8 1/2

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8 1/2

Released Jun 25, 1963

2h 15m

Fantasy

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Popcornmeter

97%

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62 Reviews

92%

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25,000+ Ratings

Troubled Italian filmmaker Guido Anselmi (Marcello Mastroianni) struggles with creative stasis as he attempts to get a new movie off the ground. Overwhelmed by his work and personal life, the director retreats into his thoughts, which often focus on his loves, both past and present, and frequently wander into fantastical territory. As he tries to sort out his many entanglements, romantic and otherwise, Anselmi finds his production becoming more and more autobiographical.

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Critics Consensus

Inventive, thought-provoking, and funny, 8 1/2 represents the arguable peak of Federico Fellini's many towering feats of cinema.

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Eric Rhode

Sight & Sound

Though he can't face up to the total case, we must be grateful to Fellini for having presented so much of it, and with such flair and exuberance.

Feb 11, 2020

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James Powers

The Hollywood Reporter

Fellini keeps a grasp on his difficult form, creating some penetrating, witty, tragic moments.

Jun 26, 2018

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Ian Mantgani

Little White Lies

A carnival of the soul.

Rated: 5/5

May 1, 2015

Full Review

Scott Nye

Battleship Pretension

The conflict between Guido’s discomfort for the nature of his fame and the driving force that led him there drives every interaction in the film.

Jan 27, 2025

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

An ambitious, ambiguous, and experimental form of navel-gazing.

Rated: 4/4

Jan 5, 2025

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Pauline Kael

KPFA (Berkeley, CA)

This is the first (and, predictably, not the last) movie in which the director seems to be primarily interested in glorifying his self-imprisonment.

Oct 18, 2023

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Mason M

Though the opening and a few other sequences in this can be amazing, 8 1/2 is too uninteresting in most other parts and too hard to follow for me to enjoy it.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

09/12/24

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Turiyan G

Little known factoid. The first Mossad hit occurred during the premier of Fellini's 8 1/2 in Italy. It must have only been a few minutes in, what a great last thing to see before your brains are blown out by a .22.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/23/24

Full Review

acsdoug D

Yes, I know, I'm ruining any chance I have of defining myself as a cinema aficionado, but I just couldn't get into this one. I found it rather boring.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

05/12/24

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Giuseppe F

Absolutely a masterpiece. An oniric, surrealistic opera from the master Fellini. Claudia cardinale cameo in the final scenes is the cherry on top.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/08/23

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Joel H

I saw 8½ in a film class many years ago. Before it began, our professor informed the class this this is one of the greatest films of all time and that Federico Fellini is a filmmaking genius. However, that just proves that cinema is a subjective art form. It doesn't matter how many people say a film is amazing, it can still be awful for some viewers. This movie is the type that most people think of when someone says, "foreign art film." It's pretentious, confusing, and completely boring. Maybe I'll have to trade in my film nerd card for saying all of this, but I don't like most of Fellini's work.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

11/03/23

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Alexsander F

Muito bom o filme! Com diálogos interessantíssimos .

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/02/23

Full Review

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Federico Fellini

Director

Marcello Mastroianni

Guido Anselmi

Claudia Cardinale

Claudia

Anouk Aimée

Luisa Anselmi (as Anouk Aimee)

Sandra Milo

Carla

Madeleine Lebeau

French Actress

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Synopsis

Troubled Italian filmmaker Guido Anselmi (Marcello Mastroianni) struggles with creative stasis as he attempts to get a new movie off the ground. Overwhelmed by his work and personal life, the director retreats into his thoughts, which often focus on his loves, both past and present, and frequently wander into fantastical territory. As he tries to sort out his many entanglements, romantic and otherwise, Anselmi finds his production becoming more and more autobiographical.

Director: Federico Fellini
Producer: Angelo Rizzoli
Distributor: Embassy Pictures, Kino Pictures
Production Co: Cineriz, Francinex
Genre: Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 25, 1963, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 27, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $50.7K
Runtime: 2h 15m

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