Say three identifiable hints: mental crisis, gender relations from a male perspective, and childhood.
The mental crisis means that the director Guido made a gorgeous and empty set without a complete plan. As a result, in the rest of the film, people have been asking him what to shoot and let him choose. Fellini's waste of words is staggering, and it's not too much of a noise. Everyone around the director Guido was making a lot of noise, and one person's words were interrupted by another person, and no one listened. In these dense discourses, Guido was exceptionally reticent. Only his hallucinations reflect his anxiety and fear of reality: 1. The title nightmare. Traffic jams, Guido flew out of the car and flew into the sky, only to find that his feet were tied by a wire, and he was torn down like a kite; 2. Waiting in the theater to watch the video of the actor's audition. Critics (presumably) sitting behind Guido are still offering critical comments. In Guido's hallucination, two men put a hood on the film critic and hang him before a noose. 3. End-credits press conference. Guido was surrounded by reporters, and in his hallucinations, he climbed under the table and shot himself. Guido's spiritual crisis, on the other hand, is reflected in the exhaustion of dealing with women. The mistress is sensual, but vulgar; the wife, Louisa, is keen, but has retreated from passion. Much like the red roses and white roses written by Eileen Chang, but no matter which one you choose here is a dilemma.
The second hint is the relationship between the sexes in the male perspective. In reality, Guido basically has a negative attitude of ignoring or escaping women's feelings. For example, the mistress had a high fever and called Guido to accompany him. Guido's first reaction was: it's so late, can I come back tomorrow. Finally, he went to the hotel to accompany his mistress. When the mistress asked: "Why are you with me", Guido was thinking "how to tell the godfather tomorrow". In the film, neither his wife Louisa nor his lover, or even Claudia, who Guido has been thinking about all the time, can't understand/sympathize with Guido, deepening his lonely/closed situation. And Guido's hallucination can be said to be one of the classic scenes of the film - it represents the ultimate fantasy of men: in a big house, Guido's wife, lover, female friend, other people's girlfriend, not even Strange women who know their names live happily together. No jealousy, everyone served Guido together. Summarized in two words: Harem. (Actually, when I watched the film, I was very much in my heart, the emperor complex of men really spans time, region and ethnicity.) This is a variable, a woman named Jacqueline needs to "go upstairs" because of her old age. But she didn't want to, and came to beg Guido, Guido said, "Rule is a rule." The women also agreed. Immediately, a woman said, "It's not fair!" This caused a series of responses. The women suddenly said, "Fight for freedom! Down with Guido!" The harmonious scene suddenly became chaotic. After a brief panic, Guido waved The long whip firmly subdued the rebellious woman, and the woman named Jacqueline also went upstairs. In this scene, the camera is also thoughtful, aiming at the women's breasts, buttocks, legs, and exploiting them. It can be said that the women in the film are completely subordinate to men.
The third hint is Guido's childhood. Guido grew up in church foster care, and his parents were absent from his life. Once, a group of children went to see a homeless woman named Sarah Gina dance, but Guido was picked up by the woman and caught by the superintendent of the church. Afterwards, he went through his mother's disappointing rebuke (played in an exaggerated manner), wearing a top hat to the classroom, being forced to kneel in front of the restaurant crowd, and finally, in the confession room, the godfather's final word: the woman was the devil. Sarah Gina was a symbol of sexual enlightenment in Guido's childhood. This symbol was nothing, but the church used severe corporal punishment to tell Guido that "women are dangerous" and "sex is sin", which is probably also the case. The reason why Guido was mean to women when he grew up. Ironically, Guido's childhood in the film was dissolved in the film he conceived and told to others, but was criticized for "not understanding Italian religious traditions".
As for the ending of the magic stroke, Fellini himself said very clearly: "The ending of the film has only one meaning, that is, Guido clearly, completely and clearly tolerated himself and accepted the reality."
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