Black and White (Motif)
Even as the entire film is shot in black-and-white, Fellini uses the colors of pure black and pure white carefully. Claudia, for example, always wears all white when she appears in Guido's dreams, yet when we meet her in the flesh later in the film, she wears all black, symbolizing the frustration of Guido's unrealistic notion of the ideal woman. Seraghina likewise wears a white scarf in her hair the second time Guido visits her at the beach. This represents the sliver of humanity and purity that he finds in her despite the church's denunciation of her as the devil. Indeed, Guido himself always wears a black-and-white suit, a symbol of his internal friction between good and evil. In short, white and black often represent the complex relation of good and evil, purity and chaos.
Film Within a Film (Motif)
The concept of a film within a film is central to 8 1/2, since Guido's character and the film he's trying to make serve as a kind of proxy for Fellini's own experience trying to make the film that we are watching. Going even further, certain elements of Guido's subjective experience like memory and dream operate similarly to a film, as images that project and incite feelings and desires. Fellini's camera often accents this by cutting straight into these segments as if they are films that Guido himself is watching unfold.
The Spaceship (Symbol)
The elaborate tower that will serve as the spaceship set for Guido's science fiction film bears notable associations with the Biblical story of the Tower of Babel, which at the time of its construction was to be the tallest building ever made. When construction workers begin tearing down Guido's spaceship, therefore, it aligns with God's demolition of the Tower of Babel on the grounds that it was made by men who believed themselves gods. In this way, Guido's spaceship set symbolizes the hubris of human progress and creative ambition.
Claudia (Symbol)
Although Guido explicitly mentions that Claudia represents purity and spontaneity to him, she largely functions as a symbol of Guido's ideal woman and the frustration of such a concept. When Claudia appears in Guido's dreams and fantasies, for example, she wears white and even a bridal veil, representing purity and idealism. However, when we meet her in person, she wears all black and ultimately laughs at Guido's inability to understand love, emasculating him even at his lowest point.
Water (Symbol)
In 8 1/2, water is an important symbol of purity, and of the complication of that purity. The spa at which we meet Guido, for example, pushes holy water as a cure for all bodily and mental ills, but that same water later makes Carla sick. In addition, Seraghina, whom the Catholic clergy of Guido's youth believe is an impure witch, lives by the sea. In this way, water, which usually bears religious connotations of baptism and purification, becomes complicated by its polluting effects, tying into themes of religion and truth that Fellini plays with throughout the film.
Heads (Motif)
Often, Fellini frames people so that their entire body, excepting their neck and head, is cropped out of the shot. This lends an absurd, clownish feel to many of the characters we see in the film, particularly the reporters and acquaintances who interrogate Guido about his film. By cropping these characters at the neck, Fellini creates a kind of circus of "talking heads" that is disproportionate and overwhelming—characterizing precisely the irrational questions with which he's hounded about his film.
The Tower of Babel (Allegory)
Alluded to through the giant spaceship that Guido has built for his film is the Biblical allegory of the Tower of Babel, in which mankind becomes too confident in their own abilities and therefore loses faith in God. They demonstrate this by building a tower tall enough to reach heaven, but God confuses them by making them speak different languages, and they are unable to complete the project. Guido's spaceship resembles this tower, since it is an act of artistic hubris that eventually crumbles when he realizes he is creatively incapable of finishing the project.
