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8 1/2 (The Criterion Collection)

The Criterion Collection

Bruno Agostini (Actor), Anouk Aimée (Actor), Federico Fellini (Director) Rated:

Format: DVD

899 ratings

IMDb8.0/10.0

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March 21, 2010

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

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-in a beautifully restored new digital transfer. Disc two features Fellini's rarely seen first film for television, Fellini: A Director's Notebook (1969). Produced by Peter Goldfarb, this imagined documentary of Fellini is a kaleidoscope of unfinished projects, all of which provide a fascinating and candid window into the director's unique and creative process.

Additional Features

Criterion truly out did themselves with Fellini's masterpiece 8 1/2. Not only is the digital transfer stunning, but it's also loaded with extras. The anamorphic widescreen (aspect ratio 1.85:1) has few noticeable artifacts and looks extremely vibrant. The Mono Italian audio track is crystal clear and Nino Rota score sounds wonderful. 8 1/2 is incredibly autobiographical and unless you are a Fellini scholar a lot of the innuendos may be missed. Luckily, there is an amazing duel commentary, which provides many historical and metaphorical interpretations putting the surrealistic images into perspective. The second disc includes two documentaries and candid interviews with those who worked closely with Fellini providing an interesting 'inside' perspective. If there is one Fellini film to own, it is 8 1/2, and this Criterion DVD is the one to get. It is absolutely flawless. --Rob Bracco

Product details

Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.85:1
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ s_medNotRated NR (Not Rated)
Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 5.25 x 0.75 inches; 7.2 Ounces
Item model number ‏ : ‎ 2224958
Director ‏ : ‎ Federico Fellini
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Multiple Formats, Anamorphic, Black & White, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 18 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ March 21, 2010
Actors ‏ : ‎ Bruno Agostini, Anouk Aimée, Guido Alberti, Caterina Boratto, Claudia Cardinale
Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English
Language ‏ : ‎ Unqualified, Italian (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
Studio ‏ : ‎ Criterion Collection
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00005QAPH
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 2

Best Sellers Rank: #55,101 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #972 in Fantasy DVDs
- #1,067 in Foreign Films (Movies & TV)
- #7,679 in Comedy (Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews:
899 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		78%
4 star		10%
3 star		7%
2 star		3%
1 star		3%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Frederick Baptist

One of the Greatest Films Ever Made Now Given the Criterion Treatment on Blu Ray!

Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2017

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There are very few films that I've seen in my life which leave me speechless with awe and this is one of them! I've seen "La Dolce Vita" and while I like that film a lot in my opinion "8 1/2" is by far his best and is also among the best ever films ever made. I would love to describe this film but that would be doing it a great injustice as no words could do justice to this cinematic experience. Needless to say this film is among those I can count on my fingers as ones that will get repeated annual viewings. To call this a masterpiece would be a gross understatement. The good news is that Criterion's transfer is very good leaving nothing to complain about with regards picture and sound quality. Also included is a 32-page booklet containing essays on the film and the director. Every movie buff and fan of great cinema needs to have this in their video library.

Very highly recommended!

35 people found this helpful

Helpful

A Dream of a Movie

Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2018

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I miss out on why 8 1/2 is so highly ranked among movies--perhaps it's better understood by film students and professionals--but it does have a quality of magic. The notes furnished with the film offer useful insight--that this is a movie about a director who's unsure what his next movie will be about, by a director unsure of what his next movie will be about. The film remarkably follows the structure and character of a dream--odd characters appearing at odd times and scenarios--so it can appear disjointed and confusing. Taking it in requires patience and curiosity, an effort that proves well worthwhile, as Fellini masterfully brings all together in the end.

Just one more thing--during filming, Fellini kept a note on hand to remind him, "Remember--it's a comedy." Viewers should so the same. Don't take it too seriously!

15 people found this helpful

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Serkan Okar

Quintessential Classic European Art House film from Fellini

Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2019

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8 1/2 is the most important movie in the career of Federico Fellini, great Italian director who is the representative of Italian art house cinema in the 60s. This is not a type of movie with a typical plot development and its strength comes from its visual and narrative style. Fellini has interwoven his dreams, desires and the subconscious into the movie which is seemingly about a director's struggle about making a film. Black and white photography is amazing, you can pause each scene and each scene has a great photographic quality due to its composition. Criterion Blu ray edition is the best edition out there with a super crispy clean transfer and tons of Special Features including commentaries and documentaries.

