MAGIC WORDS
Asi Nise Masa
Meanings: Film scholar Charles Affron notes that this magic phrase (also
spelled Asa Nisi Masa) is "apparently meaningless," achieving its affect "by
transcending precise meaning." The words "convey . . . the full wonder
of . . . childhood perception. Magical, enigmatic, an invitation to meaning,
'Asa Nisi Masa' is susceptible to interpretation."167 Avant-garde theatre
director Arthur Holmberg points out that "The intelligibility of ritual
language is not the critical factor. . . . The purpose is to establish contact
with the transcendent. . . . Ritual language stresses the sounds of words and
heightens language as a sensuous and emotional experience. Often unintelligible,
ritual language is associated with the holy and with the authority of
divine revelation."168
• Anima
• Child-like wonder
• Nonsense
• Soul
Origins: Asi nise masa is an Italian phrase, the equivalent of abracadabra.
"These words are derived from 'la lingua serpentina' (serpentine
language), a children's language game akin to pig Latin that inserts 'sa' and
'si' syllables into existing words -- here into 'anima.' 'Anima' has a dual resonance.
It means 'soul' in Italian; it is also a key concept in Jungian psychology:
the female element lodged within all human beings. . . . The search for
meaning leads back to the mysterious symbol of the children's game, the
symbol that contains the inexpressible in its ambiguity."169
Facts: These magic words are featured in Federico Fellini's film 81/2 (196 ).
"The phrase 'Asi Nise Masa' is the key that unlocks Guido's unconscious.
(It can be translated as anima, a Jungian term meaning soul or spirit.) For
Guido, it is a magical phrase from his childhood, and he goes back there to
try to find a solution to his lack of inspiration through magic."170 Critic Mark
Abraham suggests that the "child-code foolery" of Asi nise masa encapsulates
"importance disguised with inanity, erudition breathed through giggling lips,
lucidity rearticulated as gibberish. It's also a bridge between the past and
present (Fellini has two magicians pull the phrase from an adult Guido's
mind as a way to link temporal states in his film); it's a bridge between different
spaces; . . . it means that animus 'boy' and anima 'girl' (or any other
167 Charles Affron, 81/2 (1987)
168 Theatre of Robert Wilson (1997)
169 Charles Affron, 81/2 (1987)
170 Nicholas Proferes, Film Directing Fundamentals (2001)