8½ (1963)
A harried movie director retreats into his memories and fantasies (imdb)
Cast and Information
Directed By: Federico Fellini
Written By: Federico Fellini, Ennio Flaiano, Tullio Pinelli, Brunello Rondi
Starring: Marcello Mastroianni, Claudia Cardinale, Anouk Aimée, Barbara Steele, Sandra Milo, Caterina Boratto, Guido Alberti, Madeleine LeBeau, Rossella Falk, Eddra Gale, Mario Conocchia, Bruno Agostini
AKAs: 8 1/2 (Show all 3)
- Eight and a Half
- Otto e mezzo
Where to Stream
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8½ belongs to 184 collections
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Browse the full list of collections
| Stars | User | Rating | |
| 13 |  |
Alex Watkins | 5 91% |
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This movie is so endlessly self-referential and circular, and slips between reality and fantasy so quickly and smoothly (occasionally combining the two), that even though it can be confusing at times, it doesn't really matter. It's wholly fascinating and magical in the way that it defies any sort of typical plot and structure. And it's absolutely gorgeous - maybe the best-looking film I've ever seen. Truly a masterpiece.
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| 13 |  |
Sockman | 99 99% |
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Whoever said this is a "tornado of a film" was absolutely right; there's so much to keep track of in every scene that it can get pretty confusing, but the more times you see it, the more layers you will unravel. And you will see it more than once. In fact, just writing about it makes me want to watch it again. There aren't many movies that carry that distinction.
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| 10 |  |
MartinTeller | 97 99% |
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It just gets better every time. Every scene is amazing. For most directors, the meta-narrative about a filmmaker who can't seem to make his film would be plenty enough. But what's magical about 8 1/2 is it's about so much more than that. And it's done so brilliantly, it just flows perfectly and doesn't feel written at all. It really is a perfect movie. The lighting is perfect, the music is perfect, the casting is perfect. It sweeps you off your feet. Absolutely one of the best films ever made.
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| 9 |  |
PeaceAnarchy | 90 94% |
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A really amazing film that lives up to its reputation. It's filled to the brim with ideas about life and film and, while they're all tethered together through Guido's quasi mid-life crisis, it's still amazing that everything works so well. I was surprised by how often I found myself laughing even though I wouldn't call this a comedy. I found a few parts here and there to be incoherent, but I think this is the type of movie that really requires several viewings to really get everything out of it
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| 8 |  |
Ocelot | 55 45% |
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Remember that scene in Spinal Tap where Nigel has that guitar that he's never even played? That's what 8½ is like to me. Something that's admired but not enjoyed. It's well made, obviously -- but it just isn't interesting to watch.
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| 7 |  |
Magb | 90 85% |
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8½ is not an easy movie to just sit down and watch and that's it. So much is going on; it's hard to take it all in. But even when it's confusing, it's always fascinating. Every moment of the film screams: "I am genius! I am genius!" And it's hard to disagree.
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| 7 |  |
frederic_g54 | 10 97% |
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It was not until the last couple of minutes featuring an amazing and thought provoking monologue that I was completely sold. This film is a masterpiece and deserves its reputation to the fullest. The actors light up the screen, and the story is to die for. Whether Fellini's intention was to move or inspire us, this is without a doubt my favorite film about films and one of the best films ever made. Magnifico!
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| 6 |  |
CCLZA | 100 99% |
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The closest to perfection I've seen in a movie. It will make you smile everytime you think how good it was.
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| 5 |  |
TheDiceman | 55 49% |
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Having seen this film rated very highly here I got a copy and watched it.This film had very little entertainment value for me it was a task to actually get to the end and I have trouble seeing how it could be rated so highly.
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| 5 |  |
Cinema_Asia | 75 71% |
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Watching hoity toity rich Italians prance around in a director's imaginary playground just isn't my cup of tea to be honest. With that being said 8 1/2 is wildly imaginative and works as an amusing psycho-analytic biography. It is also a technical masterpiece and even if the lightness of the plot and characters doesn't interest you it is still fascinating to behold. Fellini's use of shadows and style is exquisite but unfortunately on an emotional and mental level this film didn't stimulate.
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| 5 |  |
KasperL | 60 50% |
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I've tried several times - and probably is going to give it at least one more chance - but it is, frankly, an incredibly boring film. I doubt I will ever really like it; it would be nice finding out what the fuzz is about, though. For now, I recommend Fellini's excellent 'La Strada' instead.
