EIGHT AND A HALF is a fantasy comedy drama about the problems of an artist during his creative process. However, this film is much more than that. This is the story of all of us, the quest for meaning and aspirations for better quality of life.A famous Italian film director, is suffering from "director's block". His upcoming science - fiction film contains some autobiographical references. However, he is torn between marital and business problems. He is resting in a luxury spa center. His friends, associates, mistress and wife "enjoy" along with him. More specifically, they destroy his personality. His anxiety and confusion are a growing problem. He has recurring visions of his ideal woman, which he sees as key to his story. The film production crew relocates to his hotel in an attempt to get him to work on the movie, but he evades his staff, ignores journalists, and refuses to make decisions, not even telling actors their roles. He retreats into himself and begins to search for meaning...The story about a consciousness, memories and dreams, through a strange blend of satire and grotesque, describes a psychoanalysis of one character. A fake luxury and life in a high society are part of a masterful deception by Mr. Fellini. He has made a strange relation between the real and an imaginary world, however, the main protagonist does not feel free in any of these worlds. The main protagonist has actually reconsidered his feelings and fears. His experiences are traces of his life. He is trying, through his experiences, to find a man who is lost in the real world. He has to cope with his own ego, women and business. I think, that he is trying to escape from his own reality, to another, which would become, with certain modifications, again his.The photography and direction are excellent, characterization is almost perfect.Marcello Mastroianni as Guido Anselmi is a film director, who is trapped between his ambition and his dream. A man who is not capable for love, must dream and hallucinate. Mr. Mastroianni has offered a phenomenal performance.Anouk Aimée (Luisa Anselmi) is a jealous wife, who wants to change her husband habits. Sandra Milo (Carla) is a charming and somewhat strenuous mistress. She is in total contrast with Louisa's character. Claudia Cardinale (Claudia) is a girl from Guido's dreams and forgotten voice of reason. There is a boring French actress, "a Gothic face" and a mysterious and seems lonely lady from their hotel. Basically .... women.This is an ironic, romantic and charming masterpiece.

For the time -- and probably still for those who haven't caught up to such as explained further along here -- 8 1/2 was a dandy treatise on Catechistic moral absolutism vs. trying to manage one's having been thus in-struct-ed, programmed, conditioned, socialized and normalized into codependent shame, guilt, worry, regret, remorse and morbid reflection with lots and lots and lots of romantic and sexual relationships, and then having to deal with all the moral repercussions. Guido is bemused and de-tached here and there, a-ttached and caught in the grind of shame and guilt here and there, and plain lost in the cultural F.O.G. of fear, obligation and guilt at other times. Fellini had read the classics, as well as the psychoanalysts, social constructionists and existentialists. And having the capacity to manifest what he learned in scenario, character and dialogue, he enlightens the rest of us.

Well, i think this is my favorite movie from Fellini, because hit me in the topics that i like. I like to see when the dreams or things related to these are very important in a movie, (remember Mulholland Dr.), in many parts of the movie is difficult to recognize what is a dream and what is the real life of the protagonist. The story of this movie is really good, but bizarre, and for me it was very enjoyable. This movie was a unexpected journey in how strong are the feelings in the life of the protagonist, i think the movie develops from this point, but this is an atypical movie because the way it is told, the dreams tell us what is really the protagonist, and see the mix between dreams, real life and feelings in the story is simple and awesome. This is my first review in IMDb, and i hope be useful.

Guido Anselmi (Marcello Mastroianni) is a famed film director struggling with his next film. His high-maintenance wife Luisa (Anouk Aimée) comes to visit him at the quiet spa town. He is haunted by surreal dreams, memories, fantasies, and the many women of his life. Claudia (Claudia Cardinale) is his movie starlet. He flails to film a sci-fi movie building giant scaffoldings for a grand scene.This is a wondrously imaginative rambling mess. Fellini is indulging in some self-examinations. Marcello Mastroianni is sophistication personified. I've seen this a couple of times. As a plot, I want him to get the film made. It's frustrating to keep going on detours getting nowhere in the filming. As individual vignettes, they are great to be dissected. There are some terrific surrealism. Taken as a whole, it left me in awe, dizzy, confused and a little frustrated.