Marcello Mastroianni makes self-absorbed men funny without asking us to excuse them. We rate him most highly when his charm keeps us watching someone we might avoid in company, as it does for Federico Fellini in 8½.
Fi1m perspective
In 8½ (1963), Marcello Mastroianni makes a director who cannot get on with his work surprisingly good company. His Guido Anselmi can be tiresome, and the actor does not try to hide it. We laughed at Guido because Mastroianni makes his excessive concern with his own uncertainty so recognisable. He keeps the distress apparent, too, so the comedy does not depend on dismissing it. We stay with him as memories and dreams interrupt the business of making a film.
His breakthrough came in the caper comedy Big Deal on Madonna Street (1958), before La Dolce Vita (1960) brought international fame. As Fellini's weary journalist Marcello Rubini, he became the central figure in a portrait of Roman high society. The Latin-lover image is a poor fit for an actor so often cast as passive or sensitive men. His comic timing in Divorce Italian Style (1961) is worth remembering whenever the handsome leading man threatens to become the whole account of his work.
Fellini gets much from that willingness to look inadequate, although 8½ sometimes indulges Guido more than we would like. Mastroianni cannot entirely solve the problem of a film so taken with its central man's complaints. Anouk Aimée as Luisa, Sandra Milo as Carla and Claudia Cardinale as Claudia give the women around him distinct temperaments. They encourage us to question how much Guido notices about other people. The actor leaves enough selfishness visible for those performances to count, rather than making us forgive him before anyone else has had a say.
With Sophia Loren, the emphasis shifts towards the give and take between two performers who work comfortably together. Their eleven films include Marriage Italian Style (1964) and A Special Day (1977), taking the partnership through comedy and drama. The latter offers a sensitive dramatic performance that resists the Latin-lover image. Start with 8½, though, and give the women as much attention as Guido gives himself.
Biography
Marcello Mastroianni was an Italian actor. Born in Fontana Liri, he was raised in Turin and Rome. He began in film as an extra in 1939 and later worked in theatre, joining Luchino Visconti's company.
Mastroianni gained prominence with Big Deal on Madonna Street (1958). He achieved international recognition through collaborations with Federico Fellini in La Dolce Vita (1960) and 8½ (1963), in which he played Guido Anselmi. He appeared in numerous films with Sophia Loren and worked with directors including Michelangelo Antonioni and Ettore Scola.
His honours included two BAFTA Awards, two awards for Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival, two Golden Globe Awards and three Academy Award nominations.
