Achteinhalb

Wunderbar. Nur ein wahres Genie ist in der Lage, eine kreative Krise in einen solchen Film zu verwandeln. Worum geht es in dem Film? Worum wird es in dem Film gehen? Das ist die Frage, die den Protagonisten Guido Anselmi bis zum Ende verfolgt... Und der Film IST wirklich nur das, worum es in dem Film gehen wird. Worum es in Anselmis Film gehen wird, was er am Ende ist und was er nicht ist. Achteinhalb ist einer der komplexesten narrativen Filme, die ich je gesehen habe; er ist so sehr mit "Realität", "Traum" und "Erinnerung" verwoben, dass es fast unmöglich ist, die genauen Grenzen zu definieren. Aber genau das ist der Punkt - ich bin überzeugt, dass Marcello Mastroianni und seine Figur im Film eine Art Visualisierung des Filmemachers selbst ist, der, von Zweifeln geplagt, nach einem allumfassenden Film strebt. Ein wahrhaft bahnbrechendes Werk. Und er ist der Meinung, dass dies nicht durch eine "stellvertretende" Geschichte geschehen kann, sondern durch das direkte Benennen und Erzählen seiner Erinnerungen, Visionen, Wünsche... Diese Annahme wird durch ein einzigartiges narratives Verfahren bestätigt, bei dem Fellini eine Szene aus dem entstehenden Film von Guido Anselmi "vorspielt" und sie dann entweder von Guido selbst oder einer der Figuren kommentieren lässt. Dadurch entsteht der Eindruck, dass Achteinhalb ein Film ist, der eine Geschichte über sich selbst erzählt. Aber es ist keineswegs ein egozentrischer Film - es wäre nicht Fellini, wenn er aus seinen Zweifeln nicht ein universelles Bild der schöpferischen Unsicherheit, der Vergeblichkeit (hier thematisiert durch den gigantischen Bau eines Raumschiffs) und der Exaltiertheit schaffen könnte. Ich verstehe Achteinhalb als einen Film, der seine eigene Entstehung beschreibt, der in seinen Schöpfer hineinschaut, der auf geniale Weise mit dem Phänomen des "Films im Film" spielt. Wenn man Fellini hinter Anselmi und sein entstehendes Werk Achteinhalb stellt, gerät man in ein komplexes und fesselndes Spiel von Symbolen, Andeutungen und phantasievollen Momenten, die zusammen ein wunderschönes und visuell außergewöhnliches albernes Werk bilden, das nur ein Mann hätte schaffen können... Was Anselmi versucht, ist Fellini gelungen. Besser gesagt, sie waren beide erfolgreich. Es ist ewig schade, dass die Filmemacher von heute nicht so produktive Depressionen haben... (02.04.2004)

Fellini's alter ego is bitterly reflected in the film: "I had the impression that I had something to say. Something very simple. I wanted to make a film that would be useful to everyone." The trouble is that at the end of the screening, the viewer may come up with another line that will also be heard: "I have nothing to say at all, but I'll say it anyway." With the passage of years, it is clear that a significant part of Fellini's work was actually about himself, his life, his ideas, and his problems. Fascination with himself is clearly felt in every shot of 8½. Fellini was going through a creative crisis at the time, groping helplessly over how to make the material he intended to shoot. So, he took a step aside, and out of necessity, a film about a director was born, who - well, you can guess. Writing and shooting about oneself is easy. You have first-hand information, and you don't have to compromise or argue with the screenwriter. Fellini does look at himself with irony, but also no longer with distance. The film is about a creator who is admired, an artist who is the center of attention, and this aphrodisiac of fame is something he is already used to and enjoys. The famous Italian director has never been fond of editing, and it must be recognized that only a madman could edit himself. The result was exhausting for me, and soon, the pantheon of characters around the genius began to annoy me and despite my best efforts, I couldn't finish 8½ in one go - it took me two evenings. There was no catharsis at the end, but rather a feeling of relief that I finally got through it. Sadly, I can't give Fellini more than two stars. Besides – he had more than enough fun with himself. Overall impression: 40%. (11.11.2014)

The sheer joy of storytelling translated into the most creative depiction of a creative crisis, where time and space are hypothetical and the seemingly random order of scenes evokes the loss of the artistic and romantic soul in a sterile hierarchical environment. It could use a bit of editing (Fellini varies identical ideas too often in different situations, and in the last act he's kind of shooting in the dark), but the brilliantly composed music, the beautiful actresses, the energetically pulsating pace, and the wonderful work with off-screen space and camera movement around the mise-en-scène make it impossible to take your eyes off it. Fellini at his coolest. (30.10.2017)

Words of the day: That awkward moment when words cease to work and the director is forced from his position to express the film in words. The overwhelming, the unfocused, the immature or overripe, and the constant reeling in the daily surreal chaos that swirls around him in preparation for the next blockbuster from a known genius. And so, while Guido tries to return to the cradle and quietly absolve himself of responsibility for anything, a gigantic structure for his latest film looms on the wide plain, one he doesn't for the life of him know what he's going to do with, and which somehow characterizes himself – oversized, pointless, and disposable. Intellectual porn from Fellini that created a milestone for renowned aging directors in coming to terms with themselves (and would have been a brilliant double-feature with Menzel's The Don Juans!). Personally, it's a testament to the splendor of 8 1/2 that, as much as I loathe the Italian female temperament and found my toes curling at most of the female characters (apart from the always beautiful and dangerous Anouk Aimée), I drank it all in and enjoyed almost every incredibly composed shot. (14.06.2016)

This simply isn't a movie for me. Federico Fellini definitely made something interesting, it has great performances and truly beautiful women who are also talented actresses. There are interesting ideas here, but overall the film doesn't impress me in any way and I didn't really enjoy it. And I didn't even want to think about it. (27.04.2015)