Who says a movie needs a plot? Fellini uses a pretty thin sequence to give us some really memorable events. There are scenes I think about often, the movie has become part of the texture of my life. La Dolce Vita and La Strada are, I think, more highly regarded, but I like this better because its fun. Marcello Mastrioanni is the epitome of 60's cool as he zig-zags around a nameless spa town trying to escape from his overblown life. More to the point, he's supposed to be directing a movie. As the production cranks up, he tries to conceal the fact that he hasn't a clue what he's supposed to do. I've had dreams like that.
There are many fantastic sequences. Saraghina's rhumbabrings a smile to my face every time I think about it. Guido's fantasy about taming his women often comes to mind when I have woman trouble. The visit to the dessicated cardinal in the depths of the spa. Claudia Cardinale's feathery boa as they drive in the car.
When I first saw 8½ in my twenties, I wanted to like it so much, but was a bit disapointed. Its grown on me over the years. Now that I'm middle-aged, some of Guido's problems have become my problems, which gives the movie more resonance. Its images and episodes have become part of the texture of my life. I think of them often. There are very few movies that have done that. The Godfather, 2001, Pulp Fiction, M, The Third Man, Lawrence of Arabia, and The Manchurian Candidate among others. But 8½ is special. I'm fond of this movie like no other.
