Federico Fellini was considered one of the great directors of all time. His films inspired not only the people of Italy but film makers around the world. As is the case with most famous directors, Fellini had his ups and downs, his hits and misses, but he was always considered inventive and original if nothing else. His film “8 ½ “is considered a masterpiece. So it only seems natural that the film was turned into a stage musical and now the film, NINE.
Daniel Day Lewis stars as Guido Contini, an Italian film maker who is being rushed into his latest project. Dazed and confused, Guido has no script and no idea what his film will be about. But this doesn’t stop the producer from touting the making of the new film to the press and the crew preparing for Guido’s next masterpiece.
The problem is that Guido has no idea what to do next and has yet to reveal this to the crew or the cast. As he is frantically rushed from one place to the next, he escapes and heads off to a secluded retreat where he calls in his mistress, Carla (Penelope Cruz). But even Carla doesn’t have the ability to crash his writer’s block. Before he has a chance to even attempt it, the producer and his crew show up at his hotel and begin work there on the same film…which he doesn’t have.
Things get more complicated when his wife Luisa (Marion Cotillard) arrives. When she sees his mistress in the hotel restaurant, she heads for her room, crushed that Guido and his womanizing ways haven’t changed after their years together. Guido may enjoy time spent with his mistress, but in his own way he loves his wife. It is the women in Guido’s life that have influenced him the most, from the town tramp when he was a child to his mother to his wife.
Confused and not sure where his life is going, Guido seeks out any truth he can find. He talks to a monsignor at the church, his friend and favorite costume designer Lilli (Judi Dench) and even the spirit of his deceased mother (Sophia Loren). But in the end, Guido must come to grips with the reality that he is hollow when it comes to true love. And in making this journey of self discovery, Guido finds the inspiration for his next film. The only problem is the pain he has caused himself and others to find his solution.
Fellini based “8 ½ “on his own life. The story of the making of the film falls directly into what happens here as well as that film. He did find himself unable to make a new film, to find the right story. And in realizing this, he found the story that he may be best remembered for.
But the musical film here lacks the panache of a Fellini film. It covers the surface of his views on women between garter belts and bustiers dressed on overly endowed (or uplifted) females. But there was so much more to Fellini than this. And until the last 25 minutes or so of the film, this never seems to come out.
The hustle and bustle of making movies, of trying to find that next hit, is portrayed here as little more than running from one spot to the next. The self interest of this director who lets people wait while he dallies away his days comes across, but rather limply. The musical numbers, the center piece of any good musical, seem lackluster and just there (with the exception of “Be Italian” performed by Fergie). These should be songs that you walk away singing or in your head. That doesn’t happen here.
Director Rob Marshall had a huge hit with the film CHICAGO based on another famous musical stage production. His visual and staging style show when compared side by side, with perhaps more soundstage sequences apparent in CHICAGO. Here, we find ourselves whisked away to locales in Italy and then transported to a single stage set up where almost all musical numbers are performed. It’s as if the film can’t decide whether to be about film making or about a stage production. In so doing, it takes away a tremendous amount from the film.
While watching this movie I found the dreaded kiss of death in my hand. I constantly checked the timer to see just how much more of the movie there was to go. With the exception of the last 25 minutes, I found little to enjoy here. Instead I was bored. The only saving grace was that in watching this film, it made me want to go back and see “8 ½”, which I’ve never had a chance to do. With any luck it will be as things are with most original films, much better than the remake.
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