Narrative conflict theory dates back to the Ancient Greeks who made a solid, albeit short list: Man vs. Man (society or other people), Man vs. Nature, and Man vs. Himself. Most films are content with the protagonist facing one of these forces; however that was not enough for Fellini. His ego indubitably swelled following the deserved success of his "La Dolce Vita," and after suffering writer’s block needed a revelation to break free. His solution was to make a film about a director with writer’s block. To avoid the narcissistic profundities that could assail such a premise, he decided to put the poor protagonist of "8 1/2," Guido Anselmi (Marcello Mastroianni), against all three forms. In doing so, Fellini paints a portrait of the artist torn by various forces: Faith (Catholicism in this instance), the film, personal life, himself and the public’s expectations. All of these forces want something from him. They all have their own agendas and constantly try to manipulate him, and as a celebrated artist, everyone expects Guido to deliver on these demands.
"8 1/2 " proudly sports the “auteur” tag. The film is constructed as a stream of conscious filled by dreams, fantasies, flashbacks and reality, and has enough psychoanalysis to make Freud jealous, though Fellini is pulling more from Carl Jung. There is no distinguishing the fantasy scenes from reality: they flow through the viewer like thoughts in a manner reminiscent of Joyce and Woolf. They meld together as they do in Guido’s mind, and it is clear that there is no difference in terms of their emotional impact upon his fractured, stressed psyche. It is also filled with obscure and erudite allusion; Stendhal is quoted, and the soundtrack pulls from various classical music sources.
Though the structure could have rendered the film an opaque mess, thanks to the clarity of the writing, the film remains fully comprehensible, though far from simple. The finesse of the film is best demonstrated in the disparity between the audience’s reaction to Guido on screen and the bland description of his actions. Few people would use adjectives like liar, adulterer and chauvinist to describe a sympathetic person, yet Guido is. The character's charisma (both Mastroianni's performance and the script) results in a character that is unusually human—his reactions, temperament and frustrations are all natural and understandable. Even when his exasperation is his own fault—such as the tawdry nature of his mistress—the audience still laughs and empathizes. Guido’s hectic, overwhelming life gives the viewer. While he is famous and celebrated, he is also overworked and incessantly in demand. There is never a scene in the film in which someone doesn't ask, suggest or demand to him (aside from fantasy sequences). What makes the situation even worse is that these demands are both personal and professional in nature. He can never focus on either his personal or professional life, and is in a vacillating battle between the two. Whenever a friend comes to him for help, there is always a stranger or critic or producer there to ask him questions and remind him of deadlines. An army of actors hound him for roles he hasn't written yet. He receives critiques and comments from people he doesn't know. During one scene, the niece of a set worker makes fun of him for his inability to write romances. His life is untenable, and the viewer is readily able to identify that and sympathize with the director as a result.
The surrealist, post-modern structure practically turns the film into a puzzle as the viewer pieces together the initially bewildering vignettes. One such example is how the film explores Guido’s sexuality. His lust for Claudia, the vacuous Gloria, his affair with the vapid Carla cause Guido’s estrangement from his intellectual wife, Luisa. Luisa is the only one of the four women with demonstrated substance (Claudia is not well explored, and little more than a sexual novelty). Gloria spouts platitudes of philosophy, and Carla has no intellectual capability whatsoever, but Luisa’s contemplations, which were implied to be happy initially, have devolved into misanthropy through her husband’s infidelities and absence. Guido is aware of his genuine love for Luisa, but is ultimately dictated by his sexuality. Flashbacks make clear this attitude is the result of the Catholic Church’s punishment for his fascination with a prostitute as a child. Understanding this component, in turn, explains a more metaphorical dream at the beginning of the film, in which a boy flies a kite on the same beach Guido met the woman. The Church’s Draconian punishment—public humiliation and castigation by his mother—created an endless sexual frustration and an inability to quench his desire. The Church’s attempt to purify Guido ultimately manifested in the estrangement of Luisa and the loss of his true love. After alienating her, Guido has an impossible, absurd fantasy which attempts to reconcile all of these forces together. The dream’s sexist, salacious nature is so removed that there is an implied a separation from reality. It is an act of denial as much as it is an act of reconciliation. The sexual forces around him are potent and yet so distant and unattainable that the result is impossibility, a dream that can never occur. Thus, his sexual appetite and desires in a romantic relationship are doomed to an infinite loop of dissatisfaction and frustration.
The premise is really the only remotely viable complaint for this film, and it is insignificant and captious. The film’s execution is unparalleled in cinema, and this truly stands as a rare immortal film, one that will be studied and admired as an Italian masterpiece akin to the “Divine Comedy” and “Decameron.” There is seldom such overt genius on display with such audacity. "8 ½" utilizes an enormous ensemble cast, yet they are all distinct, and memorable. A film is fortunate to have the protagonist linger in the viewer’s memory, yet off the top of my head, I can name a half dozen characters (Guido, Gloria, Claudia, Carla, Luisa, Mario). Single lines delineate personality with virtuosic precision and prevent these characters from becoming caricatures and indistinct forces in Guido’s life. They are not solipsistic figments of Guido’s mind, their desires and efforts all impact the story with a rare credibility that emblematizes the entire stories earnest authenticity, a quality Guido badly needs in his own life.
