8 1/2 - Criterion Collection

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Summary: movies wed all like to make
Review: from what i have read in fellini interviews and his own writings, he was not a terribly interesting person. we can feel comfort with that in academic studies until the bulb flickers, and the first scene of this movie start. this is probably the first of the film making films that dive to the gut of artistry. alcoholism, hedonism, selfishness, ridiculous. he makes a film about being alive, italian, frustrated, alive, a film about coming to town with a plate of meat and cheese at your beck and call, and then wanting to send it through the window for no other reason then it is. fellini, like fante, felt what it was like to be italian. like goddard knew what it was like to be french.

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Summary: Yes
Review: Let me know if you find a better film. I can't.

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Summary: an artistic brilliance rarely achieved
Review: A cinematic exploration into the very thing that makes life worth living. Very few films can lay claim to such a feat; it should be seen for the circus finale alone.

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Summary: Incredible!
Review: It's pretty hard to explain what is so great about the story in the film. I think what attracts me to the film is the way I can relate to the story in so many inexplicable ways. The weave of dream sequences, to the past, to the present in this film is perfect! On top of that, if you appreciate movies shot in black and white then this one is a must. You will be impressed with the aesthetic quality and the story of this film right from the start. Also, if you like this film then definetly see "Stardust" memories.

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Summary: What a Director Dreams of a Masterpiece
Review: Federico Fellini masterpiece hasn't faded a bit but is as sweeping and lush as it was in the early 60s. Commonly seen as an autobiographical effort, it is more a self-commentary on his own style of filmmaking. Fellini loves caricatures and he clearly paints his women Anouk Aimee as the plain unhappy wife, Sandra Milo as the voluptuous shallow girlfriend, Edra Gale as the monstrous Saraghina, and Claudia Cardinale as the ideal dream girl -- not unlike Dante Aligheri's Beatrice. As a finale, he gathers all he knows into one big circus ring, another caricature on life's meaning. Or take the childhood phrase "asa nisi masa" which refers to the feminine soul (anima). Many of his characters appear almost as clowns/caricatures. Guido, like Fellini, does not work from a script, but looks to the changing relationship between his characters as his inspiration for the development of the script and plot. Hence, Guido (Marcello Mastroianni) receives constant criticism and pressure from past figures (priests and his father) and his film colleagues and producers. Only when he actually meets his star (Claudia Cardinale) does idealism turn to realism as the dream girl becomes a material person who tell Guido that he is a "cheat" since he has no script and part for her. Fellini is such a master of the the dream sequences from which he moves so smoothly and effortlessly to reality. Only after being told there is no role (for Claudia) does Guido begin to face reality. This last scene actually approaches the Fellini-Cardinale relationship during shooting. When one realizes this parallel between filmmaking and personal life, it is not surprising that Fellini chooses his wife, Guilietta Masini, (although not in this film) to often be his leading lady. With this film, Fellini moved from neorealism to introspective fantasy which becomes highly apparent in his later films "City of Women," "Satyricon," etc. Finally, I feel that his earlier films up to and including "8 1/2" are much better than his later self-indulgent fantasy films.

Rating:
Summary: Very elegant, very intriguing
Review: Easily Fellini's best work, everything about this film falls perfectly into place, from Mastrioanni's always-perfect acting to the wonderful cinematography. Not a universally loved film, but a must-see nevertheless.

Rating:
Summary: Genius!
Review: The best film I've ever seen! Need I say more

Rating:
Summary: When you're lost...see 8 1/2!
Review: A fantastic film by Federico Fellini. I've appreciated it so much. It's a story of a creative crisis (and everyone of us probably had the same) in which dream and reality unite in a unique poetry style. Great!

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Summary: The Opposition
Review: Yes, this film was revolutionary and, yes, it influenced a lot of directors, but I have to wonder sometimes at Fellini's sensibility. At least he gives the characters an inkling of depth in this movie, as opposed to the parodically-flat characterization of Amarcord or Satyricon. But this is still a world peopled by Fellini-types: shallow, self-absorbed, and unenlightened. No one can ever accuse Fellini of having a PHILOSOPHY. And the protagonist's flights of fancy, which seem opaque the first time you watch them, unravel into mindlessly obvious metaphors upon a second viewing. Again, yes, his reality is insufferably shallow and, yes, he wants to retreat into his imagination. But, after you understand that, is there really anything else there? I think a lot of people are so taken with the idea of an art film that's watchable--and it IS watchable, what with the pretty girls and all--that they fail to see that Fellini is mostly smoke and mirrors, a fact that becomes painfully obvious with his later work. Fellini DID rid the world of Italian Neo-Realism, which was drying up by the time 8 1/2 was released, but he didn't put anything substantive in its place. All of this would be forgivable if his images were well-conceived...but with the exception of the opening sequence (which is godawfully good), he's not much of a cinematographer either. Enough Fellini worship.

Rating:
Summary: Wow; if I could give a film 1,000,000 stars, this is the one
Review: Quite simply put, the best, most original piece of film-making of all time. Fans of intellectual cinema are cheating themselves if they have not yet seen this masterpiece.