Often described as one of the most personal and
self-analytical films ever made, Fellini’s masterpiece
“8½” (1963) is a powerful meditation on the
relationship between dreaming and the process of filming.
Marcello Mastroianni stars as Guido Anselmi, a celebrated
director struggling to find inspiration for his new movie.
Needing to escape his wife, his mistress and industry peers,
Anselmi retreats into the world of the subconscious, discovering
personal recollections, dreams and fantasies. In Fellini’s
own words, the film is the story of “a film director who is
trying to put together the pieces of his life…and to make
sense of them, to understand what they mean.”
“8½” won Oscars® for Foreign Language Film
(Italy) and Black-and-White Costume Design (Piero Gherardi), and
was also nominated for Directing (Fellini), Writing – Story
and screenplay written directly for the screen (Fellini, Ennio
Flaiano, Tullio Pinelli, Brunello Rondi) and Black-and-White Art
Direction (Gherardi). Like Anselmi, Fellini dedicated himself to
the exploration of his own dreams in order to become more
self-aware; these explorations can be experienced in the
exhibition “Fellini’s Book of Dreams,” on
display through April 19 in the Academy’s Grand Lobby
Gallery. On April 17, the Academy will host special evening
exhibition viewing hours from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. and immediately
following the screening.
In conjunction with its exhibition “Fellini’s Book of
Dreams,” the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
will present a special screening of Federico Fellini’s
“8½,” on Friday, April 17, at 7:30 p.m. at the
Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. Robert Rosen, dean of
the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, will host the
evening.
Tickets for “8½” are $5 for the general public
and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID, and may
be purchased online at www.oscars.org, in person at the Academy
box office or by mail. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. The Samuel Goldwyn
Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills.
All seating is unreserved. For more information, call (310)
247-3600.
© 2009, A.M.P.A.S, © 2009, The Hollywood
Sentinel.