Fellinis 8.1/2 Details

[Highly rated reviewer]

not for everyone

I wouldn’t go so far as to say this is a bad film, but I’d certainly say its appeal would be limited to a very small audience. Those who like art house pictures will find this self-indulgent romp a delight, however the flipside is that those who don’t would probably sooner do themselves serious self harm than watch all two hours of ‘8 ½’.

Personally, I found the showy manner in which the film was shot rather tiresome after a while and would have preferred Fellini to prove his abilities as a film-maker in a fuller sense – e.g. by making more than a cursory attempt of entertaining the audience, rather than somewhat arrogantly assuming that such things were below him (after all, it is a skill in itself).

In particular, his reputation for intelligent filmmaking was nowhere evident in the script – for all its ‘artifice’ it remains the one unambiguous thing about the film since he is quite incapable of subtle, nuanced self-analysis. This will sorely disappoint those who remember Fellini’s intelligent plotting and his ability to both shock and delight with equal ease in La Dolce Vita.

It is (of course) beautifully/pretentiously shot, incomprehensibly scripted and, to a great extent, plotless. However, to criticise it on these counts would be unfair – these are not Fellini’s criteria. The pleasure of the film is in appreciating the cinematography and the references to Fellini’s work, not in the film itself.

highly recomendable

one of fellini's best film