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.