The fountain of imagination depicted by visual magician Fellini in “8½”

Projection of oneself and the meaning of the title

I don't know when exactly this protagonist began to overlap with Fellini himself. However, one thing that can be said with certainty is that this work is a story that was born after a lot of hard work. At that early stage, even the main character's profession had not yet been determined. The only thing that vaguely came to mind was that he was a man in his mid-40s who lost his confidence and couldn't move. Even after the staff and cast were finalized, Fellini was unable to come up with anything definitive, and before he knew it, he felt really at his limit and wrote a letter to the producer saying, ``I'm sorry, but I'm canceling.'' .

But fate is a funny thing, and just then, by chance, a staff member invites her to a party. There, everyone at the filming studio toasted and encouraged him, praying for the success of his new work, and his heart was touched by an indescribable warmth. "Ah, for the sake of the people who support me, I can't give up now." Apparently, he changed his mind and tore up the unfinished letter.

The "answer" I was looking for was unexpectedly close. Did he notice it right away, or was he just pretending not to notice? In any case, as the costumes, gestures, acting, and language are decided upon in detail, everyone begins to become vaguely aware of one fact. ``This protagonist is exactly like the director...''

『8½』(c)Photofest/Getty Images

The black clothes and hat worn by Mastroianni were exactly the same as those worn by Fellini at the time. The main character's occupation, which has finally been decided upon, is, of course, "movie director." However, even during this period, Fellini never said a word that it was himself, and it is said that after he finally completed the film, he gradually admitted it publicly.

Incidentally, the mysterious title of this work means that this is Fellini's ``8½'' work. He has one co-directed film and two omnibus short films, each of which counts as 1/2, and when added together with his other seven full-length films, the number as per the title emerges. There are various other theories, but this one makes perfect sense.

It seems that the person himself had a lot of trouble deciding whether to go with this title, and at one point considered the idea of ​​``Beautiful Confusion'', ``Comedy Movie'', or ``Asani Shimasa'', the spell that appears in the movie. In any case, I can't imagine any other option that would have such an impact. History is a series of decisions.

Look at the chaos and embrace it