8 1/2 (Federico Fellini, 1963)

It seems nearly pointless to talk about 8 1/2; it's widely regarded as one of the finest films ever made. Fellini is another of those directors whose entire ouvre I'm trying to see, but it seems so intimidating at times to even try to get into the head of this master. 8 1/2 tells the story of a director, trying to make a film, even though he has written a (seemingly) terrible script, has financial troubles, and, most of all, has troubles with all the women in his life. It is the best movie I've seen about filmmaking ever, but it wasn't quite the revelation I expected it to be. This movie has some of the finest moments of any film ever - the temper tantrum Guido throws on his way to the cocktail party with the media, and one of my favorite scenes I've seen in a film ever, Guido's imaginary harem. He controls "his" women with chores and a whip, and threatens them with banishment when they get too old, because he has no control over the women in his life. Of course, Fellini's direction of women make them more gorgeous than one would ever have thought possible - it sounds corny and stupid, but whenever Fellini trains his camera on one of Guido's girlfriends, you can see everything in her eyes, and she is the stereotypical (only not) Italian heroine. He's kinder and harsher to women than any other director I can think of. All in all, a wonderful, magical, surreal movie that anyone who loves film should see. 8/10

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