Otto e Mezzo DVD 1963 8½ / Directed by Federico Fellini / Starring: Marcello Mastroianni, Claudia Cardinale, Anouk Aimée, Sandra Milo

UPC 5999546330885

MADE IN HUNGARY

REGION 2 PAL DVD (Black & White)

Audio: Italian 2.0, Hungarian 2.0

Subtitle: Italian, Hungarian

Playtime: 138 minutes

English Summary:

Guido Anselmi (Marcello Mastroianni), a famous Italian film director, is suffering from "director's block". Stalled on his new science fiction film that includes thinly veiled autobiographical references, he has lost interest amidst artistic and marital difficulties. While attempting to recover from his anxieties at a luxurious spa, Guido hires a well-known critic (Jean Rougeul) to review his ideas for his film, but the critic blasts them as weak, intellectually spineless, and confusing. Meanwhile, Guido has recurring visions of an Ideal Woman (Claudia Cardinale), which he sees as key to his story. His vivacious mistress Carla (Sandra Milo) comes from Rome to visit him, but Guido puts her in a separate hotel and mostly ignores her. The film production crew relocates to Guido's hotel in an attempt to get him to work on the film, but he evades his staff, ignores journalists, and refuses to make decisions, not even telling actors their roles. As the pressure mounts to begin filming, Guido retreats into memories: spending the night at his grandmother's villa, dancing with a prostitute (Eddra Gale) on the beach as a schoolboy, and being punished by his strict Catholic school as a result. The film critic claims that these memories are too sentimental and ambiguous to be used in Guido's film.

Italian Summary:

Guido Anselmi, un affermato regista di quarantatré anni, sta elaborando il suo prossimo film. Egli si trova a trascorrere un periodo di riposo in una stazione di cure termali (il set reale fu ambientato nel Lazio, e principalmente a Roma^[2]). Guido cerca in quella località di coniugare i propri problemi fisici (stanchezza cardiaca) con quelli della produzione del film, ancora allo stato di preparazione.

La quiete che vorrebbe è continuamente minata dalla presenza delle maestranze del film (produttore, tecnici, attori) che soggiornano nel suo stesso albergo e che vedono in lui l'unico appoggio sicuro. Ma il suo spirito creativo si è inaridito e non riesce a dare una direzione chiara al suo progetto cinematografico. Oltretutto, ai suoi problemi professionali si aggiungono grattacapi sentimentali.

Hungarian Summary:

Mindenki az ismert rendező, Guido új produkcióját várja. Guido egy gyógyfürdőbe utazik, hogy szakmai és magánéleti válságát valahogy megoldja. Itt az egymáson átfutó álomképek, emlékek és valós történések kusza szövevényében újra átéli a munkatársaival, barátaival, a feleségével, a szeretőivel és gyermekkori társaival való kapcsolatait. Ezek a benyomások keverednek Guidónak az új filmje miatti aggodalmaival, s egyre világosabbá válik a rendező ötlettelensége. Amikor Guido a forgatás színhelyén rezignáltan megtudja, hogy munkája veszélybe került, általános meglepetésre minden harmonikussá kezd válni, s minden összejön, ami korábban egyáltalán nem sikerült: kialakul a körtánc, a rendező utasításokat ad, és megkezdődnek az új film munkálatai.

Cast / Interpreti e personaggi / Szereplők:

• Marcello Mastroianni as Guido Anselmi, a film director
• Anouk Aimée as Luisa Anselmi, Guido's wife
• Rossella Falk as Rossella, Luisa's best friend and Guido's confidante
• Sandra Milo as Carla, Guido's mistress
• Claudia Cardinale as Claudia, a film star Guido casts as his Ideal Woman
• Simonetta Simeoni as young girl
• Guido Alberti as Pace, a film producer
• Mario Conocchia as Mario Conocchia, Guido's production assistant
• Bruno Agostini as Bruno Agostini, the production director
• Cesarino Miceli Picardi as Cesarino, the production supervisor
• Jean Rougeul [fr] as Carini Daumier, a film critic
• Mario Pisu as Mario Mezzabotta, Guido's friend
• Barbara Steele as Gloria Morin, Mezzabotta's new young girlfriend
• Madeleine Lebeau as Madeleine, a French actress
• Caterina Boratto as a mysterious lady in the hotel
• Eddra Gale as La Saraghina, a prostitute
• Eugene Walter as an American journalist
• Mary Indovino as Maya, the clairvoyant
• Ian Dallas as Maurice, Maya's assistant
• Giuditta Rissone as Guido's mother
• Annibale Ninchi [it] as Guido's father
• Edy Vessel as a mannequin