8½
“A picture that goes beyond what men think about - because no man ever thought about it in quite this way!”
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.
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Cast
50 people
Marcello Mastroianni
Guido Anselmi
Known for
La Dolce Vita
La Notte
Claudia Cardinale
Claudia
Known for
Once Upon a Time in the West
Jesus of Nazareth
Anouk Aimée
Luisa Anselmi
Known for
La Dolce Vita
A Man and a Woman
Sandra Milo
Carla
Known for
Juliet of the Spirits
The Big Risk
Rossella Falk
Rossella
Known for
Sleepless
The Black Belly of the Tarantula
Barbara Steele
Gloria Morin
Known for
Black Sunday
The Pit and the Pendulum
Madeleine Lebeau
Madeleine, the French Actress
Known for
Casablanca
Angelique
Caterina Boratto
Mysterious Lady
Known for
Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom
Juliet of the Spirits
Eddra Gale
La Saraghina
Known for
The Graduate
Somewhere in Time
Guido Alberti
Pace, the Producer
Known for
Hands Over the City
What?
Mario Conocchia
Conocchia, the Production Manager
Also in
Juliet of the Spirits
My Wife
Bruno Agostini
Bruno, the Second Production Secretary
No other roles listed
Federico Fellini Director · Tullio Pinelli Screenplay Ennio Flaiano Screenplay
Worldwide gross $3.5M · United States release June 24, 1963 · Produced in Italy, France
Box office
Worldwide gross
$3,500,000
Production
Cineriz
Production
Francinex
Production
Italy · France
Produced in
Languages
Original language
Italian
Spoken on screen
English · French · German · Italian
Release dates
Mexico · January 2, 1963
Premiere · Acapulco Film Festival
Italy · February 14, 1963
Theatrical · Rome
United States · June 24, 1963
Theatrical
Australia
April 13, 1995 · Theatrical
Brazil
January 14, 2014 · Physical · DVD
Denmark
November 5, 1963 · Theatrical
Estonia
November 10, 2025 · Premiere · Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival
Finland
September 27, 1963 · Theatrical
France
May 23, 1963 · Premiere · Cannes Film Festival
May 29, 1963 · Theatrical · Visa CNC 26572
June 25, 1980 · Theatrical · Re-release
April 3, 2013 · Theatrical · Re-release
Germany
May 22, 1963 · Theatrical
Greece
August 1, 2019 · Digital
June 5, 2025 · Limited theatrical · Re-Issue
Italy
February 13, 1963 · Premiere · Rome
February 15, 1963 · Premiere · Milan
February 16, 1963 · Theatrical
October 12, 2006 · Premiere · Rome Film Festival
November 27, 2013 · Premiere · Torino Film Festival
Netherlands
October 23, 2003 · Physical · DVD
September 20, 2018 · Theatrical · Re-release
Norway
December 26, 1963 · Theatrical
Portugal
February 24, 1964 · Theatrical
Russia
July 18, 1963 · Premiere · 3rd Moscow International Film Festival
Russia
April 15, 2004 · Physical · DVD
November 12, 2020 · Theatrical
July 1, 2026 · Theatrical · Re-release
South Korea
July 23, 2025 · Theatrical
Spain
May 15, 1967 · Theatrical
Sweden
October 14, 1963 · Theatrical
United Kingdom
February 14, 1963 · Theatrical
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