8½ Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

8½ Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 19, 2013

Federico Fellini's "8 ½ " (1963) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Argent Films. The supplemental features on the disc include original Italian trailers for the film; archival video interview with director Lina Wertmuller; Mario Sesti's fifty-two-minute documentary "The Last Sequence"; and text-format tribute to Fellini's speech on receiving his Life Achievement Academy Award. In Italian, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The Director

8 ½ is undoubtedly Federico Fellini’s most personal film. It is about a well known Italian director, Guido Anselmi (Marcello Mastroainni, La Dolce Vita), who arrives at a fashionable sanatorium where he hopes to regain his physical strength and creative powers. His next film is due very soon, and producers, actors and technical staff are already asking questions for which the director has no answers.

The more Guido attempts to hide the fact that he does not know what his film would look like, however, the more he begins to realize that perhaps the recovery he hopes for would never happen; what he experiences isn’t a temporary crisis, but the end - he has shown the world everything he ever wanted to, everything he could.

Of course, everyone around Guido thinks that he is just an eccentric man whose vague answers to their questions are natural. They know that very soon he will shoot a brilliant film, one that would be praised and remembered for years to come. It is just a matter of time before he reveals what this brilliant film would be about…is it not, maestro?

It is a well documented fact that when Fellini began working on 8 ½ he really did not know what his film would be about. Initially, Guido Anselmi was to be a famous writer, not a film director, but Fellini changed his mind, and became his film’s main protagonist.

Like most every other Fellini film, 8 ½ welcomes its audience into a world where fantasy and reality are closely intertwined. Alongside the serious, the bizarre, hilarious and shocking are everywhere. It is true that the tone of 8 ½ is not as direct as that of some of Fellini’s earlier films, but it is still infused with the same intensity that ultimately forces one to remember his work. Fellini’s films, whether one fully comprehends them or not, are unforgettable.

In an interview offered on this Blu-ray disc, Lina Wertmuller -- the famous Italian writer and director, whom Fellini invited to assist him on 8 ½ -- talks about the important role women had in Fellini’s life. She explains why he treated them as objects in his films, as well as why he feared and at the same time admired them – his dreams were inspired by them, and so were his films.

Unsurprisingly, in 8 ½ Guido fantasizes about the moment when the mysterious actress Claudia (Claudia Cardinale, Girl with a Suitcase) would arrive and help him overcome his creative problems. She is the key to all of his struggles, not the two women that already share his life - his wife Luisa (Anouk Aimée, A Man and a Woman) and mistress Carla (Sandra Milo, The Visit).

There is an old proverb, “The first step towards greatness is to be honest”. During the years, there have been many directors who have claimed that their works are honest, capturing their feelings, thoughts and emotions. Few, however, if any, have been as honest as Fellini in his 8 ½ - this is the personal confession of a director who has realized that the finest story he could ever tell is his own.

In 1964, 8 ½ won an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. During the same year, the film also won seven Silver Ribbon Awards, including Best Director and Best Cinematography (Gianni Di Venanzo), granted by the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists.

8½ Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Federico Fellini's 8 ½ arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Argent Films.

Argent Films' release uses as a foundation French label Gaumont's restoration of Fellini's legendary film. Needless to say, it has little in common with Criterion's presentation of the film.

Generally speaking, close-ups and panoramic shots convey pleasing depth (see screeencaptures #2 and 9). Clarity and contrast levels are also stable. Some extremely light noise corrections have been applied, but grain has been retained. Additionally, while on the Criterion release the noise corrections are also accompanied by light sharpening adjustments, here such obvious traces of sharpening adjustments are not visible. This is what makes the noise corrections a lot more difficult to spot. This being said, encoding and compression are better on the Criterion release. As a result, even though the Gaumont restoration is superior, there are small portions of the film that actually boast marginally better definition on the Criterion release (compare screencapture #14 and screencapture #4 from our review of the Criterion release). There are also sporadic extremely light chroma-like effects that pop up here and there (see screencapture #13). The overwhelming majority of viewers more than likely will not be able to spot them, but they are indeed present. These encoding issues are also responsible for the minor discrepancies in the balance between blacks, grays, and whites between the two releases. Finally, there are no serious stability issues. Also, there are no large damage marks, cuts, debris, scratches, warps, or stains to report in this review. To sum it all up, I prefer the Gaumont restoration, but the encoding and compression of the Criterion release are clearly superior. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

8½ Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 1.0. For the record, Argent Films have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.

Depth and clarity are very good. Dynamic intensity is also pleasing. There is no disturbing background hiss, pops, cracks, dropouts, or distortions. Some minor lip-sync issues remain, but they are indeed part of the film. The English translation is excellent.

8½ Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• The Last Sequence - Federico Fellini originally intended for 8 ½ to end with a surreal sequence in a train car - sets were built and footage was shot, but all that remains are still photographs. From this starting point, Mario Sesti's fifty-two-minute documentary details the story of the original ending and how it came to be replaced. The same documentary film also appears on Criterion's Blu-ray release of 8 ½ . In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (51 min, 1080i).

• Lina Wertmuller Interview - in this video interview, the Italian director recalls her collaboration with Fellini on 8 ½, and explains how Fellini helped her direct her first film. Mrs. Wertmuller also discusses the important role women had in Fellini's life. The interview also appears on the Criterion Blu-ray release. In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (17 min).

• Theatrical Trailer One - original trailer for 8 ½ . In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (4 min).

• Theatrical Trailer Two - original trailer for 8 ½ . In Italian, with optional English subtitles. (4 min).

• Fellini Receives Academy Awards in 1992 - Tribute to Fellini's speech on receiving his Life Achievement Academy Award. Included here is a short description and Fellini's speech. In text-format. In English.

• Trailer Park - trailers for other releases produced by Argent Films.

8½ Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Federico Fellini's 8 ½ is an essential film to see and own. In my opinion, no collection is complete without it. British distributors Argent Films' Blu-ray release uses as a foundation French label Gaumont's restoration of 8 ½. I think that currently it is the best one on the market, but I like the encoding and compression of the Criterion release better. If you only have Fellini's film on DVD, or do not yet have it in your collection, you should consider picking up the Blu-ray release as soon as possible. RECOMMENDED.