Movies

Surrealism is considered a 20th century invention. From painting to literature, self-exploration of ones dreams and psyche formed the basis of creative thought. In film, a relatively new medium of expression, the concept of an auteur had just begun to develop in the late 1950s in Europe. Autobiographical expressionism was an experimental approach in film and someone like Federico Fellini was egotistical enough to want to exploit it.

In 8, we are bombarded with Fellinis innermost thoughts and desires juxtaposed against a mis en scne that is claustrophobic and disturbing. The opening sequence sets the precedent for what we as the audience feel towards the character Guido (Marcello Mastroianni), a film director suffering from a creative block. The films first scene is set in darkness where the characters are frozen in shock. For the audience watching the film, the disturbing act of voyeurism makes us want to walk away, but find that we cannot. We soon see that traffic is at a standstill the grunts of a man trapped in the car appear to provide titillating entertainment for the trapped commuters. As he struggles to escape, the darkness closes in and the shadows deepen we feel as trapped as Guido. All too soon, Guido is flying above the parked cars and escape into the light for the films first dream sequence.

I could not decide what disturbed me more being trapped in the car or the surrealism in the Guidos dream. Even as he escapes I feel that nothing good will come out of it, but am compelled to follow Guido. On the beach he struggles and eventually falls down into the waves. I found myself falling with him, willing myself to stop, and then being jolted awake when the doctor walks through the door. I was almost relieved when I realized that all that happened before was a dream, but at the same time, I know that the dream was really a premonition. Will Guido fall to his doom in real life or will he manage to escape that fate by acknowledging his failings as a person and strive to change
The opening scene of 8  encapsulates the plot of the film and Fellinis style of filmmaking. Guido is helpless in the face of his directors block and while he may escape, there is no closure. He is trapped not only by his mental block, but also by the relationships in his life. In the scene that follows at the doctors office, the sound of the typewriter in the background appears to taunt the protagonist about his creative block. He moves from the shadows of the office to the bright lights of a bathroom and then an even brighter open space. We walk by smiling faces and twirling umbrellas, confused about how Guido fits into this scene. I wondered if this was real or another dream. I found out that it was both as there is a moment when we see Guidos wife bring him a glass of water before we realize that it is actually one of the staff at the spa who is handing it to him. This sequence, like all others in this film, ends abruptly as if we are told that it is time to come back to reality.

Fellini navigates the physical landscape as easily as he navigates the human psyche through flashbacks and dreams. The real life scenes are mostly shot in tight frames while the dream sequences have long shots and panoramic backdrops. Neither provides a familiarity that we need to associate with the narrative. Typically when you watch a film, you expect to reach closure by the time the closing credits roll. I dont think Fellini intends for us to reach a resolution and is content to leave the field open for further exploration. As an audience of this film, his cest la vie attitude conflicts with our need to understand the character and reach closure. Fellini has other plans for us.

The narrative of the film does not follow a linear path. It is broken in places, going off on tangents before bringing us back to the place where we started. This place should be familiar, but because of our journey into Guidos head, the familiar takes on a surrealism that is unknown. Childhood memories, fantasies and day dreams dominate the protagonists life. We know that Guido is trying to put together a science fiction film but is unsuccessful. It is not his health that is holding him back on the contrary it is the noise in his life. The demands of his harem, mistress and wife, his own anxieties, his need to reach a specific time in his childhood when the world made sense, these are the impediments to his self-expressionism.

Fellini demonstrates these psychical impediments by way of placing Guido in narrow spaces such as hotel corridors, behind columns, between buildings and even in a cemetery where he is surrounded by ancient walls. In the scene where Guido picks up his mistress Carla from the railway station, we first see him sitting on a bench, an insignificant figure under the large iron gates. When he hears the whistle of the train, he moves towards the railing fence. The iron bars of the gate and the iron bars of the railing fence trap him inside. Next we see a close-up of Guidos face next to a pillar. He steps away to walk towards the platform. For a minute he is juxtaposed against the train before he sees Carla waving at him. He stays in that space even as the train moves away. The narrow camera shot reinforces the feeling that Guido is a trapped soul.

I think Fellinis ability lies not in his cinematic approach but rather in his theatrical one. I felt that there was a deliberate attempt by Fellini to place his characters in such a way that they define the scene and therefore convey the meaning of the narrative as well as the characters frame of mind. In the previous scene at the railway station, Guido looks back when Carla waves to him before stepping towards her. He then walks her out the station while moving to her left then right and then left again, all the while looking around to see if anyones noticed him. This made me think that Guido is not entirely comfortable with the idea of being seen with his mistress and would prefer to move out of the open as soon as possible. Next, when we see them in the bedroom, his confidence is restored behind closed doors where there are no prying eyes.

There is a similar situation where a traditional theatrical devise is subverted. In the scene where Guido is speaking to his father, we see Guido, his back to us, in the bottom right corner, a place normally reserved for characters who feel helpless and vulnerable. On the other hand, his father is facing him, and us, in the top left corner where you would typically find the stronger character.
The production design further invokes the theatrical element. I found myself noticing how the function of the background complemented the purpose of the characters actions. The high painted walls of the spa reminded me of a theater backdrop even as the scene unfolding during a dinner played out like a melodrama. Similarly, the scene from Guidos childhood where he is being bathed and dressed by his aunts is too stark to resemble real life. It has a set-like quality as if Guidos life is playing out on a stage and each character is there to play a part in his formation as a director, nothing more.

