8½ (1963)

User Rating:

8.2/10   

Director:

Federico Fellini

Writers:

Federico Fellini (story) &
Ennio Flaiano (story) ...

Release Date:

25 June 1963 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy

Plot:

A harried movie director retreats into his memories and fantasies.

Plot Keywords:

Director | Film Director | Producer | Film Making | Crown

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 13 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Marcello Mastroianni	...	Guido Anselmi
Claudia Cardinale	...	Claudia
Anouk Aimée	...	Luisa Anselmi (as Anouk Aimee)
Sandra Milo	...	Carla
Rossella Falk	...	Rossella
Barbara Steele	...	Gloria Morin
Madeleine Lebeau	...	Madeleine, l'attrice francese
Caterina Boratto	...	La signora misteriosa
Eddra Gale	...	La Saraghina (as Edra Gale)
Guido Alberti	...	Pace, il produttore
Mario Conocchia	...	Conocchia, il direttore di produzione
Bruno Agostini	...	Bruno - il secundo segretario di produzione
Cesarino Miceli Picardi	...	Cesarino, l'ispettore di produzione
Jean Rougeul	...	Carini, il critico cinematografico
Mario Pisu	...	Mario Mezzabotta

Also Known As:

8 1/2 (Italy) (alternative spelling)
8½ (Italy) (alternative spelling)
Eight and a Half (USA) (alternative spelling)
Federico Fellini's 8 1/2 (USA)
Federico Fellini's 8½ (USA) (complete title)
Huit et demi (France)
La bella confusione (Italy) (working title)
Otto e mezzo (Italy) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

138 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

Italian | English | French | German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:M (DVD rating) | Netherlands:12 (DVD rating) | South Korea:15 (DVD rating) (2003) | Italy:T | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Norway:16 | Peru:14 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (re-rating) (1989) | UK:A (original rating) | Norway:15 (2004)

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Cineriz

Trivia:

The film's working title was "La Bella Confusione", i.e. "The Beautiful Confusion".

Goofs:

Continuity: A man tells Guido that he has placed something in his right-hand pocket (a gun), when he goes to shoot himself under the table, he pulls it out of his left pocket.

Quotes:

Writer: You see, what stands out at a first reading is the lack of a central issue or a philosophical stance. That makes the film a chain of gratuitous episodes which may even be amusing in their ambivalent realism. You wonder, what is the director really trying to do? Make us think? Scare us? That ploy betrays a basic lack of poetic inspiration.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Zwischen Kino und Konzert - Der Komponist Nino Rota (1993)

One of the greatest cinematic achievements

Deeply personal and engaging, Fellini's story has an authenticity

to it that is very unique. As we marvel at the method actors and old

American films of the 50's & 60's, it is in the foreign films during

this era where the most impressive and innovative work was

being created (8 1/2 tops that list). I find films with stage-like acting, blatant morality, and little bits of

exciting action (like the American cinema of the 50's and 60's) to

be uncompelling. Personal stories are compelling. Personal

stories that are well done and make the viewer feel what the

filmmaker feels are even better. And 8 1/2 has two personal stories. One story is the dilemma the

lead faces: should he make another flashy, "hollywood" type

movie, or should he stay true to himself. The other personal story

is from the director himself. He's claustrophobic, caught in a

horrid web of making films that aren't true to what he FEELS is

right. He must conform to producers' wishes; he must appease

important people in the industry; he must make things flashy; he

must give away what he KNOWS is truth to survive in this industry.

It is in Fellini's 8 1/2 where he and the main character of the film

say, "Stop!" This personal story resonated with me. It subtly (and I can not

stress any more the subtle quality of this film) spoke to me,

instructing me to not follow what THEY expect. Do what you feel

you must do. Do what you feel that will fulfill your soul--not your

pocketbook, your sexual desires, or other pleasures. You can read my writing and that's fine, but you must see the film

because I am not doing Fellini's film any justice. It is in viewing

the film (and the long period after seeing it) that you will feel the

power of this film. As I am writing this review about 5 months after

seeing it, it has taken some time to settle in my head. Finally after

5 months, the revelations of the film have settled, and I can now

finally fully appreciate what Fellini has done.