8½ (1963)

Director:

Federico Fellini

Writers:

Federico Fellini (story) &
Ennio Flaiano (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

25 June 1963 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy

Tagline:

A picture that goes beyond what men think about - because no man ever thought about it in quite this way!

Plot:

A harried movie director retreats into his memories and fantasies.

Plot Keywords:

Director | Mistress | Spa | Childhood | Film Director

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 14 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Marcello Mastroianni	...	Guido Anselmi
Claudia Cardinale	...	Claudia
Anouk Aimée	...	Luisa Anselmi (as Anouk Aimee)
Sandra Milo	...	Carla
Rossella Falk	...	Rossella
Barbara Steele	...	Gloria Morin
Madeleine Lebeau	...	Madeleine, l'attrice francese
Caterina Boratto	...	La signora misteriosa
Eddra Gale	...	La Saraghina (as Edra Gale)
Guido Alberti	...	Pace, il produttore
Mario Conocchia	...	Conocchia, il direttore di produzione
Bruno Agostini	...	Bruno - il secondo segretario di produzione
Cesarino Miceli Picardi	...	Cesarino, l'ispettore di produzione
Jean Rougeul	...	Carini, il critico cinematografico
Mario Pisu	...	Mario Mezzabotta
Yvonne Casadei	...	Jacqueline Bonbon
Ian Dallas	...	Il partner della telepata
Mino Doro	...	L'agente di Claudia
Nadia Sanders	...	Nadine, la Hostess (as Nadine Sanders)
Georgia Simmons	...	La nonna di Guido
Edy Vessel	...	L'indossatrice (as Hedy Vessel)
Tito Masini	...	Il cardinale
Annie Gorassini	...	L'amica del produttore
Rossella Como	...	Un'amica di Luisa
Mark Herron	...	Il corteggiatore di Luisa
Marisa Colomber	...	Una zia di Guido
Neil Robinson	...	L'agente dell'attrice francese
Elisabetta Catalano	...	Matilde, la sorella di Luisa
Eugene Walter	...	Il giornalista americano
Hazel Rogers	...	La negretta
Gilda Dahlberg	...	La moglie del giornalista americano
Mario Tarchetti	...	L'ufficio di stampa di Claudia
Mary Indovino	...	La telepata
Frazier Rippy	...	Il segretario laico
Francesco Rigamonti	...	Un'amico di Luisa
Giulio Paradisi	...	Un'amico
Marco Gemini	...	Guido da ragazzo
Giuditta Rissone	...	La madre di Guido
Annibale Ninchi	...	Il padre di Guido
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Antonio Acqua	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Gideon Bachman	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Maria Antonietta Beluzzi	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Agnes Bonfanti	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Deena Boyer	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Mathilda Calnan	...	Un'amica di Luisa (uncredited)
Giulio Calì	...	Un uomo ai fanghi (uncredited)
Franco Caracciolo	...	Young Priest (uncredited)
Anna Caramini	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Olimpia Cavalli	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Elisabetta Cini	...	Un cardinale (uncredited)
Alfredo De Lafeld	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Sebastiano De Leandro	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Dina De Santis	...	Dina, 'nipote' di Cesarino (uncredited)
Edward Fleming	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Grazia Frasnelli	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Sonia Gessner	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Eva Gioia	...	Eva, 'nipote' di Cesarino (uncredited)
Riccardo Guglielmi	...	Guido da bambino (uncredited)
John Karlsen	...	L'uomo in auto (uncredited)
John Francis Lane	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Valentina Lang	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Annarosa Lattuada	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Palma Mangini	...	La vecchia alla fattoria (uncredited)
Roberto Nicolosi	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Polidor	...	Un pagliaccio (uncredited)
Maria Raimondi	...	Una zia di Guido (uncredited)
Nino Rota	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Luciana Sanseverino	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
John Stacy	...	Il cassiere (uncredited)
Maria Tedeschi	...	La direttrice della scuola (uncredited)
Flaminia Torlonia	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Roberta Valli	...	La ragazza alla fattoria (uncredited)
Maria Wertmuller	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Vadim Wolkowsky	...	Bit Part (uncredited)

