8 1/2

classified 15 S
Film

Please note: This was screened in June 2015

Director
Federico Fellini
Cast
Marcello Mastroianni, Claudia Cardinale, Anouk Aimée, Sandra Milo
Details
139 mins, Subtitled, 1963, Italy/France

Newly restored and often cited (especially by other filmmakers) as one of the greatest movies ever made, Fellini’s autobiographical extravaganza blends drama, fantasy, social satire and self-critique.

Struggling with the big-budget follow-up to his recent hit, Guido Anselmi (Mastroianni) – clearly the director’s alter ego – retreats into a realm of reminiscence, anxiety and fantasy that reflects his feelings both about the film folk constantly pestering him and about the various women in his life: his wife (Aimée), his mistress (Milo) and an idealised actress (Cardinale). Gianni Di Venanzo’s striking black-and-white camerawork blends realist observation with an evocation of Guido’s inner dreamworld, Mastroianni manages to invest the self-centred protagonist with charm and a degree of dignity, and Nino Rota’s score succeeds in bringing coherence to the chaotically freewheeling circus that is Guido’s daily routine. Creative block rarely resulted in such feverish invention.

  • George Ferzoco, who teaches in the University of Bristol's Department of Religion and Theology, will introduce the Thu 4 June 17:50 screening. George is an Italianist and has lectured extensively on Italian cinema and Fellini.

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