| Overview: | Probably Fellini's most acclaimed work, along with "La Dolce Vita", "8 1/2" won the Best Foreign Film Oscar in 1963, and is one of the great films about moviemaking. The title comes from Fellini's previous six solo films plus three collaborations, which count as half each, making this one 8 1/2.
A film director (Mastroianni) is struggling to find the creativity required to deliver his next movie and consequently is being hassled by industry figures as well as his wife and his mistress. In order to escape his tormentors, the director retreats into a world of memories, dreams, and fantasies. The result is a dazzling array of themes and images which make "8 1/2" the quintessential Fellini movie. It also clearly mirrors his own problems prior to getting the project off the ground.
A poll of one hundred international filmmakers in 1992 rated "8 1/2" the second best film ever made, and Fellini the greatest director in the history of the cinema.
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