Federico Fellini's 8 1/2 is one of my all-time favorite movies. I honestly believe it to be one of the most creative films I have ever seen. Told through a brilliant collage of memories, fantasies, and experiences, 8 1/2 presents its protagonist, a famous director named Guido Anselmi (Marcello Mastroianni), with a psychological intimacy so deep that it could never be told in a conventional way. Fellini believed in telling a story as he understood it, even if he, himself, did not understand it. This honesty is what brings the confusion of Guido to life. No one, not even Guido, is completely sure of what is going on. Guido is lost on many levels, searching for something, but he does not know what. While he probes through his mind, seeking answers, there is an unrelenting paparazzi buzzing around the famous director, asking infinite questions about his upcoming picture. Guido would most-likely provide answers to the people around him, if he knew any of the answers they seek. His world and his mind are filled with questions and devoid of answers. Mastroianni does a remarkable job of showing the stress and strain Guido is under. His face is so worn at certain points in the movie. He appears to be exhausted himself. Watching this, it's hard not to see that Guido is on the edge, clinging to the idea that the next moment will provide his long-awaited answers. His problems only gain momentum, however, until a press conference that changes his personal and artistic lives forever. Fellini does a magnificent job at balancing Guido's Freudian fantasies and tension-filled life so that the downward spiral of one man's breakdown is elevated, through surrealism, to an almost dreamlike state. The supporting cast is quite effective with a wide array of eccentricities. Nino Rota's music is playful and whimsical, catering to the insanity that is Guido's high-profile world. Gianni Di Venanzo's cinematography is equally extraordinary. Federico Fellini's 8 1/2 is as spectacular as his alter-ego, Guido, would have wished his film could have been. Out of a crippling creative block came a brilliantly conceived work of creative genius! An outstanding film!
Review of 8½
