2/5 Preying on the mind of the viewer
  by TheoGnostus (Sketes,Theognostic America)

"Unless Fellini's problem has been preying on the mind of the viewer, he may not care to take on the director's doubts and confusions." TIME Magazine


Like all Frederico Fellini's shallow, hypocritical 'masterworks', may be with the exception of Quinn's la Strada, this film lacks a definitive plot or narrative structure. It is even more difficult to approach, largely because of his controversial complex reputation. Some critics also state that the film is so complicated that it requires repeated viewing to unclue, which is likely to intimidate even more viewers, than those who read the back-boneless critics. But it seems to me, in spite of its pretentious surrealistic air, an early prophecy of a serious dementia that Fellini preached, without a glimmer of genuine creativity, extending a false hallucination of Mussolini's Fascism.

Top Critic Reviews:
"Fellini's flights into the surreal are his self-examination and confession. Alas, unlike Bergman, his confession is without moral rigor; he wants to be indulged, not absolved."
Steven D. Greydanus, Decent Films Guide

4/5 smoke and clouds of dust as a metaphor for...
  by David Lark (GB)
What are they a metaphor for ?
Why the mix of dream time with a concern for things external?
looking in on itself...


5/5 A Masterpiece
  by Michael G. Muccigrosso
I first saw this film over 40 years ago and saw it again about two weeks ago. Not only does it remain fresh today but every time I see it I get new meaning about life from it. The film just keeps giving. An unrivaled gift from Fellini and a true masterpiece

5/5 One of the best I've ever seen
  by Robert J. Crawford (Balmette Talloires, France)
This is one of the most wonderfully moving films I know. A great creative man has a kind of breakdown - he is not sure that he can continue on, seeking his next project. So he withdraws to a sanatorium, where he attempts to collect himself and rest, so that he can go forward.

There you see his entire life unfold before his imagination: his deeply troubled relationship with his wife (incredibly well played by Anouk Aimee, perhaps her greatest role), his crass mistress who revels in the humiliation of his wife, and all the hangers on that surround the truly talented. Then there are his memories, which interweave with reality and are so indistinguishable from it that at times the viewer is uncertain what has really happened. Much of it is bizarre and surrealistic, a collage of the unresolved, the loved, the pressing need, the hope. It is all in Mastroianni's expression, which is impassive yet full. Everything is grotesque yet understated and subtle.

He feels besieged, overwhelmed as so many people keep coming at him, and yet he tries to see his way forward. It is that powerful nexus where the creative force, personal crisis, and the demands of his industry collide. Never has it been so well portrayed. It moves me to tears every time I see it.

Recommended with the greatest enthusiasm.

5/5 In Praise of Reticence.
  by Stuart Hayes
Notes on 8-1/2:
In praise of reticence...
Many critics and reviewers mention the "Creative Block" that the
character of Guido/Fellini experiences. I don't think that is the
case. Rather I believe Guido(Fellini) knows what he can do, and how to do it. What he is actually questioning is whether his next creation, whatever
it might, be is worthy of being created at all. Is what he can do,
artistically valid? When Guido sarcastically and self-mockingly sings:
"I have nothing to say"; then speaks: "But I want to say it anyway." is
a telltale not to a creative block, but to a questioning of the
legitimacy of his creative spirit at this point in his life. Ultimately
his character, comes to the conclusion that it is not
worthy of him giving it birth. The alleged "space-ship" is actually
Guido's (Fellini's) egoism, nothing more, and all his acquaintances
must climb it. I choose not to see it as a phalanx, and find that
interpretation to be an over simplification, if not completely unnecessary. Whether 8-1/2 is a cinematic masterpiece
is not at issue in my argument. If it, in fact, is a cinematic
masterpiece, it was a great work of artistic genius FIRST. I believe
these two things can be exclusive of one another. Lean's Lawrence of
Arabia is a cinematic masterpiece, but NOT a great work
of artistic genius. If you see what I mean.
If you look to "Amarcord" (a film that follows 8-1/2 by ten
years), you find many of Fellini's so-called memories are congealed into that unmistakable cinematic masterpiece. However the cinematic masterpiece
that Amarcord is, is not the great work of genius by a mature artist
that 8-1/2 is. Consequently I would recommend Amarcord to anyone, while
I would highly recommend 8-1/2 only to a select few. This is not to
insinuate that 8-1/2 is an elitist work. Elitism of late and genius, within the last twenty odd years, are two words that have been bandied about to be rendered meaningless.
Artist are artist, so they must call themselves, non-artist, as the word has become polluted. Fellini does this in 8-1/2 better than any one I've ever seem.