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Summary of Fellini's 8 1/2
By Zachary Smith
Copyright © 1996, 1999
All Rights Reserved.

  1. Dream scene; very symbolic.
  2. Doctor's visit to MC's hotel room. The writer visits in his robe. MC (Guido) walks into the bathroom to look at himself in the mirror and respond to the phone's ring without picking it up. The doctor notes the picture of Carla on the table.
  3. At the springs. There are many old people drinking water, listening to the music. The music is very grand. Everyone is very old. The music switches to Rossini.
  4. Still at the springs. Guido dreams that he sees Carla while he is getting water.
  5. Still at the springs. Guido walks over to the writer, who tells him frankly that his story sucks, it has no future as a serious film. Guido's friend arrives with his young girlfriend Gloria.
  6. Guido is waiting for a train whilst reading the writer's notes. He throws them down. His mistress arrives; she's very childish and playful.
  7. At the second hotel, Guido and his mistress talk and flirt.
  8. Guido and mistress are talking and eating.
  9. Guido and mistress are in her bedroom, talking and playing a sexual game.
  10. Later, in the mistress's bedroom, Guido has a dream as his mistress reads.
  11. In the dream, Guido meets with his mother, father, producer, and producer's assistant. At one point, his mother kisses him on the lips passionately; when she lets go, she is Guido's wife, who smiles, then confronts him and demands to know who he is thinking of. (Freud?)
  12. Guido is in the elevator of his hotel, going down, in which there are also the Cardinal and others. They don't talk.
  13. Guido enters the lobby of the hotel. His is confronted by a barrage of characters, including his casting director, a backer, some Americans, a French actress and her agent, some actors who are old men and want to play a part, the writer, and the producer and the producer's bimbo. The casting director at one point shows Guido some old men, humiliates them.
  14. Evening at the springs. People are dancing. Others are eating. Guido's mistress is there alone.
  15. Still evening at the springs. A magician and an assistant appear; they do a mind-reading trick. They read the phrase "ASA NISI MASA" from Guido.
  16. Flashback to Guido's childhood. He and his siblings and cousins are taking their baths in wine. Guido is reported to have drunk some. His mother towels him dry and takes him upstairs to bed. His sister tells him that the man in a painting will speak later but that, if he says "ASA NISI MASA," he'll be safe or something.
  17. Guido is in his hotel's lobby. He's told that his wife has called. He stops to talk to the French actress. The call comes through, he invites his wife to come over to see him. He goes upstairs.
  18. Everybody is still working upstairs.
  19. In same room. The casting guy has two women with him, one says that Guido doesn't know how to make good love stories.
  20. Outside of room. Pinnoccio has a nervous fit, complaining that he hates his job, he hates Guido, whatever.
  21. Guido goes back to his room, has a daydream that Carla has arrived in the room. He sits, thinking about his film as Carla says things like "I shall scrub and clean. I shall create order."
  22. Guido's phone rings, it's his mistress. She has a fever.
  23. Guido goes over to see her, but he can't keep his mind on her. He thinks of his appointment tomorrow with the Cardinal.
  24. Guido is being led up a path to the Cardinal. Two of the Cardinal's assistants are talking with Guido about his story. Guido mentions that his film is about a man who has had the Catholic upbringing and that this upbringing has given him "certain complexes." One tells Guido that he has a great responsibility as a film maker. The Cardinal has nothing of significance to say.
  25. Flashback: Guido and his friends are running off to the beach in order to pay a prostitute to dance the Rumba for them. They pay her and she does it. The speed of the action is increased. A couple of religious men show up and they chase Guido and catch him; the action is even more sped up.
  26. Flashback is continued. Guido is taken by the two religious men to a room in which there are numerous religious men as well as his mother. He's bring interrogated or something. The speed is still increased, but less than in the last scene. A hand-bell is ringing thoughout this scene.
  27. Flashback is continued. Guido enters a classroom with his peers. He has a dunce cap on and there is a sign on his back which says something like "Verggezzio". All of the kids are laughing and yelling at him.
  28. Flashback is continued. Guido is in a room where everyone is eating. A man brings his food in and dumps it on the floor, then slaps Guido on his head. Another man is reading a story about chaste or something.
  29. Flashback is continued. Guido is in a confessional. The priest says that the prostitute is actually the devil, didn't you know? Guido says "I didn't know. I didn't know."
  30. Flashback is continued. Guido goes to see Sarafina (the prostitute) just to wave "Hi." End of flashback.
  31. The writer is telling Guido at a restaurant type of location that telling people about his childhood memories is boring and unsaleable and that it's not good enough for film. There are others there eating.