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| 4 |  |
brandt64 | 75 55% |
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Difficult to watch at times. It's full of stunning b&w cinematography and has some great moments, but ultimately it was hard for me to be compelled by such a futile, unchanging story. Yes, I realize that this was the point, but it indulged itself so much on this point that it hampered my ability to enjoy the film.
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| 4 |  |
purgatos | 98 99% |
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This is gorgeous, I'm not sure there's another B&W film that looks better. Everything oozes style, but it doesn't end there. The story spins and twists and feels almost unbounded at times, like it can take you anywhere it wants. The more I think about it, the more I want to watch it again.
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| 4 |  |
Rufam | 40 5% |
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The purpose of cinema is to both entertain and provoke. The only emotional or any response Fellini's "8 1/2" can cause to a casual audience is frustration. Flashbacks, dreams and reality blend incoherently into a chaotic, abysmal whole that is neither comprehensible nor interesting. Instead of making love to the audience, Fellini compels it to watch him masturbate. His film is arrogant and pretentious. Some good camerawork and cinematography are outweighed by mostly terrible editing and sound.
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| 4 |  |
rob | 19 98% |
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Racked with insecurities over his next big project, under incredible pressure to match La Dolce Vita, Fellini demolishes his anxiety by abstracting, by making a meta-film, by expressing his own torture in a bizarre narrative. Taking a self-critical look at himself and the industry in which he works, Fellini is at times crushingly pessimistic, at others expressing hope of rebirth, but always conscious of the absurd nature of reality and the beauty inherent to it.
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| 4 |  |
Whaleybab | 70 47% |
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Not very entertaining to watch but the story behind this movie makes it (a bit) better. Maybe a good idea to check it out first. Story is hard to follow for me because I had no idea it's more like an autobiograph, so not knowing what to think of this. Music was nice but still wondering why this movie is so highly rated. I rather watch Rambo :P
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| 3 |  |
Jeb | 100 98% |
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Magical. Unbelievably self-referential and it seems like the fantasy and reality are connected in some way. Chaotic, messy, creative and dense on some many levels, this needs repetitive watches to fully recognize what Fellini's message is.
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| 3 |  |
arkadia | 98 98% |
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Keep watching it, but relax & don't try too hard. Just give it. It gets better and better with time. Another reviewer likened this to "learning a new language." I agree -- keep watching and you will absorb it until you're able to think & feel in this new language.
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| 3 |  |
AndreasThau | 65 50% |
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I feel very split about this film, mostly because I love Marcello Mastroianni and Claudia Cardinale in a manner that is undoubtedly unhealthy. They are even better the older they get. The scenery here is charming, full of wits and debth, but I simply find it hard to understand ENOUGH for me to fully enjoy the dream-sequences. I have to little to hold onto for this movie to get me out of the chair. And then I start getting bored at times. Such a shame.
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| 3 |  |
paulofilmo | 78 97% |
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a life condensed and abstracted in a more accessible, approachable way than something like Zerkalo. a confession. and explanation. i feel free after watching it, like i've been stretched after being tight, wound. the rubato of stress and calm, 'quickening and slackening', toying with time and dreams and memories; playful musical motifs alluding to earlier moods, all dizzying and rapturous.
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| 3 |  |
lockstock | 66 64% |
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italianen praten te snel, mijn dyslectisch brein kan da ni aan
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| 3 |  |
naikou | 60 60% |
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It criticizes itself very nicely - it lacks a message, it's self indulgent, it's aimless and full of confusing and unnecessary symbolism. Naturally, pointing out your own flaws doesn't excuse them. If it didn't have such brilliant cinematography and amazing camerawork, I would very likely hate this movie.
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| 3 |  |
Nathan S | 4 74% |
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An exquisitely beautiful film on the narrative and visual fronts. The deconstruction of Guido's film and personal life is handled in such a self-referential and dreamlike manner. Sometimes it becomes overwhelming and confusing, and it lacks true emotional resonance, but thanks to the beautiful photography and seamless presentation it's never boring. This is a film of almost unbelievable style and fluidity.
