The world, as with most of the reviewers here, loved it. After all, despite the relentlessly inward focus of the film, these concerns of life, love and aging are our own concerns, too. His unforgettable images resonate with most of us. Although not everyone is willing to go along for this particular ride, as attested to by the much smaller number of extremely negative reviews. Hey, if you don't like the roller coaster, don't get on one!

But once you have taken such an extreme and self indulgent step - where do you go next? Sadly, that is one problem which Fellini never solved. After this, he mostly just made "Fellini films", repeating the same motifs and images that once seemed so daring, far past the point of self parody. To be sure, there are some wonderful moments in "Amarcord" and "Roma". In fact he rarely made a film without some things of real interest. But never again was he anywhere near as consistently good, as much on the cutting edge of international film, as he was in the ten years from 1953 to 1963. I Vitelloni (1953), La Strada (1954), Nights of Cabiria (1957), La Dolce Vita (1960), 8 1/2 (1963): How many directors have a run like that, with so many unforgettable images?

Italian Film Classic
Excellent Film by Fellini. A bit of a break from Italian Neo-Realism, but it works and it must be seen numerous times in order to get further into the meaning of what he is projecting or attempting to get across to the audience.

Beautifully honest depiction of ones struggle to create...
Federico Fellini's `8 ½' is a film about film. It carries the very essence of art in it's most entrancing form and delivers a beautiful interpretation of the glories as well as the tragedies of creating that said art. I think that may be why `8 ½' is considered to be one of the finest films ever made, because it truly fleshes out the angels and demons involved in getting a directors vision off the ground. It attacks the distress and anguish over desiring to create something meaningful and original without turning your good name into a disgrace by inventing a flop. Thanks to a very strong and honest performance by Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni, `8 ½' becomes something real and beautiful.

Mastroianni plays Guido Anselmi, an Italian director who is trying to escape pressure to start his next film. While supposedly resting at a spa he finds himself bombarded by critics and producers and actresses, all wanting to know what his next film is going to be about, what their roles are going to be and when they can expect to start shooting. The problem is that Guido can't decide what his next film should be about. He wants to create something beautiful, something strong and meaningful but his ideas are not coming as richly as he would like. Guido cannot seem to find solace outside of work with his wife and even his mistress giving him grief on a personal level and so Guido finds himself retreating into his mind, concocting dream sequences that prove to be the greatest inspiration for his next film.

It is also within these dreams that we come to know who Guido really his. We see segments from his childhood, fictionalized to create a dream world in which he is free to explore the facets of his life that helped shape the man, the director, the artist that he is today. To me, the opening scene alone is what defines the final feeling I was left with at the movies end. The scene, involving Guido trapped inside a car filling with fumes, cars surrounding him at all sides, his constant screams and pleadings going unanswered, unnoticed even express the struggle one has to undergo in order to create their vision; pressure building from all sides to conform and sell-out and give in to the demands of others.

The acting here is superb, truly elevating this film to masterpiece levels of greatness. Marcello Mastroianni is marvelous as Guido, really getting into his soul and fleshing out his ever feeling; from distress and desperation to a giddy gleefulness that comes from becoming a part of his vision. Anouk Aimee is effective as Luisa, Guido's troubled wife. Her face reads many layers of pain and heartache. Sandra Milo is superbly cast as Carla, Guido's mistress. She is charming and funny and full of life; a nice contrast to the cold etched on Mastroianni's face. Claudia Cardinale is a dream as Guido's muse Claudia, an actress who tends to be almost too demanding for Guido's taste. Barbara Steele is intriguing as Gloria, the fiancée of Guido's good friend Mario and Mario Pisu is impressive as that good friend. All involved, the ones mentioned as well as each and every other supporting actor, are wonderfully cast and only add to the films greatness.

What I love about `8 ½' is the fact that it allows the audience to appreciate what goes into creating the films we all love to watch. In fact, I think that `8 ½' is a film that any lover of film must witness for it completes the obsession so-to-speak, giving us a chance to live the life of the ones responsible for giving us these gifts in film. It has been noted that `8 ½' is somewhat of an autobiographical film for Fellini, and it truly possesses an honesty that could only come from experience. As the film draws to a close one is forced to face the fear of creating something below you, while confronting the heartbreak that comes from abandoning something you truly treasure because of fear of outside interpretation.

I couldn't help but see a likeness to Woody Allen when watching this movie. It had that same sort of dramedy vibe that Allen seems to capture (granted I have not seen a lot of Allen's films but it's undeniable the similarities). The film never seems dated or irrelevant. The rich black and white tones are beautifully captured and displayed for the audience, and the cinematography, score and set design (including the costumes) are all top notch. `8 ½' could have been made last year, it is that beautifully constructed. Rightfully winning the Oscar for Best Foreign Film (and rightfully garnering Fellini a directing nomination), `8 ½' is one of the greatest films I've had the pleasure of witnessing. Named by many as one of the top 50 films of all time, I truly feel that `8 ½' is actually one of the most important films of all time, for it allows the public to crawl inside their obsession with film and understand the makings of cinema all to a greater degree.