Fellini’s 8 1/2
Classic Film: 8 1/2
Director: Federico Fellini
Starring: Marcello Mastroianni, Anouk Aimee
Runtime: 138 mins
Rating: * * * * *
After his worldwide hit La Dolce Vita, Federico Fellini found himself at something of a loose end, unable to marshal his ideas into a coherent follow-up. Paralysed by the fear that he might have run out of ideas, he dropped the preparation for the movie he had been working on, and set about creating arguably his finest work, a movie about a man unable to make a movie.
It’s a pretty reductive way of putting it, and the story behind the story is almost as fascinating as the film itself, but in this article, space is an issue. Not so for 8½, which explores the most intimate and revealing niches of the film’s lead, Guido Anselmi (Mastroanni), a roguish, sunglasses-wearing film director. The movie plays fast and loose with reality, slipping casually between dream, memory, fantasy and reality with astounding ease; 8½ challenges the audience to keep up with what is really happening.
Fellini depicts the world of movie-making with a sense of exasperation, and Guido’s encounters with needy actors, wheedling producers and thoroughly useless hangers-on – including a remarkably detestable film critic who Guido fantasises about killing – are often far more surreal than the ‘fantasy’ episodes. The best bet is to leave a critical mind at the door, as Fellini allows the film to sail through a procession of stunning visuals and delicately touching emotional moments. The film’s climax is one of the most moving in cinema history.
Guido talks repeatedly about making a film that is, above all else, honest, although it is difficult to pin down where the honesty really lies, particularly when dealing with a character (and a director) who is a renowned liar. Whether you take Guido to be a direct avatar for Fellini doesn’t matter so much. At heart, 8½ is a movie about acceptance, about being what one really is, rather than what one would perhaps like to be.
