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About
Guido Anselmi, a film director, finds himself creatively barren at the peak of his career. Urged by his doctors to rest, Anselmi heads for a luxurious resort, but a sorry group gathers—his producer, staff, actors, wife, mistress, and relatives—each one begging him to get on with the show. In retreat from their dependency, he fantasizes about past women and dreams of his childhood.
Theatrical
Jun 24, 1963
Theaters
4
Director
Federico Fellini
Writers
Federico Fellini, Brunello Rondi, Tullio Pinelli, Ennio Flaiano
Producers
Angelo Rizzoli, Clemente Fracassi
Music
Nino Rota
Studio
Cineriz, Francinex
Original Language
Italian
Themes
individual
scapegoat
adultery
screenplay
movie business
depression
suicide attempt
allegory
creative crisis
kurort
difficult childhood
missile
dying and death
unsociability
black and white
extramarital affair
existence
semi autobiographical
thoughtful
complex
lighthearted
ambiguous
bold
compassionate
Quotes
See all →The Struggle for Meaning and Commitment
Guido
Could you walk out on everything and start all over again? Could you choose one single thing, and be faithful to it? Could you make it the one thing that gives your life meaning... just because you believe in it? Could you do that?
Claudia
I don't know... could you?
Guido
No, the character I'm thinking of couldn't. He wants to possess and devour everything. He can't pass anything up. He's afraid he'll miss something. He's drained.
Claudia
That's how the film ends?
Guido
No, that's how it begins. Then he meets a girl at the springs. She gives him water to heal him. She's beautiful... young, yet ancient... child, yet already a woman... authentic, complete. It's obvious that she could be his salvation.
Guido
You'll wear white... with long hair, just as you do now.
The Complexity of Love and Change
Claudia
I don't understand. He meets a girl that can give him a new life and he pushes her away?
Guido
Because he no longer believes in it.
Claudia
Because he doesn't know how to love.
Guido
Because it isn't true that a woman can change a man.
Claudia
Because he doesn't know how to love.
Guido
And above all because I don't feel like telling another pile of lies.
Claudia
Because he doesn't know how to love.
Exploring the Fragments of Life and Love
Pace, il produttore
Why piece together the tatters of your life - the vague memories, the faces... the people you never knew how to love?
Embracing Clarity Amidst Life's Confusion
Writer
Life is so full of confusion already, there's no need to add chaos to the chaos.
Cast
Full credits →M
Marcello Mastroianni
Guido Anselmi
C
Claudia Cardinale
Claudia
A
Anouk Aimée
Luisa Anselmi
S
Sandra Milo
Carla
R
Rossella Falk
Rossella
B
Barbara Steele
Gloria Morin
M
Madeleine Lebeau
Madeleine, the French Actress
C
Caterina Boratto
Mysterious Lady
E
Eddra Gale
La Saraghina
G
Guido Alberti
Pace, the Producer
M
Mario Conocchia
Conocchia, the Production Manager
C
Cesarino Miceli Picardi
Cesarino, the Production Supervisor
J
Jean Rougeul
Carini, the Film Critic
M
Mario Pisu
Mario Mezzabotta
I
Ian Dallas
Maurice, Maya's Assistant
M
Mino Doro
Claudia's Agent
N
Nadia Sanders
Nadine, the Hostess
G
Georgia Simmons
Guido's Grandmother
E
Edy Vessel
Hedy, The Model
A
Annie Gorassini
Producer's Friend
