8 1/2 Federico Fellini

(aka '8 1/2" or "8½" or "Eight and a Half" or "Federico Fellini's 8 1/2" or "Federico Fellini's 8½" or "Huit et demi" or "Otto e mezzo')

USA 1963

One of the greatest films about film ever made, Federico Fellini’s 8 1/2 (Otto e Mezzo) turns one man’s artistic crisis into a grand epic of the cinema. Guido Anselmi (Marcello Mastroianni) is a director whose film—and life—is collapsing around him. An early working title for the film was La Bella Confusione (The Beautiful Confusion), and Fellini’s masterpiece is exactly that: a shimmering dream, a circus, and a magic act. The Criterion Collection is proud to present the 1963 Academy Award™ winner for Best Foreign-Language Film—one of the most written about, talked about, and imitated movies of all time.

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Theatrical Release: February 14th, 1963 - Rome, Italy

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DVD Review: Criterion - Region 0 - NTSC

DVD Box Cover		CLICK to order from:
Distribution	Criterion Collection - Spine # 140 - Region 0 - NTSC
Runtime	2:18:35
Video	1.78:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 6.71 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:
Audio	Italian (Dolby Digital 2.0)
Subtitles	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Criterion / Home Vision Aspect Ratio: Original aspect Ratio 1.78:1 Edition Details: • Screen-specific audio essay featuring commentary by film critic and Fellini friend Gideon Bachmann and NYU Professor of Film Antonio Monda • Introduction by Terry Gilliam, director of Brazil and 12 Monkeys • 22 page booklet featuring essays by Fellini, longtime Fellini collaborator and critic Tullio Kezich, and film professor and author Alexander Sesonske • Theatrical trailer Disc Two • Fellini: A Director’s Notebook, a 52-minute film by Federico Fellini • Nino Rota: Between Cinema and Concert, a compelling 48-minute documentary about the maestro behind the music of Fellini's films • Interviews with actress Sandra Milo, director Lina Wertmüller, whose career began on the set of 8 1/2, and cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, who discusses the revolutionary art of Gianni di Venanzo • Rare photographs from the collection of Gideon Bachmann • Gallery of behind-the-scenes and production photos DVD Release Date: December 4th, 2001 Double (Thick) Keep Case Chapters: 28

Comments:

One of Criterion's best loved and most popular selling DVDs. The anamorphic image is beautiful with excellent shadow detail and pitch blacks. This is most apparent as the film is so visual. Extras are very extensive and too numerous to name. I was impressed with the "Director's Notebook" on the second disc. Overall, the kind of perfection that we have come to expect from Criterion and hope to continue to receive in the future. out of

NOTE: The dialogue in 8 1/2 is often noticeably out of sync because, like most Italian films of the period, it was entirely post-synced (recorded after photography). Fellini is famous for have little concern for syncing dialogue with lip-movement. Oftentimes, the script would change considerably after photography was completed!

Gary W. Tooze

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