Enter The Void

Today Renan and Bill lose their neorealist chains and grapple with the 1963 Federico Fellini film 8½, hailed by armchair film scholars as one of the greatest films of all time. More than 50 years on, how does it hold up? Undoubtedly and deservedly a classic, 8½ today looks different than it did in the 1960s, or even the 1990s. In this episode: 8½'s attitudes toward women; Pauline Kael's critical review; Guido's heirs including Don Draper; Fellini's virtuosic filmmaking; whither the imperial film director; and other films about filmmaking. Also, Bill offers some hot Sundance tips, and we highlight a listener's electronic music project providing an alternate score to Eraserhead. Episode links: 8½ on IMDb 8½ on Wikipedia Pauline Kael original 8½ review Stanley Kaufman original 8½ review Roger Ebert 8½ review from 2000 Michael Newton 8½ essay from 2015 Criterion dream sequence roundup Tullio Kezich essay on Fellini and 8½ Bilge Ebiri on 8½'s influence at 50 Brian Morton on reading old books in NY Times Henry alt