Fellini 8½ (Oito e Meio)

Director: Federico Fellini Cast: Marcello Mastroianni; Anouk Aimee; Claudia Cardinale; Barbara Steele; Sandra Milo NR Not rated Marketplace Online Shopping Compare prices for this movie Find local video stores WP yellowpages More movie shopping Save money with NextCard Visa Always feeding directly on his experiences for material, Federico Fellini had an autobiographical binge with "8½." The 1963 movie -- which marked eight and a half movies for Fellini (seven solos, three collaborations) -- was the director's unabashed gaze into the mirror. A vivid interspersing of fantasy and satire, it reflected ironically on Fellini's career -- with Marcello Mastroianni as his alter ego. Its entrancing combination of technical virtuosity and modish psychology won Fellini his third Academy Award for best foreign language film.

But "8 1/2" is a great film in its own way, and despite the efforts of several other filmmakers to make their own versions of the same story, it remains the definitive film about director's block.

Why "8½"? With six solo films behind him and three collaborations (counting as a half each), this film was Fellini's 8½ movie. It is also perhaps his most introverted and self-referential. Despite its insular nature, it got under the skin of many and went on to win the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar of 1963. Marcello Mastroianni stars as a film director on the brink of making his next big movie, and possibly his first nervous breakdown. We join him at a health farm where mud baths, holy water, and bathing in springs have been recommended for his possible salvation. Along for the ride is the mistress who he's already bored with, and a whole array of memories that play before us in a slideshow interrupted by visitors desperate for guidance on his forthcoming film.