8 people found this helpful

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Rivcuban

I'd Rather Watch Paint Dry

Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2019

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Don't get me wrong. There are plenty of avant garde foreign films which I absolutely love. 8 1/2 was at the bottom of the list for me. There is nothing wrong with artsy schizophrenic films. This one was a total bore. Nothing redeeming except maybe the cinematrogaphy. I tried so much to love this film, but I just couldn't. It was like watching paint to dry. Yes, the remastering was top-notch by Criterion. But that's about the only good thing about this film. I guess I could use the Bluray as a coaster to protect my furniture from water damage, but that is a darn expensive coaster!

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Five stars for the movie, of course, but this seriously needs a new transfer

Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2018

Verified Purchase

Yes, it's Criterion, but no it is not up to the standards we now expect and this brilliant movie deserves a new 4K scan off the camera negative - this is a very old transfer and is not up to snuff, I'm afraid. I have every Blu-ray iteration of this movie and none of them are very good. So, Criterion, time to freshen this thing up.

7 people found this helpful

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Mark

Finding your joy

Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2017

Verified Purchase

Everyone keeps saying it's about a creative guy who has run out of ideas... which is partially true. It's really about finding joy and getting rid of the superfluous things in life to just be in the moment. The dream sequences are amazing. It's my favourite film ever. Delicately told and quite satirical at the same time!

11 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

My favorite movie

Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2018

Verified Purchase

I had it on VHS and played it until the tape stretched. The DVD is so much better, and the accompanying DVD has some fascinating pieces. The condition of the DVDs and the container looks unused. The sound quality is fair, but I have seen it in theaters and VHS and it's all the same. It's the opposite of the gorgeous image quality. The camera movement is perfectly choreographed with the actors... decades before Steadycam. After you see it once or twice with the sound on, view it with the sound off and you'll appreciate the exquisite cinematography even more.

3 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Paul Reeder

My favourite Place

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 15, 2018

Verified Purchase

Such a truly wonderful movie. There is something absorbing and immersive in this film that draws you back in time and again. It becomes more like a place you can escape to rather than a movie / story that you watch to find out what happens. Having watched it many times over the years, the alternative ending really packed a punch. It was if the cast had come back together, just for a moment, to take up where they had left off. Very immediate and in the here and now.

The Bluray picture did not seem different from the restored version DVD that I had already. Modern 4K players and screens upsample and interpolate the picture to the extent that the quality of the image is quite close. It will maybe come apparent when playing it on the big screen through a projector. As another reviewer mentioned, I have the Cinema Classics version and when a Region 2 Criterion version becomes available the ultimate copy will be played on UK players.

6 people found this helpful

ZeitGhoul (music is my sanctuary)

Proper movie history straight from a unique cinematic mind. 8 and 1/2 gets 8/12 out of 81/2

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 13, 2020

Verified Purchase

This film was an excellent introduction to Fellini for me. The opening scene alone just taps into your subconscious and if you feel the confusion of the chaos that sandwiches this strange film, then that opening scene acts as a kind of prelude on how to tune in to the feel of the directors passion and style which oozes from the screen. Like no other director I've ever seen the impossible becomes possible in everyday moments.

It is confusing ....the antithesis of a director like Ozu I'd say....that camera just moves and moves and and moves. Like a stream of consciousness. Loved it also because the visuals are so high contrast and the whites often to over white. It imprints itself on you straight away because the narrative and visuals just rush by. Reminded me of the first time I watched Lego Movie...I know it affected me...but I could not keep up. Can't wait to watch again. This is proper movie history.

One person found this helpful

Steve H

Subtitles not a problem for me

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 24, 2015

Verified Purchase

I rented this Cinema Classics Blu-ray from Lovefilm to check out the quality prior to purchasing it. To try and clear up the subtitle issue: I found that the subtitles were removable and not embedded as stated by another reviewer. My Panasonic machine enabled me to remove them or re-position them. I suspect that this is a machine based issue along with other problems that crop up particularly on the Blu-ray front. The subs are quite diminutive and therefore certainly not obtrusive. Looking at screen captures of the Criterion Blu-ray on DVD Beaver, this region A locked release certainly looks better in terms of the picture quality (detail, grain etc.). I'm going to wait until I purchase a code free machine before I invest in this film yet again! I should say that the Cinema Classics Blu-ray is a huge improvement on the Nouveaux Pictures DVD release which should be avoided at all costs.

4 people found this helpful

M. K. Hammour

not perfect Blu Ray Quality !!!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 20, 2017

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quality is not Blu Ray !!!

3 people found this helpful

Roy Brand

No English sub-title

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 19, 2020

Verified Purchase

I was expecting this German DVD to have English sub-titles. It doesn't! Only German or Italian.
Probably my fault for not checking.

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