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| 3 |  |
Farzan | 95 96% |
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8½ is a magical piece of film. You pop it in, and you think its a simple story about a director who has directors block, and you realize it isn't with the opening scene. The opening scene was pure magic. 8½ is an extremely difficult film to follow. You never know when it is reality, and when it is dream, and at the same time, it is hard to comprehend both of them. It was amazing how the past and present were mixed up as if it was happening simultaneously. Fellini's 8½ is a Masterpiece.
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| 2 |  |
Zealot185 | 98 99% |
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I'm still trying to wrap my head around everything in the film, but I can easily say this is a masterpiece. It's clearly much more than a story about Fellini's own struggles with director's block; it has something to say about life, love, and happiness. It's expertly shot: the opening scene and the "harem" scene will always stand out in my mind, and I love how reality and fantasy are blended seamlessly with no indication. It ends up creating an emotionally surreal experience.
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| 2 |  |
Harmonica | 100 99% |
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The ultimate filmmakers film. An entrancing masterpiece from start to finish; it is often complex and confusing, challenging the viewer to disentangle the various narratives - those of reality and fantasy - before any meaning can be translated and understood. Whilst it is almost thoroughly autobiographical, 8½ is perhaps best read as a film about filmmaking - an ascerbic metafiction that confronts some of the absurdities which Fellini himself often observed, and challenges how films are viewed.
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| 2 |  |
antitype | 98 99% |
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Ultimate cinematic transcendence and beauty. An absurdist meta-film, a world within a world within a world. The whole thing is a metaphor for anxious self-doubt and existential struggle giving way to dreams. A gorgeous and endlessly rewarding reverie.
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| 2 |  |
spooky | 100 89% |
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Arguably Fellini's best, 8 1/2 is a wildly imaginative trip into the inner world of it's main character, Guido, a movie director who is hardly breathing under the weight of his responsibilities, his past and present relationships, and his inner conflicts. As Guido slowly - but surely - gets lost in his memories, fantasies and dreams, we get lost in one of the most creative, beautifully constructed and visually stunning films ever.
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| 2 |  |
Pickpocket | 9 93% |
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What else can be said? A mind fuck. Just reading about this movie and how it was made was a fuckin experience, let alone the movie itself.
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| 2 | psychedelicr | 95 94% |
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A beautiful work, the flashback/dream sequences are something that I cannot get out of my mind. The topic is a bit dull, but Fellini made it very interesting with dynamic characters and unmatched cinematography. Additionally, Anouk Aimée is absolutely gorgeous (Fellini tried to make her look unattractive in order to fit her role, actually). Whisper to me in Italian, please!
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| 2 |  |
maakal | 72 43% |
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Chalk me up as one of those who can appreciate the film's beauty, but was ultimately left cold. I'm almost always turned off by "movies about making movies", and this was narcissistic to the nth degree. Excellent in its way, but the least enjoyable of the Fellini films I've seen.
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| 2 |  |
Derekstar | 20 6% |
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I had high expectations, and this was a struggle to even finish. On a whole I have to say that I just don't get all the love that people have for this film. Maybe certain kinds of people are drawn towards the deconstructionist stuff, but for me it takes all the joy out of the film. I promise that one day I will revisit this film, because apparently I'm out by myself here.
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| 2 |  |
Luna6ix | 70 34% |
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An overall unenjoyable movie about a troubled director. Fellini includes numerous dives into fantasy that both serve no purpose, nor have any consequence, all while being interesting and rarely, but at times breathtaking. I really enjoyed the opening scene, but didn't really care about the end.
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| 2 |  |
Moribunny | 85 95% |
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Few films have had as wide-ranging and as far-reaching an impact as 8½. Its incalculable influence is seen in Italian films, fantasy films, films about the creative process of filmmaking, films mixing reality with dream and childhood memory sequences, greats from Woody Allen to Kusturica and Terry Gilliam. Whatever it lacks in narrative it makes up for in cinematic virtuosity, larger-than-life scenery and characters, imaginative flurries seamlessly interspersed with weighty meditation.
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| 2 | baskil | 95 92% |
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Inventive meditation on the creative process and on the male mind.
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| 2 |  |
Anselmi86 | 100 99% |
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The greatest film ever made...period. Perfection. i wish I could watch it forever. The film that single-handedly opened my eyes to all the complexity and beauty that cinema has to offer.
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| 2 |  |
Hawkins | 85 79% |
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I just thought it would be funny to give it 85 I dunno what was going on
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| 2 |  |
AAAutin | 9 2% |
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One man's creative fever dream is another man's tortuous nightmare.
