Amazon.co.uk Review
Federico Fellini's 8 1/2, his 1963 semi-autobiographical story about a worshipped filmmaker who has lost his inspiration, is still a mesmerising mystery tour that has been quoted (Woody Allen's Stardust Memories, Paul Mazursky's Alex in Wonderland) but never duplicated. Marcello Mastroianni plays Guido, a director trying to relax a bit in the wake of his latest hit. Besieged by people eager to work with him, however, he also struggles to find his next idea for a film. The combined pressures draw him within himself, where his recollections of significant events in his life and the many lovers he has left behind begin to haunt him. The marriage of Fellini's hyper real imagery, dreamy sidebars and the gravity of Guido's increasing guilt and self-awareness make this as much a deeply moving, soulful film as it is an electrifying spectacle. Mastroianni is wonderful in the lead, his woozy sensitivity to Guido's freefall both touching and charming--all the more so as the character becomes increasingly divorced from the celebrity hype that ultimately outpaces him. --Tom Keogh
Amazon.co.uk Review
Federico Fellini's 1963 semi-autobiographical story about a worshipped filmmaker who has lost his inspiration is still a mesmerising mystery tour that has been quoted (Woody Allen's Stardust Memories, Paul Mazursky's Alex in Wonderland) but never duplicated. Marcello Mastroianni plays Guido, a director trying to relax a bit in the wake of his latest hit. Besieged by people eager to work with him, however, he also struggles to find his next idea for a film. The combined pressures draw him within himself, where his recollections of significant events in his life and the many lovers he has left behind begin to haunt him. The marriage of Fellini's hyper-real imagery, dreamy sidebars and the gravity of Guido's increasing guilt and self-awareness make this as much a deeply moving, soulful film as it is an electrifying spectacle. Mastroianni is wonderful in the lead, his woozy sensitivity to Guido's freefall both touching and charming--all the more so as the character becomes increasingly divorced from the celebrity hype that ultimately outpaces him. --Tom Keogh, Amazon.com
Customer Reviews:
Applaud the man with no clear ideas.......2008-02-08
I have to admit that I didn't fully understand Federico Fellini's 8 ½. I got a little confused with the constant interchange between Guido's dreams, fantasies, memories, and present events. Although it was easy to distinguish the reality from fantasy, I did not fully understand the reason for these fantasies and what they were about. Having already seen a similar great mind game movie "Mulholland Dr." without a doubt, 8 ½ is one of the best movies made about filmmaking. Many believe that master director Federico Fellini based the movie on himself and his struggles. The movie appears semi-autobiographical because the central character in the movie is also a director named Guido Anselmi, played brilliantly by Marcello Mastroianni. It is about Guido's confusion on what his next movie is about. While trying to reach a decision, Guido also confronts his own personal problems.
Guido is already a successful and famous director. And for his next film, a science fiction one, he asked the studio for a massive construction of a prop spaceship. The construction cost the studio millions of Liras, but they did it anyway because they are confident with Guido's abilities. Before filming starts, Guido had a nervous breakdown that made him think about what he is doing. He then postpones the shoot and tries to rewrite the script. When he could not come up with the story he likes, he believes that he ran out of inspiration. So retreats to his dreams and fantasies to come up with one, while his producer, cast, and crew keep pressuring him to start the shoot.
Aside from his problems with his film's story, he also confronts his problems with his wife Luisa (Anouk Aimee) and his mistress Carla (Sandra Milo). Guido invites Luisa to the set even though he knows Carla is there. Guido is even careless enough to let the two women be present at the same place. Luisa knows about Guido's affair with Carla, but Guido keeps insisting her that its over. Fellini's directing is excellent. He gracefully guides the audience inside what is clearly a troubled man's mind. Sometimes, Fellini does not show a transition from the realities to the fantasies, but we know that it's only a fantasy because it couldn't have happened in reality. We take a journey through Guido's mind. From his memories of dancing with a prostitute as a child to a fantasy where he has all the woman in his life in the same room. Fellini's camera work is amazing, and he also added some entertaining dance sequences.
My only criticism here is that it takes the movie too long to get off the ground. It seems to be stuck in its launching pad at some times. Some scenes and sequences are a little too long and extended. Nonetheless, 8 ½ is still amazing and captivating. It exhibits and plays gently with the mind. 8 ½ is one of the stalwarts of foreign cinema, and I recommend this movie to movie lovers who want to see the works of Fellini.
