The opening shot of the man jump/flying is very similar to Guido’s floating dream at the beginning of 8 1/2. The scene near the end where his family follows him in the desert and disappears is reminiscent of the parade of characters at the end of 8 1/2. The internal narration that is (or isn’t) dialogue heard by other characters is also similar. A lot of the sound design is, actually.
The central conflict is different in Bardo, and I think it’s more interesting than the conflict in 8 1/2. In that film, the conflict is Guido’s creative block and his womanizing. In Bardo, we’re dealing with Mexican identity, and how that meshes with living in (and being recognized by) the US.
I also dug the Marquez-like magical realism and the references to Octavio Paz.
8 1/2 is one of my favorite films of all time. So while I appreciate the execution of 8 1/2 more than Bardo, I see what the director was going for, and I respect it.
The director seems to acknowledge this similarity, too. There’s the scene where his famous tv host friend critiques the main character’s documentary, saying it was plagiaristic, and that he barely covered his tracks. Anyone familiar with Fellini would be able to clock Bardo as an 8 1/2 clone very quickly. Not saying Bardo actually is plagiaristic (again, the central themes are wildly different), just that the director consciously used 8 1/2 as a template.
adequateduct t1_j2ak44n wrote
Reply to Official Discussion - Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths [SPOILERS] by LiteraryBoner
It’s very openly his 8 1/2.
The opening shot of the man jump/flying is very similar to Guido’s floating dream at the beginning of 8 1/2. The scene near the end where his family follows him in the desert and disappears is reminiscent of the parade of characters at the end of 8 1/2. The internal narration that is (or isn’t) dialogue heard by other characters is also similar. A lot of the sound design is, actually.
The central conflict is different in Bardo, and I think it’s more interesting than the conflict in 8 1/2. In that film, the conflict is Guido’s creative block and his womanizing. In Bardo, we’re dealing with Mexican identity, and how that meshes with living in (and being recognized by) the US.
I also dug the Marquez-like magical realism and the references to Octavio Paz.
8 1/2 is one of my favorite films of all time. So while I appreciate the execution of 8 1/2 more than Bardo, I see what the director was going for, and I respect it.
The director seems to acknowledge this similarity, too. There’s the scene where his famous tv host friend critiques the main character’s documentary, saying it was plagiaristic, and that he barely covered his tracks. Anyone familiar with Fellini would be able to clock Bardo as an 8 1/2 clone very quickly. Not saying Bardo actually is plagiaristic (again, the central themes are wildly different), just that the director consciously used 8 1/2 as a template.