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5.0 out of 5 stars
Fellini & Mastroianni Essential Viewing,
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This review is from: 8 1/2 (DVD)
If you have ever wondered what all the fuss was about regarding director Fellini & leading man, alter-ego Mastroianni, this film will resolve any doubts. It is a superb autobiographical look at Fellini (played wonderfully by Mastroianni) by Fellini. He sugarcoats nothing so it is a complete portrait of the artist, the man, the filmmaker. It is peopled by the many distinctive faces that would be called Felliniesque in later years plus is shot in surreal, dreamy black and white. Perhaps the most complex issue is the role of women in his life plus its related issue of family. Those hugely influenced his filmmaking even though most viewers associate him with much more avant garde issues. This film later influenced Woody Allen in making his autobiographical "Stardust Memories" and Bob Fosse in making "All That Jazz." The word that comes to mind about all 3 films is "unflinching." There is a companion film to this one that I like as well or even better, Fellini's "City of Women," also starring Mastroianni.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fellini's fragmented masterpiece of an internal crisis...,
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This review is from: 8 1/2 (DVD)
The prominent film director Guido (Marcello Mastroianni) finds himself overworked, harassed, and fatigued in all aspect of being. Guido is sent to a health spa where he is supposed to recover from his stressful life, but instead is continuously pursued by people around him, by his past, and by his conscious. The people around Guido are either dependent on him, desire his company, or merely try to advertise themselves in his presence. In order to cope with a large number of people Guido has developed a social dance where he is able to circumvent or approach the individuals of his choosing. This dance is also Guido's way of dealing with life and its complications, which affects him physically, psychologically, and socially.8 fragmentally displays Guido's life as he dances between reality, dreams, and memories in the developmental stage of a film production. This cerebral dance helps him to avoid what is deemed as uncomfortable as he escapes into his memories where he can find some joy and peace. However, Guido often reminds himself of how his past sometimes plagues him as he can recollect deep memories of discomfort and guilt. These negative emotions lead Guido into an internal crisis where he struggles with his decisions in the light of moral judgment that is heavily weighted by his Catholic upbringing. Despite the internal crisis, the dance continuous as Guido is compelled to flee his painful memories by seeking company outside of his marriage as he seeks self-affirmation when he is alone. The cheating provokes further guilt which urges Guido to remain dancing as he escapes into a dream world where he attempts to unify memories with the present where his consciousness sets the rules. But to Guido's dismay he finds the dreams forcing him back into reality as his dreams rebel against himself. This is due to his conflicting ideas that are simultaneously rejected and approved of in order to find temporary happiness and please those around him. In essence, it is Guido's denial of his own lies that is the root to his guilt and unhappiness. Fellini's 8 is a cinematic masterpiece, which encourages analytical and artistic thinking as it dives into a dense fabric of inventive imagery. Vividly Fellini paints Guido's moral crisis onto the silver screen, which offers a surreal cinematic experience as it drifts between reality and dreams. In addition, 8 shows Fellini's profound understanding of human psychology, which possibly could have been based on himself. The fragmented story line enhances the visual feeling of the stress that Mastroianni's character experiences as well as developing a deep understanding for his mind. The opening shot where Guido dreams of being enclosed in a smoldering car stuck in traffic displays Fellini's true cinematic genius as he develops an image of panic, anxiety, and fear. This visualization is something that can be discovered in every film that Fellini has directed as well as his trademark of having a circus-like atmosphere. 8 has everything of what makes it a Fellini film, which offers a unique experience that could only have been accomplished by a true cinematic artist.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Movie About the Artist,
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This review is from: 8 1/2 (DVD)
I saw 8 (1963) for the first time on South Street in Philadelphia at the old TLA theatre. I was in my mid-twenties and liked the big-breasted women. Saw the movie again yesterday at the Colonial in Phoenixville, PA, a wonderfully restored small town theatre, and reentered the world of the great director Federico Fellini. The cast consisted of Marcello Mastroianni (mid life crisis of the great director), Claudia Cardinale (the perfect woman), Sandra Milo (the chesty but dim lover) and Anouk Aimée (the ordinary wife he cheats on).For Fellini, 8 continued a trend away from the realism of his early movies to a surrealistic view of his own life. The film has a simple premise. The great director has no idea what his next movie is about, while his producer and film company wait for Mastroianni to tell them what the movie is about. It does not help that Mastroianni falls in love with every woman in the cast and every woman he ever knew. The famous harem scene is near the end of the movie, where all the women in his life await his every whim. The older ones get banished upstairs. When the women revolt, he gets his whip and regains order. The women love him again. Oh, irony, but in Surrealism, Freud reigns supreme and dreams are a wish. I rate 8 one of ten best movies ever made.
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