8 1/2 (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]

Marcello Mastroianni plays Guido Anselmi, a director whose new project is collapsing around him, along with his life. One of the greatest films about film ever made, Federico Fellini’s 8 1/2 (Otto e mezzo) turns one man’s artistic crisis into a grand epic of the cinema. An early working title for 8 1/2 was The Beautiful Confusion, and Fellini’s masterpiece is exactly that: a shimmering dream, a circus, and a magic act. Also featured is Fellini’s rarely seen first film for television, Fellini: A Director’s Notebook (1969). Produced by Peter Goldfarb, this “imagined documentary” of Fellini on Fellini is a kaleidoscope of unfinished projects, all of which provide a fascinating and candid window into the director’s unique creative process. BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES High-definition digital transfer of restored film elements, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack Introduction by filmmaker Terry Gilliam Audio commentary featuring film critics Gideon Bachmann and Antonio Monda Fellini: A Director’s Notebook, a short film by Federico Fellini The Last Sequence, a documentary on Fellini’s lost alternate ending for 8 1/2 Nino Rota: Between Cinema and Concert, a documentary about Fellini’s longtime composer Interviews with actor Sandra Milo, filmmaker Lina Wertmuller, and cinematographer Vittorio Storaro Rare photographs from Bachmann’s collection Gallery of behind-the-scenes and production photos Trailer PLUS: Writings by Fellini and essays by critics Tullio Kezich and Alexander Sesonske

Features

• Factory sealed DVD