Synopsis
Guido Anselmi (Marcello Mastroianni) is at a crisis point in his life and his work; in the opening sequence, Guido, suffocating, is caught in traffic with the windows of his car locked shut. He climbs out of the sunroof and literally rises up over the highway into the clouds, seemingly free, when he realizes there's a rope tied around his ankle that is violently pulling him back to earth. Cutting from this dream to the health spa where Guido is trying to recapture his creativity and write the screenplay for his next film, his vices become clear: Guido is self-absorbed, and he's distracted by the fabulous cast of actresses, intellectuals, and eccentrics who have joined him at the spa. Additionally he struggles with Freudian complexes about his wife (Anouk Aime), his lover (Sandro Milo), his ideal woman (Claudia Cardinale), and his dead parents; and his repressive Catholic guilt follows him everywhere like a haunting mist.
Credits
Director (1)
Actors (20)
Production and distribution (4)
- Co-production : Francinex
- Foreign production company : Cineriz
- Film exports/foreign sales : Cinecittà (ex-Istituto Luce)
- French distribution : Columbia France
Full credits (6)
- Screenwriters : Ennio Flaiano, Federico Fellini, Tullio Pinelli, Brunello Rondi
- Director of Photography : Gianni Di Venanzo
- Music Composer : Nino Rota
- Costume designer : Piero Gherardi
- Foreign Producer : Angelo Rizzoli
- Production Designer : Piero Gherardi
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Technical details
- Type : Feature film
- Genres : Fiction
- Sub-genre : Drama
- Production language : Italian
- Coproducer countries : Italy, France
- Original French-language productions : No
Box-office & releases
News & awards
Selections (7)
Awards (1)
Academy Awards
United States, 1964
Academy Award for Best Foreign Film
Oscar for Best Costume Design in a Black & White Film