Director: Federico Fellini Cinematographer: Gianni Di Venanzo
Made when neo-realism was still the reigning orthodoxy, Fellini’s surrealist avant-garde masterpiece is a portrait of a famous Italian film director, Guido Anselmi (Marcello Mastroianni), who is suffering from “director’s block”. Stalled on his new science fiction film that includes veiled autobiographical references, he loses interest amid artistic and marital difficulties. Fellini delivers a highly influential and inventive spectacle of imagery that’s helped along by a funny and thought provoking script, Mastroianni’s terrific performance and Nino Rota’s unique musical style. While the director’s own autobiographical tendencies became more accentuated with 8½, it’s his ability to draw from other people’s recollections and fantasies as well as his own, that made it his most representative film and one of the greatest ever.
The Criterion Collection [Blu-ray]
Soundtrack
The two hundred days of 8 1/2 (Hardcover)
The White Sheik, La Strada, Amarcord, 8½ (Movie Themes)
Lists:
- No. 6 on The Pendragon Society’s 1000 Greatest Films of All-Time(2019)
- No. 4 on Sight and Sound Directors Poll Top 100 Films (2012)
- Listed in the art category on the Vatican’s compilation of the 45 best films made before 1995 (1995)
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
- Mary Indovino as Maya, the clairvoyant
- Ian Dallas as Maurice, Maya’s assistant
- Giuditta Rissone as Guido’s mother
- Annibale Ninchi as Guido’s father
- Edy Vessel as a mannequin
Directed by Federico Fellini
Produced by Angelo Rizzoli
Screenplay by Federico Fellini, Ennio Flaiano, Tullio Pinelli, Brunello Rondi
Music by Nino Rota
Cinematography Gianni Di Venanzo
Edited by Leo Catozzo
Running time 138 minutes
Country Italy, France
Language Italian, French, English, German