“My closing advice is very sincere: In the life of anyone who loves movies, there must be time to see 8½,” writes Roger Ebert in his Dec. 23 review of the recently-released Rob Marshall musical Nine. Mr. Ebert panned the latest adaptation of the famed Italian director’s 1963 masterpiece. And indeed, to compare Federico Fellini’s 8 ½ to Nine is akin to contrasting the Sistine Chapel with the golden arches of McDonald’s.
8 ½ is one the best films ever made; it is a work of art. Nine is a glossy, often self-conscious series of dance numbers strung together with poor acting, tendentious directing and lame singing. It is not even good commercialization of its prototype. Nine, though it has been nominated for several Golden Globe Awards, is not faring well at the box office and will likely soon be forgotten, whereas 8 ½ continues to stand the test of time.
Yet, there is one element of truth that is captured in both films that is often lacking in contemporary movie-making. “La vita è una festa,” declares Guido Anselmi, the protagonist of 8 ½, in an epiphany in the penultimate scene. At last, he recognizes that he must renounce his self-obsessed lifestyle and embrace the beauty of creation and God’s plan for him.
The phrase “La vita è una festa” cannot be simply translated for the word “festa” has no English equivalent. The word “festa” literally means party or feast or holiday. The phrase can mean “Life is a grand party,” or as the English dubbing of 8 ½ prefers “Life is a holiday.” In both instances, the Italian meaning is lost in translation.
“La vita è una festa” conveys all that is beautiful, bountiful, joyous and glorious. “La vita è una festa,” really means to be in sheer ecstasy and union with the wellspring of divine splendor. “Festa” cannot be understood in pragmatic or secular language; in the context of the movie, “festa” means celebration, relishing the happiness of being in unison with God and His creation.
In Nine, the cinematic equivalent of that moment of epiphany is transmitted in a scene that features the song “Cinema Italiano,”— a resplendent musical number performed with panache by Kate Hudson and her dazzling entourage of dancers. The song has garnered a Best Song nomination at the Golden Globes. It is indeed one of the moments in the film worth seeing and treasuring. Although this remains a second-rate version of the original epiphany in 8 ½, there is a moment of authentic jubilation which jumps from the screen—however fleeting and cheapened it may be in this version.
In 8 ½, Fellini takes us on a transformative, profound journey from the first to last scene. The main character, Guido, a famous director, struggles to make a meaningful film. He is overcome by his own inner turmoil—part of which is driven by his guilty conscience for his marital infidelity. Another source of his torment is his quest for artistic truth. He is at once enchanted by the hedonism, promiscuity and fanciful nature of the movie-making set of actresses, writers and directors of his time. This is the circle in which he is fully immersed. However, it also a group which he does not respect; he views his peers with mistrust and derision. He even often seeks to escape altogether from this milieu and its false values.
Simultaneously, he is enchanted by existential philosophy and contemplates a post-modern critique of his Catholic upbringing. In his paralyzing confusion, he considers that there is no meaning to life and that he has nothing left to say; that faith is a mere illusion; that the world itself is in hopeless disarray. He falls deeper and deeper into depression, until a moment at a press conference in which, in a dreamlike trance, he crawls beneath a table, points a gun to his chest and commits suicide. He and his quest to make another movie are now dead.
Yet, he reemerges from his death-trance to ultimately recognize that it is not the world that is confused, but that it is he who is lost; it is his own lifestyle that has plunged him into darkness. At last, he declares: “La vita è una festa;” he sees clearly the glory of his own existence, the eternal loveliness of his wife and their sacred union–and the charm of all those in his life who in some way contributed to this revelation and who are deserving of his love. In a childlike recreation of heaven, all the individuals from his life hold hands, form a circle and take part in a triumphant circus. The scene is absurd, comical and alluring. His heart is now large enough to embrace all these people, flaws and all, who have been part of his journey to divine truth.
8 ½ is also a stirring portrait of Italy itself. Fellini is an astute critic of the institutions of his childhood, including the Catholic Church that is mired in both hypocrisy and revelation. The savage whore, Serrafina, is condemned by the community as “the Devil.” But the young Guido can see that she is no less human than the priests who flog him for going to see her. This is Italy in its palpable contradictions. When Guido sinks into despair as an adult, he nonetheless turns to the leaders of the Church for ultimate wisdom and guidance.
The movie also delves into the leading strands of twentieth-century thought—and their clash with traditional values. Fellini is really saying that if we fully and sincerely accept any of the alternatives to Christianity presented by the artists and thinkers of the twentieth century—such as hedonism, liberalism, communism, atheism and existentialism—we must ultimately commit suicide. These roads lead to an increasing isolation and darkness of the mind to the point of self-extinction. It is only Christianity—as transmitted by the imperfect instrument of the earthly church—that kindles the life-giving love embedded in the human heart which is the source of all that is beautiful and worth living for.
How many more movies in our day, even if they cannot approach the poetry of Fellini’s work, could nonetheless benefit from a little dose of that sensibility —“la vita è una festa.”