Directed by
Federico Fellini

Writing credits
Federico Fellini		(story) &
Ennio Flaiano		(story)
Ennio Flaiano		(screenplay) &
Tullio Pinelli		(screenplay) &
Federico Fellini		(screenplay) &
Brunello Rondi		(screenplay)

Produced by
Angelo Rizzoli	....	producer

Original Music by
Nino Rota

Cinematography by
Gianni Di Venanzo

Film Editing by
Leo Cattozzo		(as Leo Catozzo)

Production Design by
Piero Gherardi

Art Direction by
Piero Gherardi

Set Decoration by
Vito Anzalone

Costume Design by
Piero Gherardi
Leonor Fini		(uncredited)

Makeup Department
Otello Fava	....	makeup artist
Renata Magnanti	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Mario Basili	....	production manager
Clemente Fracassi	....	production manager
Nello Meniconi	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Francesco Aluigi	....	assistant director
Guidarino Guidi	....	second assistant director
Giulio Paradisi	....	assistant director
Alessandro von Norman	....	assistant director (as Alessandro Norman)
Lina Wertmüller	....	third assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Luciano Ricceri	....	assistant scenic designer
Brunello Rondi	....	artistic advisor

Sound Department
Alberto Bartolomei	....	sound
Mario Faraoni	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Pasqualino De Santis	....	camera operator (as Pasquale De Santis)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Orietta Nasalli-Rocca	....	assistant costume designer (as Orietta Nasalli Rocca)
Clara Poggi	....	tailor

Editorial Department
Adriana Olasio	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Mirella Gamacchio	....	script supervisor
Angelo Iacono	....	production assistant
Albino Morandini	....	production assistant (as Albino Morandin)
Mario Basili	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Mario Carotenuto	....	voice dubbing: Mario Conocchia (uncredited)
Renata Marini	....	voice dubbing: Anouk Aimée (uncredited)
Elio Pandolfi	....	voice dubbing: Frazier Rippy (uncredited)
Stefano Satta Flores	....	voice dubbing: Guido Alberti (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Cineriz
• Francinex

Distributors

• Columbia Films (1963) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Columbia (1963) (France) (theatrical)
• Embassy Pictures Corporation (1963) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Corinth Films (1980) (USA) (all media)
• Vestron Video (1983) (USA) (VHS) (dubbed)
• Vestron Video (1988) (USA) (video)
• Medusa Home Entertainment (2003) (Italy) (DVD)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2004) (Australia) (DVD)
• Cinema Mondo (2004) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Homescreen (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Zazie Films (2008) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2007) (Germany) (DVD) (Special Edition)
• Vii Pillars Entertainment (2008) (Hong Kong) (DVD)
• Imagica TV (2008) (Japan) (DVD)
• Altomedia. Co. Ltd. (????) (Korea) (DVD)
• Altomedia. Co. Ltd. (????) (Korea) (VHS)
• Criterion Collection, The (2010) (USA) (DVD)
• Emerald (2006) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Kino International (USA)
• LK-TEL Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2012) (Australia) (TV)
• Versátil Home Vídeo (Brazil) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"Federico Fellini's 8 1/2" - USA
"Federico Fellini's 8½" - USA (complete title)

Runtime:

138 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

Italian | English | French | German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Not Rated | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Norway:16 | Peru:14 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (re-rating) (1989) | UK:A (original rating) | Norway:15 (2004) | Singapore:PG | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:M (DVD rating) | Netherlands:12 (DVD rating) | South Korea:15 (DVD rating) (2003) | Italy:T

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Cineriz

Trivia:

The title refers to the number of movies Federico Fellini had directed up until that point - six features, two short (1/2) films and "half a picture" (Variety Lights (1950) his first, co-directed with Alberto Lattuada), for a total of 7 1/2. So this one is number 8 1/2.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Guido visits the cardinal in the mud bath, the cardinal is sitting in a chair, fully dressed in his cassock, as two attendants use a sheet to form a curtain around him; however, as the camera cuts to a closer angle, the cardinal is suddenly undressed to the waist.

