Eight and Half

Quick Facts:Director: Federico Fellini

Casting: Marcello Mastroianni, Claudia Cardinale, Rossella Falk ...
IMDB Link

I watched this movie long back and frankly speaking didn't understand single thing except few shots that were embedded into my mind. This time it was an entirely different experience.
Its a film about a film director who is trying to make a movie and really doesn't know how or what or why ... His internal tension gets aggrevated by the enormous pressure from the people involved around the movie as well as his own family and folks. Its about the confusion and helplessness of the film director (Mastroianni) and the interplay of expectations and his stereotype reactions to that.
It brings out quite stereotype reaction from each type of people associated and almost makes a mokery of all of those including the "intellectual" theory towards film making. But, at the very end, the decision of NOT making the movie is the real break away and that's the point where the stereotypes are burnt down. The director goes back to his own self and rediscovers his feelings and life which is so much inter-related with so many people and in some way it rotates and circles around.
Although it seems like he accepts the defeat towards his helplessness ... I see it as his triumph that finally gets his to his real feelings which ensures truth and nothing but the truth.
Few shots need to be mentioned ... The first dream sequence where he tries to get out of a traffic jam locked into a small car and can't come out of it. But after so much strugglethat's portrayed through the whole movie finally he sets himself free ... and flys over the whole city.
Probably each of us can identify to some extent with this film director guy with our daily hypocracy as well as struggle to hide or understand the truth. Its the pain of being "intelligent" or price of thought that we all pay ...
Its a landmark movie ... it grows on you as it moves on. It should be watched multiple times ... and can be read differently.
Its more like a modern poetry that portrays the internal complexity of human behavior in the backdrop of social and influencial power play. Its canvas is quite wide ... encompassing s wide array of contexts. It doesn't bear the responsibility of "explaining" everything (and rightly so) ... but just presents its commentary. Its an unique experience to watch Eight and Half.
Now I understand why it is known as one of the greatest movies of all time ...