157 - 8 1/2, 1963, Italy. Dir. Federico Fellini.

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

157 - 8 1/2, 1963, Italy. Dir. Federico Fellini.

This traffic is a nightmare.

From which Guido cannot wake up.

Everyone is just sitting there.

And behaving rather strangely.

Guido is born from his car.  Coming out headfirst through the sunroof.

He floats.  Above the traffic.  Floats up into the sun.  Like Icarus. 

Pulled down by an agent and press agent, pulling on his rope.  Yanking his chain.  Pulling him down into the surf.

Guido is a film director.  And he is having trouble with his next film.

The doctor prescribes 300 ml of holy water.  Three doses taken in 15-minute intervals.

Carini the film critic advises him on his script.

He goes to a spa.

The camera pans grandly across a display of complex choreography.  The people at the spa all hitting their marks on cue.

The score soars.

The Ride of the Valkyries.

The Barber of Seville.

Claudia comes smiling.  Claudia Cardinale comes running.  Offers water.  Perhaps she is the solution.  The Ideal Woman.

Carla comes calling.  His mistress from Rome, Sandra Milo, comes by train.  Why did I invite her?  He puts her up in an off-the-beaten-path hotel to keep her out of sight.

Luisa comes to visit.  His separated wife, Anouk Aimee, comes to see him.  They go dancing.  Maybe things will work out.

Rosella comes with Luisa.  Luisa's friend, Rosella Falk, listens to Guido's confession.  He wants to make an honest film but has nothing honest to say.

The crew comes to the hotel.  Let us get this movie started!

They will film at the beach.  At a steel tower structure.  Designed to resemble a rocket launch pad.

Guido has memories of his childhood.  His grandmother's villa.  The prostitute on the beach.  His Catholic upbringing.

He has fantasies about the women.  All these women complicating his life.  If only he could use a whip.  Like a lion tamer.  A matador.

The Producer shows him screen tests.  Make a choice!  Guido makes no choices.

Luisa leaves.  Claudia appears.  Guido shows his movie set to her.  She puts him in his place.

Will Guido ever make his movie?

Will he have something honest to say?

Fellini called 8-1/2 "a liberating film."

With it and La Dolce Vita before it we have a world cinema master firing on all cylinders.

He is fully free of the burden of his neo-realism roots.  Free to focus on images and sounds.  Dreams, fantasies, hallucinations, memories.

And explore the creative struggle.

What does it mean to be an artist?  What does it mean to be an artist trying to create in a commercial medium?  With the voices of others pulling you in all directions?

The clowns enter playing music.

The artist needs friends.

The artist needs love.