From 8 1/2 to Nine and Back, Again

This is Kate Hudson, as Stephanie, singing Cinema Italiano in Nine. The Blu-ray has some extra material in which you can see how intensely the soundstage was lighted for this number. Hudson's costume was made of a metallic mesh fabric and was heavy and was hot.

While watching Nine, I was contstantly reminded of Federico Fellini's 8 1/2 of 1963. Nine is not a remake of Fellini's film, but is derived from it. Many of the scenes and characters are similar. In both films, there is a director named "Guido."

"Guido" doesn't have a script, in either film. Imagine that! And with cast and crew assembled, with an imminent pre-release press conference, we see the film he might have made through scenes he imagines.

I had always thought that the alternative title for 8 1/2, The Beautiful Confusion, was an appropriate title, because although it was something pleasant to watch, the film didn't seem to have any meaning; it didn't make sense. But Nine and 8 1/2 are both films about making films; something I didn't realize until I saw Nine.

What is a director's role? Choreographer of time? With a number of scenes in the can, what can a director do? He (or she) might omit scenes, rearrange them, or, budget permitting, film additional scenes. The only thing remaining to be done is to tie the scenes together into a narrative whole. Music might be used to do that.

I saw 8 1/2 years ago; I don't remember where or when. After borrowing Nine (Blu-ray) from the library, I borrowed their 8 1/2 (DVD), then bought both Blu-rays. So, I have gone from 8 1/2 to Nine and back, again, and seen 8 1/2 as a musical for the first time.

How is a film like a life? How are a film's scenes like life's experiences? How is being a film director like telling one's life story?

The photo is a still from Nine, from blu-ray.com's collection of screenshots.

The Seven Year Itch

The Seven Year Itch is a 1955 film based on a three-act play with the same name by George Axelrod. The film was co-written and directed by Billy Wilder, and starred Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell, reprising his Broadway role. It contains one of the most iconic images of the 20th century -- Monroe standing on a subway grate as her dress is blown above her knees by a passing train.

While his wife and son are away for the summer, "Richard Sherman," played by Tom Ewell, meets "The Girl," played by Marilyn Monroe. Let's just say -- without getting clinical, in a psychological sense -- that Mr. Sherman has a very vivid imagination. The film can be quite tedious while Mr. Sherman is alone in his apartment, but once The Girl comes down for a drink it becomes fascinating. Marilyn Monroe plays a ditzy airhead -- dumb blond, if you prefer -- perfectly. She's an excellent actress.

The film is only available on DVD at this time. The DVD includes "Back Story: The Seven Year Itch," which has more of the famous subway scene than was included in the film, and it describes how Monroe's marriage to Joe DiMaggio may have deteriorated over such scenes. Some of the bonus material also describes how the film differs from the hit play from which it was derived; how the Hayes Code caused the play to be butchered in order to make it into a film.

The Seven Year Itch is number 51 on The American Film Institute's Top 100 Comedy Films list. Ewell won a Golden Globe award for Best Actor, Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. The film's Director, Billy Wilder, was nominated for a Director's Guild of America award.

The post's image, as well as its first paragraph, were taken from the Wikipedia entry for the film, here.