8 1/2

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8 1/2

Released Jun 25, 1963

2h 15m

Fantasy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

97%

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61 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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Stephen C

Successful fantasy movie in 2.25 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/09/25

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Insomniac X

Playful existential comedy examines the relationship between personal integrity and creative inspiration. Fellini's meta-story of a filmmaker struggling to make a film has become a template unto itself, much like "Groundhog Day" or "Lone Wolf and Cub," and has been echoed by everyone from Bob Fosse to Charlie Kaufman to the Coens. The film succeeds in poking fun at its creator without ever feeling vindictive, and its fluid, mischievous camera movements and dazzling fantasy sequences make viewers feel like they are in on a humane and strangely relatable inside joke.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

05/13/25

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Chandradeep D

Greatest film of all time! Cinema is 8 1/2!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/25/25

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thiago s

Filme mais ou menos, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são mais ou menos, só a cena da dança do dois no meio da praça, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e quase ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, e os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes para fazer o filme ser bom.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

04/06/25

Full Review

Will G

A great Italian film. Fellini is a fantastic director. This movie is about a filmmaker making a new film. There are several scenes of his childhood. Like “La Strada”, there are clowns in this movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/04/25

Full Review

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

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): $99.3K
Runtime: 2h 15m

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