Quotes:

Guido:I thought my ideas were so clear. I wanted to make an honest film. No lies whatsoever. I thought I had something so simple to say. Something useful to everybody. A film that could help bury forever all those dead things we carry within ourselves. Instead, I'm the one without the courage to bury anything at all. When did I go wrong? I really have nothing to say, but I want to say it all the same.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

The Ride of the Valkyries

The Dude abides

When I first saw 8 1/2 I didn't know what to make of it. I thought it was the sardonic, mysterious product of a confused great director. I should consider though that I also was really young and it was the first foreign film I had ever seen. I revisited it a few years later, having seen one of Fellini's earlier masterpieces "I Vitelloni", being impressed by it, and further reading about the legendary Fellini, I was able to approach 8 1/2 with a much fresher perspective.

"8 1/2" is about a director who is struggling to get through a film that he has little initiative in, and must confront (or rather juggle) the stress of the project with his chaotic sex life, and the women apart of it. Guido is a day-dreamer, spaced-out, tugged around on a daily basis. From the opening shot, Fellini establishes the emotional basis of this movie beautifully. Guido is trapped in his car while some ominous gas begins to suffocate him. The dream is one of claustrophobia and entrapment. Taking place during an immobile traffic jam, hostile figures are watching him from their cars. Guido manages to escape, and flies through the air, only to be tugged back down by a movie producer (reminiscent of "The Man in Me" sequence from The Big Lebowski).

From the first 3 minutes, we learn that this man feels trapped and suffocated by his environment, and has an intense need to escape. After this uncanny and powerful dream sequence, we get introduced to Guido's life, and the many people in it. He uses his zany girlfriend for sex (the routine role-playing they do further stresses that Guido wants to escape his world). The next scene takes place in the park as he discusses his upcoming film with his agent, during the course of which everything in the movie slows down to a halt as he spots a beautiful young Claudia Cardinale in the distance. But no, this is just another brief fantasy of his.

The next scene takes place at the garden where he is supposed to meet someone to discuss his upcoming project. Signifficantly, most of the people you will see in this scene are very old, or religious. This represents a sort of forever entrapment into ones own social rituals, an idea which deeply frightens Guido.

What's interesting about this scene is how Fellini uses music. "The Ride of the Valkyries", an epic orchestral piece that people best remember years later from Apocalypse Now, with Kilgore blasting it on the speakers as he leads a helicopter assault on a Vietnamese village; is used twice in this film. It's not to intensify drama, not to heighten emotion, but to emphasize banality. It acts as an ironic counterpoint to what Guido sees as rich, boring people going about their day-to-day business.

The recurring big opera music in the film is used as a means of expressing Guido's lust for life, wanting to be a great director, but only being in love with the superficial aspects of it, the music, the women, the sex, the style. While he has a love (or better-put, lust) for the grandeur, he is essentially a very shallow person, and that's why he finds himself stuck trying get this movie made.

The executive later exclaims about his film "One wonders what the author is trying to say", and it's at this moment that Fellini's camera shoots into a closeup and Guido look almost directly at the audience; he doesn't.

He has a jarring disconnection with people as a whole, and the final scene, as the people from his life all dance around him as Nino Rota's circus music plays sums up the film about as profoundly as you can imagine. It's an over-the-top surrealist moment, a great metaphor, a clunky musical, but man does it work. In context with the rest of the movie, it's how Guido sees this one, big chaotic circus world that surrounds him, that's blocking him from the rest of the world. Signifficantly, the platform is a circle and Guido finds himself in the middle; he can climb high up the stairs, he can reach far, but he's perpetually trapped and can't escape them.

The end symbolizes a kind of passive acceptance of the chaotic world which you may find yourself in, and that art can be a means not so much of escapism, but of emotional balance and personal transcendence.