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| 2 |  |
IeuanDP | 90 92% |
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Guido turns to his dreams and reveries, not only to escape the pressures of filmmaking, but to make sense of the chaos around him. Deeply personal, emotional resonances draw him to his various fantasies and formative memories. The meandering flow of his imagination is really uniquely evocative and absorbing, and I love how this is achieved partly by never deciphering it or overtly distinguishing it from his reality; how you often see fantasy and reality vying for control of his train of thought.
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| 2 |  |
DavidKahane | 94 89% |
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So much about memory and perception that it almost begins to work better as the film itself gently transforms into memory in the mind of the viewer. Something Fellini achieves here that eludes many filmmakers is making certain that all his fanciful dream sequences, flashbacks and sly twists of the film's reality actually add up to something. It's never mere noodling or visual trickery; it always offers some fresh insight into the director character played by Mastroianni.
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| 2 |  |
ZayanK | 94 93% |
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SO many hot women.
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| 2 |  |
mwgerb | 50 44% |
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It is incredibly bold and well-made, but the fact that it was such a personal film for Fellini makes it feel a bit harder for me to deeply connect with. However, I want to watch it again with a better copy.
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| 1 |  |
Bown | 93 96% |
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There isn't a single boring or uninteresting shot. Occasionally confusing or disorientating - as a movie delving into the mind of a man frequently confused or disorientated should be, really - but an absolute masterwork of cinematography and sound design. Props go to Fellini for making it clear what the dream sequences represent without being too obvious, as well as for the amazing ending, which probably bumped my score up 3-4 points by itself.
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| 1 | Khyan | 67 8% |
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On the plotless if not sometimes pointless side. Lots of attractive people though, and nice cinematography and enjoyable dream sequences if you're willing to go with it. Better than La Dolce Vita, less good than Giulietta degli spiriti.
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| 1 |  |
PierreTheron | 100 95% |
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Personal, very, very personal. It's simply impossible not to see Fellini himself inhabiting every corner of the film, watching from the shadows in any one of the masterfully lit scenes that 8 1/2 is filled with, or listening to the birds along with Guido as the film exercises its precise implementation of sound. The story itself is harrowing, and it is up to the viewer to follow Guido, not to understand him, or to observe him coolly, but to experience his own confusion and loss.
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| 1 |  |
peyrin | 50 20% |
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An avalanche of ideas spilled onto the screen. Whether any of it makes sense or fits into the meta-narrative of the film's existence itself, I cannot say.
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| 1 |  |
Noblet | 85 84% |
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Excellent, though it didn't really blow me away. I feel this is a movie that needs to be seen multiple times. I loved the interweaving of reality, fantasy, and memory. Honestly, I don't know what else to say. I just need to watch this again at some point, I think I'll like it a lot more with a second viewing.
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| 1 |  |
moody mehdi | 98 98% |
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A peek inside the mind of The Creative Artist where memories, dreams, and experiences indulge in an orgy to produce a thing of beauty called imagination, which in turn ignites the creative process. A film which is an ode to the most potent agent of change in the world- The Creator's Mind. A Film which pushed me into the ocean of cinema and changed my life for good !
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| 1 |  |
glumpy_99 | 63 22% |
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At times striking but too often scattered and self-indulgent portrait of "writer's block" is beautifully shot (the crisp black & white cinematography is positively luscious) and Mastroianni is as perfect a stand-in for Fellini as the feckless director as you could hope for; the film's ugly view of all the women in the film is difficult to take (along with the slimy, whining self-pity of its lead character) and the character interactions become overly repetitive, as we stretch past 2 hours.
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| 1 |  |
tabidots | 60 6% |
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Huh? Did I miss something? This was like the cinematic version of free jazz. I didn't understand a thing, and it was hardly fun to watch.
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| 1 |  |
omgfridge | 8 80% |
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Completely mesmerizing. Fellini has provided magical film making with the transitions between reality and fantasy happen without even a hiccup between scenes. '8½' is something special.
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| 1 |  |
ktappe | 40 15% |
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OK, look. I understand this is a widely-revered "masterpiece", and that it's highly symbolic, autobiographical, representative of the era in which it was made, and uber-stylistic. Got it. But I still didn't like it. Anyone studying film must see this; it is widely influential and often referenced. But don't expect to be blown away the way, say, "Citizen Kane" will do. Instead you'll experience a series of "WTF?" moments. Perhaps dropping a bit of acid first would help...