La Dolce Cinema.......2007-10-08
One of the finest feats of cinematic engineering. Gorgeous, complex, fascinating and with mesmerising acting. Simply one of the best made films ever and a credit to Fellini.
Maybe it lacked personal relevance to really click with me but that shouldn't stop anyone from watching this. It is real art.
Criterion's 2-disc DVD is the one to get.......2007-08-23
There are several different issues of Fellini's 8½ available, but the quality varies wildly. As others have noted, Nouveaux's PAL disc has almost illegible subtitles and offers a poor presentation: on the other end of the scale, Criterion's remastered 2-disc NTSC edition is quite outstanding (though be careful not to confuse it with their earlier single-discedition).
The film itself is not to all tastes, and sadly not quite to mine. For the most part 8½ left me cold, one of those films where you get what is being done but it's just not on your wavelength. It's pointless to complain about it being hit-and-miss or confused, since erratic confusion is the nature of the beast as Fellini becomes possibly the first man to film his own nervous breakdown (or at very least his crisis of creativity). In many ways the turning point in Fellini's career where fantasy and grotesquery would become an increasing part of increasingly disjointed phantasmagorias with a design style as cluttered as a tart's dressing table, there are moments that strike home and the latter scenes with his wife and with Claudia work because there's a sense of self-awareness of Fellini's limitations not just as an artist but as a human being. But overall I was just left with the feeling that I'd got on the wrong train by mistake.
(Incidentally, to strike a timely note, it's amusing to note that the producer's brainless bimbo girlfriend is the spitting image of Paris Hilton!)
It's a shame Criterion's otherwise excellent 2-disc DVD couldn't locate the deleted sequences, although they are well represented in the excellent stills galeries. Alongside the 50-minute 'Director's Notebook' documentary TV special by Fellini, the 45-minute German Nino Rota documentary is interesting and has a wonderful moment where the composer accepts a proffered cigarette only to turn down a light because he doesn't smoke!
A Masterpiece Ruined.......2007-06-17
I saw this on TV a few months ago and thought it would be great to own on DVD. But, like another reviewer on this site, I gave up after 20 mins as the subtitles are - for the most part - unreadable: white subtitles on white backgrounds. The box proudly boasts "Digitally remastered from restored print" yet this is irrelevant if you've no idea what's going on. Didn't anyone from Nouveau Pictures look at a copy before pressing, think "oh, you can't read the subtitles" and change them? This level of incompetence is quite incredible. Avoid at all costs (unless, of course, you speak Italian).
Marvellous film, terrible subtitling.......2007-01-29
I love this film, but gave up watching this DVD 20 minutes in. The annoyingly large subtitles take up the bottom third of the screen at times blocking much of the picture. Worse, they are also frequently unreadable because of the white backgrounds in many scenes. Extremely frustrating.
Customer Reviews:
A small film but a great vehicle for Cagney.......2005-03-10
This is what James Cagney is all about, wisecracks, cockiness, hard as nails and no-nosense charisma.
The film is about Johnny Cave, the Deputy Chief of the Department of Weights and Measures as he fights against widespread corruption instigated by 'Respectable' businessman Abel Canning.
Although the plot sounds serious, the film is anything but. It is done in the goofball comedy style that was prevalent in the 30's and works especially his 'bickering' with fiance Mae Clark and his reactions to the tall stories of his colleague James Burke.
This is a definate for any fan of Cagney but what raises it from ordinary to 4 star rating is the dialogue and the great cast that delivers it. Dialogue is good but it is nothing unless it is delivered and bounces off all characters involved. This is done well by all throughout.
This is not a classic of the 30's but its good entertainment and thoroughly enjoyable.
DVD:
- Fellini - Satyricon [1969]
- Freaks [1932]
- Funny Face Dvd [1957]
- Gilda [1946]
- Guys And Dolls (Special Collector's Edition) [1955]
- Hamlet [1948]
- Harvey [1950]
- Haxan - Witchcraft Through The Ages [1922]
- Henri-Georges Clouzot Collection [1943]
- Henry V [1944]
DVD List
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![Fellini's 8.1/2 [1962]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/212CXNKT84L.jpg)
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