A pseudo-autobiographical film dealing with a director, Guido, trying to make a film, but suffering from “director’s block.” To make things worse, his personal life is also going under a lot of stress: his health is not ideal, he doesn’t know where he is standing right now and he has problems wit both his wife and his lover. In other words, everything is conspiring to make his film sink like the Titanic.
One of
Federico Fellini’s better known works, it’s a favorite of film directors for showing the trials and tribulations of the film directors. The movie is generally straightforward, but full of flashbacks and daydream sequences, practically without any warning (sometimes you don’t realize you’re watching a fantasy until later). It’s also famous for a scene which we all would like to see realized in our lives.
Later remade as the stage musical
Nine, which itself was later adapted into a movie starring
Daniel Day-Lewis.
This movie provides examples of:
- All Take and No Give: Guido.
- Author Appeal: Deliberate. After all, it’s a movie based on Fellini trying to make a movie.
- Bad Liar: Guido, according to his wife. In one scene Guido’s lover is seated nearby, and Luisa and her friend find astounding how Guido keeps lying about not knowing her when they both know she’s his lover.
- Better Than It Sounds Film
- Big Beautiful Woman: La Saraghina.
- Bittersweet Ending: Actually, it’s a Downer Ending, since both his movie and his marriage collapse. But the final scene of every character in the movie dancing in a row makes anyone smile.
- Butt Monkey: Conocchia.
- Casanova: Guido, although in this case you could say it’s a deconstruction.
- Coming of Age Story: Guido must have… what, 40? But it still counts, since he looks back on his life and decides he has to change.
- Cool Shades
- The Danza: Claudia is played by Claudia Cardinale.
- Daydream Surprise
- Deliberately Monochrome
- Driven to Suicide: Guido in the press conference. Might as well have been a daydream sequence, since he appears again in the next scene.
- Dunce Cap: Young Guido.
- Everyone Comes Back Fantasy Party Ending
- Harem Seeker: Guido, of course. Just watch his harem imagination.
- Heroic BSOD: When Guido finally accepts to himself he cannot make the film.
- Imagine Spot
- May-December Romance: Discussed with Mezzabotta and Gloria. Not only Guido confuses her with his daughter, but Mezzabotta also fears she is with him only for his money.
- Meaningful Name: This is the 8½ movie made by Fellini (before, he made 6 movie, 2 shorts and one co-collaboration).
- Mr. Imagination: Guido.
- The Muse: Claudia.
- Naughty Nurse Outfit: Claudia in one of his daydreams. Like you needed Claudia Cardinale to be even hotter…
- Nice Hat
- Pretty in Mink: Carla.
- Ridiculous Procrastinator: Guido uses any excuse available to skip working on his new film. Of course, the reason is because he doesn’t have a clue of what to do.
- Sexy Man, Instant Harem: That’s what Guido’s harem fantasy is all about. Played with when they all start calling him out, but then everything goes back to “normal”.
- The Smart Guy: The writer.
- Undercrank: When the priests are chasing young Guido.
- Whip It Good: Guido to all the women of his harem. One of them is Too Kinky to Torture.
- Word Salad Title: Of course, it’s not even a word.
- Writers Suck: Well, the writer is an insufferable intellectual who looks down on Guido’s work. Fellini must have tried to say something there, right?
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