8 1/2 - Frederico Fellini (1963)

This is one of those films....actually it might be THE film that if you want to be a film person, you HAVE to see it. I knew of the movie when I started on this quest, but I didn't know much about it. This was one of the movies that started me on this quest (along with 'Seven Samurai').

Okay.....

The first time I attempted to watch this movie I was like....what the heck is this!?!?! (Actually, replace heck with another 4-letter word starting with f and that would be more accurate.) The movie starts with this whole weird dream sequence or not...you aren't quite sure. The added problem for me was, the DVD I rented was defective....so it kept skipping. So between the dream sequence thing and the skipping problem, I had to give up. And it went back on the list.

Fast forward a few months and it arrived in the mail. Oh goody!!

I am just going to say it, and possibly be shunned from the entire film snob community - I did not like this movie. I didn't enjoy watching it. I didn't understand it. And quite frankly, I am not interested in watching it again to try and figure it out. (The only redeeming quality was Marcello Mastroianni, he's very handsome and suave.)

I think this was similar (though not exactly) to Francis Ford Coppola and 'Apocalypse Now'. This was a very indulgent movie for Fellini to tell his story his way. Which is fine. I just didn't get it.

Yes, this is an important film to see. I think it may have lost its relevance.

One word to describe '8 1/2': Frustrating.