Movie Review: 8 1/2 (1963)

I think this is definitely on that short list of films you could reasonably call the greatest of all time. It’s such a full and complicated vision from director Federico Fellini, who reflects upon his own career and really the career of any creative person facing any kind of block.

The movie follows Guido Anselmi (Marcello Mastroianni) as he navigates the various stresses and memories of his life, particularly with the various women around him — both past and present.

Including, of course, the incomparable Claudia Cardinale

The entire movie is surreal and dreamlike, and this won’t make a lot of sense or mean anything to a lot of people, but watching this movie is the closest film experience I’ve had to reading James Joyce’s Ulysses, the greatest novel of all time. It’s such an overwhelming experience that you have to just sit back and appreciate the genius of Fellini.

Also I’ve said this before, but Marcello Mastroiannis is flat-out the coolest person who’s ever lived.

Each time I see this movie, I love it more and more. It’s probably my favorite foreign language film of all time.

Rating: 10/10