Fellinis 8.1/2 Reviews

[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.

Self indulgence at it’s finest!

Disclaimer: Firstly it is impossible to discuss this movie in such a short time and secondly I think I need to see this film a few more times before I feel I understand it.

The film follows director Guido Anselmi and his personal journey as he tries to make a follow up to his previous hit movie (Fellini made this after La Dolce Vita). The film shifts between reality and fantasy as the directors’ motives and talents are dissected by himself and those around him.

It is a self-reverential film with some genuinely funny moments as the producer (brilliantly played by Guido Alberti) questions the very fabric and direction of Anselmi’s project and by extension Fellini’s movie.

Ultimately this film depicts a man trying to marry warring sides of his personality. The artistic with the commercial; the spiritual with the carnal, both embodied within the choice of wife or mistress.

As you would expect it is in the visual where this film truly excels. Beautifully shot, this film at times literally made my jaw hang open in wonder. There are some incredible scenes such as where Guido enters a house and is confronted by every woman he has ever had feelings for before taking a whip to them. The shot alone of Claudia Cardinale appearing in a window dressed in white almost moved me to tears.

For anyone with the slightest interest in film this should be at the top of your must see list.

Amazing

I had heard of this film and the revered place it has in the cannon over many years, and avoided it - thinking that it would be too cerebral for me. On first viewing it was, and I agree with the reviewer who found it hard to follow.

What shone through most clearly were the stunningly beautiful nostalgic episodes. I then read a review, which pointed out that the whole piece is whipped up from nothing, a multi-faceted fantasy switching almost at random between different layers of thought: work (starting a film which may be like the one we are wathcing or something completely different), health (a panic attack followed by convalescence), lovers (a mistress, his wife, every woman he meets and desires).

Since then I have watched it a couple more times. There is so much here - too much for me to take in on my own in one go. And the best part, is that it keeps getting better because each shot is so well composed and the black and white images are overwhelming.

Fellini's Self-Analysis

What with all the clever little self-referential Hollywood films of late (e.g. 'Adaptation', 'Last Action Hero' ...) it's interested to go back and see a film which may have inspired them.

Here, Fellini writes and directs a seemingly autobiographical story about a director struggling to come to terms with what he percieves as his inability to love. The film follows the director as he goes through the process of writing the script for a movie -- THIS movie in fact (at some points, characters discussing his script point out shortcomings and inconsistencies in scenes that then play out in this film). At certain points the film slides into dream or fantasy sequences which explore how the main character's mind works. It's all very clever, sure -- but is it good movie?

Well, for the most part, yes. It's entertaining and original, although some scenes have a tendency to drag on a bit, and others are just plain confusing. There's plenty of dialogue and not much action, which means that it's obviously intended for the high-brow crowd -- this is LITERARY filmmaking we're talking about. If you enjoy these sorts of artistic European movies, odds are you should see this.

[Highly rated reviewer]

What was that all about?

I'm a very happily married man but if I was single and the most beautiful girl in the world walked into the room, I guess, in a moment of weakness, I would regale her with how wonderful Fellini's awe-inspiring masterpiece is.Attempting to woo her further I would then continue to bore her rigid with how this man saved my life, set foot on the moon before Armstrong and was instrumental in the fall of communism.

I would hope then she would call me a pretentious buffoon and advise me to watch less ridiculous films and concentrate more on substance not style.

This review is being typed in my sleep after watching a Joan Fontaine film.

highly recomendable

one of fellini's best film

Fellini's 8? is an entrancing masterpiece from start to finish; it is often complex and confusing, challenging the viewer to disentangle the various narratives - those of reality and fantasy - before any meaning can be translated and understood. The film follows a director's retreat into his own subconscious, as he suffers a nervous breakdown under the pressures of his latest film. It opens with a surreal sequence where the delirious protagonist, Guido, suffocates inside his car as others in their cars look on in apparent uncaring nonchalence. Later, the film sees Guido revisit childhood memories and past romances in ever stranger sequences, as the director (and Fellini) tries to assemble his vision - it is no coincidence that Guido's girlfriend, Claudia, is played by the beautiful Claudia Cardinale..<br><br>However, whilst it is almost thoroughly autobiographical, 8? is perhaps best read as a film about filmmaking - an ascerbic metafiction that confronts some of the absurdities which Fellini himself often observed, and challenges how films are supposed to "work", in much the same way as Godard or Truffaut. 8? is a film that delights and compells because it plays upon a knife edge, ever-threatening to collapse in upon itself (as the scene at the end demonstrates). It is Fellini's considerable skill that ensures it remains utterly watchable to the last.

Wish I Could Comment...

...but the subtitles were half cut off on both my television and my laptop, and therefore had to return the film unwatched. *sigh*

Dreams and Steam

I have to say that i love this film. A dreamy comfort that slowly allows the viewer to drift through the ever-changing narrative. Linear is not the key word here!

I imagine that some people will find this film slow and uneventful, and that it doesn’t conform to any conventions that they are used to ie. character motivation, linear narrative ect.

But it is this very 'anti establishment' result that produces joy for me.

Within western culture, there seems to be so many films that lack any real originality and charisma. The most avant-garde movie to come out of Hollywood is the boring and crude Donnie Darko (sorry if you like it, but its pretentious and utterly disposable).

Sorry about that slight tangent.

I would recommend this film to any body that is just starting to embrace ‘Art-House’ cinema. Its important to know who laid the foundations for the uprising in populist Avant-garde, and even if you have never heard of Fellini then I would say this is a good choice to start.

I just ask of you one favor in return for this mini review, that is that you embrace this film with an open mind, and are large screen.

Enjoy

Great movie - Bad subititles

All of the joy of watching this Fellini film was ruined by the struggle to read white subtitles on a white background. We eventually gave up the struggle without watching the film.