Yesterday was the first day of Cannes and it was the first time I saw a film with the intriguing title of 8½.
I'm not talking about that blending mode or the amount of films Fellini had made up until 1963 - or am I? 8½ premiered at the Cannes Film Festival that year and it became an instant success. 41 years after its release, it was honored by being selected for the official poster of the festival and it became one of the two films I decided to watch in order to forget I wasn't attending the festival. 8½ is a strange film that plays with your perception of reality and the world of dreams and also is fully aware of its sexiness as a black-and-white Italian film. Never again have the screens of our cinemas experienced such stylishness and they perhaps never will. Marcello Mastroianni strolls the hotel hallways, Dolce Vita beaches and film sets in a film set like a God who just so happens to pay us peasants a visit while also maintaining an oddly fragile flavor in his character. Obviously (question mark?) he represents director Fellini himself, who - according to film bibles - directed himself out of an existential crisis with this film. Fellini blends the oddity and dreaminess of La Strada with the hedonism from La Dolce Vita into some of the most delicious, intriguing cinematic mush I have tasted yet. (Or did I just say that because those are the Fellini films I have seen?). Beside the clever script, abstract imagery and intellectually stimulating dialogue, it's also, surprisingly, the sound that makes 8½ stand out in cinematic history. Whether it's the buzz from the door, the clicking of polished heels on marble or that all-Italian beach swoosh, the sound of this film sweeps you away and draws you in at the same time.
I think I know what the title stands for now: the 8½th heaven.
8½
1963 • Italy • Italian/ English/ French/ German
director Frederico Fellini
authors Frederico Fellini, Ennio Flaiano, Tullio Pinelli, Brunello Rondi
★ Marcello Mastroianni, Claudia Cardinale, Anouk Aimee
FINAL FRAME
„What is this flash of joy that's giving me new life?“
This was my first Fellini, I LOVED it but I don't think I really understood it. It begs for a rewatch!
ReplyDeleteEven I don't think I fully understood everything, it's very complex. But I loved it too, so much!
DeleteOne of my all-time favorite films ever and I think it's my third/fourth favorite film by Fellini as it's definitely a film that every film buff needs to see.
ReplyDeleteIt really is, there is so much interesting and unique stuff going on. I think it's one of those movies that get better every time you watch it. My favorite Fellini is La Strada but actually all of the three I've seen are incredibly good.
DeleteIndeed, there's quite a bit of abstract imagery. Been a few years since I saw 8½, the final scene is interesting, someone told me it's about rebirth(water/the ocean is a symbol of that), which offers a way to start over on a new path. But maybe Marcello is too old and too far gone for that, so he could be interpreted as a tragic character. Or perhaps he's got it all. Depends how you perceive his life.
ReplyDeleteoops!! I think I was talking about "La Dolce Vita" in my previous comment. Easily done, as they both star Marcello Mastroianni and are directed by Fellini. Agree the dialogue is really strong in 8½
ReplyDeleteHaha, no problem. Well, there is quite a weird ending to 81/2 too and it's also at the ocean if I remember right. Love La Dolce Vita too!
DeleteI'm not a huge fan of Fellini. I had to watch 8½ for a class and I can't say I enjoyed it, which is a bit weird because I love David Lynch, and even weirder because I found that this particular film actually has a similar plot to Inland Empire:
ReplyDeletehttp://hitchcocksworld.blogspot.ca/2014/03/david-lynchs-inland-empire-vs-federico.html
Of course, then again I suppose my knowledge on Italian cinema is extremely limited unless you include Sergio Leone.
My knowledge of it isn't the greatest either, I basically know The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, some Fellini films and La Grande Belleza. But I love their style.
DeleteNow that you point it out, I can see a connection between the two films - heading right over to your post!