The lighting too is theatrical with each scene shot in either shadows or highlights. The interior scenes are mostly dark with the characters faces in shadows, hiding them from the audience. In the exterior scenes, the harsh sunlight washes out the shadows and puts everything in stark perspective. When we first meet Guido he is trapped inside a dark car before being liberated to a sun-drenched beach. In another scene, Guido walks into his hotel room where his wife is waiting. From the shadows of the corridor to the shadows of the room, his wife is hidden from us initially due to the darkness inside. When Guido opens the door to the bathroom, the light from inside doesnt penetrate the darkness of the hotel room. When Guido steps inside the bathroom, the walls are stark white and he is darkness personified in his dark suit.

The entire film is an education in the relationship between the space and character. All the characters denote some element of confusion and deceit, and Fellini uses placement to convey these feelings. This is all the more noticeable when we study Guidos reactions to the situations in which he finds himself. While watching the film, I often found myself thinking that Guido was ambivalent about his life and not just the film he wants to make. The expressions on his face, the way he bites his fingernails and adjusts his glasses, I found these to be symbols of his inability to move forward.

There is something interesting going on in Guidos life, or rather in the way that Fellini plays with Guidos psyche. The film itself is a collection of different episodes that do not appear to have anything in common at first. However, when you look closely you realize that in each situation, Guido is placed in a position of having to face a difficult situation, but he comes out of these in a way that reduces those situations to comedic levels. Almost every scene ends in a playful manner, saturating the real and imaginary worlds of Guidos life and his dreams.

A case in the point is the dinner scene in the spa. The scene begins with Guido shrouded in darkness, walking down the poorly lit corridor towards the elevator. Inside the elevator, he is crowded with other spa patrons before being set free in the open space of the dining area. Here he engages in a tense political discussion, light flirtation, and even takes to the dance floor with his friends mistress. Before this episode ends, the patrons are treated to a magic show that appears to wipe clean the seriousness of the events that occurred earlier. The patrons, dressed in fur and diamonds, are treated to a comical magician that belongs in a circus rather than the moneyed surroundings of the spa. Even the entrance of the magician is incongruous to the setting. In the darkness we see a spotlight behind a man who is in shadows. At first I thought it was Guido the tilt of the hat, the ominous music overture, the posture, all seemed to indicate Guidos state of mind.

As the film had so far moved so seamlessly between dream and reality, I also wondered if this was perhaps another dream. All too soon it becomes clear that this is no dream from the old dame in diamonds wearing a blindfold to the way the magician evokes Guidos childhood memories, we find ourselves wondering what role the magician plays in shaping Guidos destiny. The answer to this question is not readily answered. In fact we have to wait until the end of the film where a carnival-esque conclusion sees the return of the magician and Guidos resolve towards his life.

A defining moment in the film is the scene with the dancer Seraghina. When the scene begins, we are staring down at a young Guido from behind a large statue of a religious figure. The phallic symbol of the raised finger is a precursor to the scene that follows. Guido is invited by his friends to the beach where they watch Seraghina perform the Rhumba I found her dance to be frightening rather than seductive, as was her facial expression. Two priests catch up with the truant boys and Guido is singled out for punishment. In a way, this is Guidos first sexual experience and defines his attitude towards women. Just like the use of the lighting, there are no shades of gray here either. In Guidos mind, women are whores or mothers, but never both. I felt that Guido would not find salvation until he found a way to resolve his feelings in this respect.

The final scene of the film is just as powerful as the opening one. While the latter was rooted in dreams, the former is pure realism. Guido abandons his film project the space ship set is dismantled and the scaffolding begins to fall as Guido walks away. The imagery of the large steel structure above Guidos much smaller frame as it deconstructs evokes similar visual cues throughout the film. In an earlier scene of an outdoor auction, Guido and the guests are dwarfed by a large cathedral. In another scene, Guido is overshadowed by a large statue of the pope. Guido is impotent in the face of lifes challenges, but he is able to walk away from the difficulties that he has created as a result of his complicated relationships with the women in his life.

The magician returns in the final scenes as if to create the resolution. With a wave of his magic wand, we see a photo montage of Guidos wife, his parents, Seraghina, Guidos aunts, his mistress and others from his life. It was not clear to me what the purpose of this scene was. In a way it is Fellinis attempt to reconcile the narrative, but I find it to be a confusing ending. The people in Guidos life are not as we saw them throughout the film they are a stylized version with their perfect hair, big smiles and white costumes. In other words, they do not appear to be real but rather part of another elaborate dream sequence. The voice over about Guido learning from his mistakes and things making sense is too deliberate. He admits that he is still confused and does not know what he is seeking. Guido is staring outside the car window and running his hand through his hair when he makes this confession. It made me wonder what the purpose of the film was if it was not Guidos ability to discover himself through an exploration of his psyche. However, Guido is resolved to being a better person this means reconciling with his wife and his life. I feel that Guido has reached a point where he does not need the comfort of his dreams and can in fact survive in reality.

Fellinis 8  is a thought provoking film, but it leaves the audience as confused as the main character. The closing scene belays Fellinis fascination with psychoanalytical theories, something that is subconsciously part of the narrative. I believe that Fellini deliberately created a film that would allow him to explore his inner self through the characters that he has developed. It appears to be a case of art imitating life or at the very least, real life being an inspiration for art.