  32. Dream at the shower and mud bath. There are tons of people there. Guido is quiet throughout. The producer tells him that his work must be saleable. Guido is told that the Cardinal is waiting for him. People are telling him to put in a good word for each of them.
  33. Dream continues. The Cardinal tells Guido that he is not on Earth to be happy. A person is shown squishing mud in his hands, looking as though he is squishing shit. The Cardinal gives him a real workover.
  34. An evening event near an auto-show. Some weird bits, e.g. a man in a glass coffin. Guido is there to meet his wife, Luisa. There is an auction going on. They meet, they go elsewhere.
  35. They are somewhere where they can dance. They talk. Luisa dances a bit. The producer (as well as Guido's sister and Luisa's sister and the rest of the film entourage) arrives and Guido concedes to his suggestion that it is time to go. As they leave, Luisa is suddenly feeling cross.
  36. They all drive out to the space-ship structure. They climb up it.
  37. Luisa is talking with Enrique.
  38. Guido is talking to his sister in another location. Guido offers a sailor a part in his film if he will dance; the sailor does this, but Guido ignores him; when the sailor asks him a few times what part he will play, Guido yells at him. The sailor walks away slowly _ in full view _ as if he were crushed. Guido's sister tells him her message from the Spirits (recall that his sister was earlier shown in flashback as knowing to say "asa nisi masa").
  39. Guido and Luisa are in Guido's bedroom. They have an argument.
  40. Guido, Luisa, and Guido's sister are eating. Guido's mistress appears and sings to herself. Luisa tells him that she saw his mistress the night before and that this is why she has suddenly become angry. Luisa goes over and talks to her.
  41. Dream scene. Guido is Santa Claus arriving at his harem. Luisa has gotten a women for him. Another woman blows on his hands to warm them. Women are preparing a bath for him.
  42. Dream continues. There is an older woman who refuses to "go upstairs" where all the old ones go. She pleads to him, but he will not permit her to stay.
  43. Dream continues. The women begin to feel sorry for her and begin to plan a mutiny, referring once or twice to Guido as "Blue Beard." Neither Gloria nor Luisa partake of it. Guido takes out a whip and fights them off until they finally give in and thrill at his display of masculine control and power. The older woman concedes to go upstairs, and all is well. She gets to give a last song and dance, which she tries, but flubs. She goes upstairs.
  44. Dream continues. Guido makes a speech from the head of the dinner table which explains what happiness is.
  45. Dream continues. Luisa makes a speech about her housewife chores.
  46. Everyone is in a theatre. Guido et al are watching the screen tests. The writer is still blabbing film theory to him.
  47. Daydream: Guido has some men come in and hang the writer. They put a hood on him, then a knoose, then pull it.
  48. The writer's not actually dead. They watch the screen-tests. Luisa gets tired of it, she leaves. Guido follows. Luisa tells off Guido in the hall, exits.
  49. Claudia arrives, Guido meets her and they leave.
  50. Guido and Claudia drive toward the springs. They talk; Guido tells her that she's saved his life or something. They arrive at the springs.
  51. Guido imagines her doing strange things. Claudia asks about the film and her part. They talk, Claudia tells him several times that the film is about a man who "doesn't know how to love." Guido doesn't want to hear it. He tells her that there's no part for her in the film, that there is no film at all.
  52. Everyone else arrives in cars. They annouce that there will be a press meeting.
  53. Half-dream: Next day at the site of the space-ship. Guido is behaving like a little child. He tries to run away. The reporters are taunting him like sharks. His producer is telling him to get it right, etc.
  54. Guido is sitting at the table with everyone. Someone says to him "I put it in your right pocket," referring to a gun. Guido ducks under the table, someone saying "Oh, no_" as if they'd anticipated a stupid move like this. Guido crawls along, saying he needs time to think. He takes out the gun, puts it to his head.
  55. Cut to Guido's mother along the beach. She yells "Guido, where are you running now you wretched boy!" (Beautiful !!)
  56. Cut to Guido, who pulls the trigger.
  57. But it was just a dream. Guido is talking with various people, saying that the film will not be made.
  58. He walks to his car. The writer is explaining to him that it's all alright. That it's better to not produce a dud than to produce it. That the producer exists to waste money for you. Etc. As the writer is talking, the magician runs up and talks over the writer, asking Guido to come to direct the circus. Everyone begins to assemble for a circus act.
  59. Guido speaks to those with whom he's had difficult relationships.
  60. Guido directs the circus.

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