If you aren't particularly interested in the Super Bowl, I have an alternative for you.
At 7 p.m. (Central) tomorrow, you can see what is arguably one of the most influential foreign films ever — Federico Fellini's comedy/drama "8½" — in Turner Classic Movies' "31 Days of Oscar."
Perhaps the first question I am asked whenever the subject of this film comes up is, "What does the title mean?"
And the answer is, it is a reference to Fellini's previous work. Prior to this movie, he made six feature–length movies and two short films, and he combined efforts with another director on another feature.
I haven't seen all of Fellini's films, but I know that "8½" is regarded as one of his best. It frequently pops up on lists of the best films of all time.
In "8½," Fellini tells the story of a director (Marcello Mastroianni) struggling with "director's block." Mastroianni's dreams and flashbacks weave a surreal narrative with the reality of his life.
For those with more than a passing interest in foreign films, there are other familiar names in the cast besides Mastroianni — Claudia Cardinale, Anouk Aimée.
Actually, next Sunday might have been the more appropriate time to show this film. That happens to be the anniversary of its initial release in Italy in 1963.
But TCM has a lineup planned for Valentine's Day — some pretty good choices, too — and, the more I think about it, the more I realize that the relevance of showing "8½" on that day probably wouldn't be apparent to most viewers.
If you've seen Bob Fosse's "All That Jazz" or Woody Allen's "Stardust Memories," you've seen "8½"'s film legacy. And folks like Tim Burton, David Lynch, Martin Scorsese and others were strongly influenced by his work as well.
I guess, for lack of a better word, they were the imitators. Now see the original.
