The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film doesn't have a lot to say about this aside from the fact that Barbara Steele is in it (looking HOT!) It was shown all the time in college film classes in the early 80's, but I first saw it in a library basement and to me made the first connection between trash and art. It didn't make a whole lot of sense at the time because the subtitles were in white and more often than not they were against a white background, and my knowledge of the Italian language wasn't quite fluent at the age of 11, but this movie got under my skin and stayed there.
The whole thing is about Guido (Marcello Mastrianni) a 40-something filmmaker who can't think of an idea for his next film, which Fellini was, so he make a movie about not being able to think of an idea for his next film. Great idea, huh? Guido is constantly being bugged by a stream of characters including his overweight and annoying mistress and his way-hotter wife (with sexy glasses). There are tons of flashbacks, great music, dream sequences and an ending that Tim Burton copied for Big Fish.
It won academy awards for best foreign language film and best costume design. With a giant rocket scaffold.