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| 1 |  |
parcaliham | 80 64% |
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7 September 2018 & Very interesting: a magician in the film reads and telling people's thoughts. When it comes to the director, he doesn't say, he writes on the board. Because the idea of the director is not expressed, it is a two-dimensional thought. It could only exist in the [area of] cinema.
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| 1 |  |
Bojangles | 50 38% |
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I didn't think it was complicated or surreal. The dreams all made sense. It's about a guy haunted by his past and uncomfortable in the present. The dreams reinforce that. Nonetheless, I still could not connect with it at all. Interesting to look at, but I think maybe the ideas were too expansive. Lots of (often troubling) stuff is superficially touched on, but never delved into.
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| 1 |  |
TedDedon | 92 88% |
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8 1/2 is not an easy watch but if you have the patience for something new you will be rewarded with one of the greatest movies ever made.
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| 1 |  |
vesupria | 10 98% |
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Fellini's hall of mirrors, the inner reflection of the artistic soul looking for direction in his own lost world. This beautiful collage of memories, fantasies, dreams and fleeting reality is at times full of despair, others joy but its always full of colour. An ode to man's neverending search for meaning and purpose in an irrational universe.
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| 1 |  |
prowler | 50 48% |
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fascinating, but too long
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| 1 |  |
amerigo | 90 95% |
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A stunning meta-film filled with humor and poignancy alike--not to mention compelling dreamscapes--all structured with the aesthetic mastery of a master filmmaker.
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| 1 |  |
dsaos | 99 99% |
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It is a genuinely beautiful, heartfelt movie. It feels brutally honest, it's poetic, it's haunting. Everything about this movie is so close to perfect it's hard to believe, and Fellini makes you feel as though you are living a dream in numerous unimaginable ways.
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| 1 |  |
KlausGlenski | 100 99% |
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Fellini decided to deal with his utmost personal problems during a creative crisis. From this crisis one of the most creative movies emerged. Fellini visualizes his inner psychology by a stunning cinematography as this movie surely gives all power to the images. 20-01-2010
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| 1 | pompousass | 80 94% |
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Fellini's ever intriguing interweave of fantasy and reality, having to do with the drains on a fictional movie director's creativity. Parasites, vampires, angels, ghosts, and grotesques drift weightlessly through the hero's real and imaginary life, moving as if on floats or on turntables -- this remarkable new groove for Fellini turned into his perennial rut.
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| 1 | theyshoot07 | 100 99% |
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#5
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| 1 |  |
Dean Franz | 35 34% |
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I wanted badly to like this and actually did 'til about half way through. Whatever else I'm going to say about it, I won't deny its' visual beauty. Problem is the film changes gears from a lived-in tale of disillusionment and the shallowness of fame to becoming all... hopeful and high-spirited (just threw up in my mouth a little bit, just typing that). You know- "the show must go on", "all the world's a stage", "c'est la vie" *BLARGH!!!* (excuse me) etc. etc. I... I just don't care.
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| 1 |  |
Bmunise | 100 97% |
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Every flaw in this film, such as the sheer impossibility of keeping up with the subtitles, only serve to make it that much better. I don't think there's ever been a more fitting ending sequence in all cinema.
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| 1 | theyshoot08 | 100 99% |
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# 5
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| 1 |  |
moraesfelipe | 84 90% |
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Fellini's autobiographical feature is really unique, one of the few films-about-films that shows how hard, painful and yet mesmerizing must be the process of making an honest picture -- or, in a general sense, honest art --, a work that comes straight from your mind and heart, memories and your present life, fears and dreams. Here, the italian director seems to say: movies might be big, but maybe not bigger than life -- let's just say I don't agree with him.
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| 1 |  |
Kortee | 70 66% |
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I wanna take a moment and congratulate by boyfriend with watching the last movie on IMDB250 list!
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| 1 |  |
Stewball | 2 0% |
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"Pretentious, boring and incomprehensible"--behold the holy trinity of crap, and he aced 'em all.
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| 1 | cutecake | 40 13% |
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If you want to watch Fellini jack himself off for 2+ hours, then give this movie a watch.
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| Average Percentile 75.32% from 4220 Ratings |  |