8½
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
"Imitations of 8½ pile up by directors all over the world: Mickey One (Arthur Penn, 1965), Alex in Wonderland (Paul Mazursky, 1970), Beware of a Holy Whore (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1971), La Nuit américaine ("Day for Night") (François Truffaut, 1974), All That Jazz (Bob Fosse, 1979), Stardust Memories (Woody Allen, 1980), Sogni d'oro (Nanni Moretti, 1981), Parad Planet (Vadim Abdrashitov, 1984), La Pelicula del rey (Carlos Sorin, 1986), Living in Oblivion (Tom DiCillo, 1995), 8½ Women (Peter Greenaway, 1999), along with the successful Broadway musical, Nine (Maury Yeston and Arthur Kopit, 1982; revived 2003; made into a film in 2009, directed by Rob Marshall and starring Daniel Day-Lewis as Guido). Other films include Synecdoche, New York (Charlie Kaufman, 2008) and The Great Beauty (Paolo Sorrentino, 2013)."--Fellini biographer [[Tullio Kezich |
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8½ (Italian title: Otto e mezzo) is a 1963 comedy-drama film directed by Federico Fellini. Co-scripted by Fellini, Tullio Pinelli, Ennio Flaiano, and Brunello Rondi, it stars Marcello Mastroianni as Guido Anselmi, a famous Italian film director. Shot in black-and-white by cinematographer Gianni di Venanzo, the film features a soundtrack by Nino Rota with costume and set designs by Piero Gherardi.
Its title refers to Fellini's eight and a half films as a director. His previous directorial work consisted of six features, two short segments, and a collaboration with another director, Alberto Lattuada, the latter three productions accounting for a "half" film each.
Plot
Guido Anselmi (Marcello Mastroianni), a famous Italian film director, is suffering from "director's block". Stalled on his new science fiction film that includes veiled autobiographical references, he has lost interest amid artistic and marital difficulties. As Guido struggles half-heartedly to work on the film, a series of flashbacks and dreams delve into his memories and fantasies; they are frequently interwoven with reality.
Influence
Later in the year of the film's 1963 release, a group of young Italian writers founded Gruppo '63, a literary collective of the neoavanguardia composed of novelists, reviewers, critics, and poets inspired by 8½ and Umberto Eco's seminal essay, Opera aperta (Open Work).
The 1993 music video for R.E.M.'s song "Everybody Hurts" draws heavily from 8½ 's opening dream sequence, with the band stuck in a traffic jam. Subtitles of the thoughts of people trapped inside cars appear on screen until everyone abandons their vehicle to walk instead; then they vanish.
The European Network of Young Cinema NISI MASA was named after the phrase "Asa Nisi Masa" in 8½.
In 2010, the film was ranked #62 in Empire magazine's "The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema".
Cast
- Marcello Mastroianni as Guido Anselmi, a film director
- Anouk Aimée as Luisa Anselmi, Guido's wife
- Rossella Falk as Rossella, Luisa's best friend and Guido's confidante
- Sandra Milo as Carla, Guido's mistress
- Claudia Cardinale as Claudia, a movie star Guido casts as his Ideal Woman
- Simonetta Simeoni as young girl
- Guido Alberti as Pace, a film producer
- Mario Conocchia as Mario Conocchia, Guido's production assistant
- Bruno Agostini as Bruno Agostini, the production director
- Cesarino Miceli Picardi as Cesarino, the production supervisor
- Jean Rougeul as Carini Daumier, a film critic
- Mario Pisu as Mario Mezzabotta, Guido's friend
- Barbara Steele as Gloria Morin, Mezzabotta's new young girlfriend
- Madeleine LeBeau as Madeleine, a French actress
- Caterina Boratto as a mysterious lady in the hotel
- Eddra Gale as La Saraghina, a prostitute
- Eugene Walter as an American journalist
- Ian Dallas as Maurice