- Now I understand why Federico Fellini named his famous film 8 1/2. Clearly this is not an integer. It's just way too creative and unusual for that. It's also joyfully irrational, truly weird, and strangely complex. It may be possible to demonstrate that it's transcendental or semiperfect, too, but that's probably taking this number theme a bit too far, wouldn't you say? The point is that this is one of those great films that is somehow more wonderful and much, much more bizarre than whatever I was expecting.
- The plot of 8 1/2 is simply that a director has trouble gathering inspiration to make a movie. I expect that's also a summary of the how this film itself came to be made. Standing in for Fellini, however, is Marcello Mastroianni as the director Guido Anselmi. In short, Guido is trying to relax. He's been having trouble lately with both his wife (Anouk Aimée) and his mistress (Sandra Milo), and he just hasn't been able to get his creative juices flowing. Moreover, it's obvious from the film's opening dream sequence that Guido is feeling trapped, whether in a suffocating car or by being tethered to the ground like a kite. The best option is a visit to the natural springs of rural Italy. Or so you might think.
- In truth, even at the springs Guido finds himself surrounded by his producer (Guido Alberti), a film critic (Jean Rougeul), an old friend (Mario Pisu), and a multitude of actors, actresses, and other hangers-on. There's also that mysterious woman (Claudia Cardinale) he keeps glimpsing out of the corner of his eye. At this point, I should mention that not everything Guido sees is really there. Often, he dreams about his past or fantasizes about how things or people could be. I was reminded a bit of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, except that it isn't obvious that Guido is running his fantasy world. As in real life, often things just happen to him.
- The most memorable thing that happens by far is when Guido imagines that all of his lovers past and present have formed one big happy family. The older ones retire to the upstairs, but the younger ones have the pleasure of cooking for him, pampering him, and bathing him. When things get out of hand, as they inevitably do, he grabs a whip and turns lion tamer. It all sounds pretty absurd and chauvinistic, and it is, but the funny thing is how completely out of sync this musical fantasy is with Guido's real life. In actuality, Guido gets pushed around by nearly everyone, pensively sighing to himself and biting his fingernails. Played perfectly by Mastroianni, he's one of the least assertive people you could ever imagine, which is presumably not a quality you want in a director. It's no wonder he's gotten saddled with making a movie about a rocket ship and a tap-dancing sailor.
- Now, I could tell you that Claudia Cardinale represents Guido's (or Fellini's) concept of a perfect woman or that his experiences in adolescence with a beachfront prostitute (Eddra Gale) and the Catholic Church have obviously shaped his subconscious, but "enough of symbolism and these escapist themes of purity and innocence." In truth, both directors, real and fictional, just want to make an "honest film" that contains some simple truth. In this case, that means a carnival atmosphere in which wives and mistresses may spontaneously start dancing with one another. A film where characters from the past audition for a film of the future and where nothing happens despite the fact that there's a lot going on. A film about love, despite critics' protests to the contrary. In short, a pure film and a great one.
- In fact, the name of the film comes from the number of films Fellini made, counting his short films as halves.
