La Dolce Vita

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Ben D Marcello (Marcello Mastroianni) is a tabloid journalist during the Italian post-war era of booming consumerism and economic growth. He wades his way not just through the waters of the Trevi Fountain — the film’s iconic scene — but through the vapid high-society Italy has produced. He’s a tormented man who lies to, and cheats on, his fiancée, Emma (Yvonne Furneaux) nearly driving her to kill herself. The story meanders as Marcello finds himself more and more enamored with “the sweet life” even if it is slowly killing him. The story is much more disjointed than I had anticipated and demands a concentration and attention to detail that is cumbersome. This is Fellini’s magnum opus and I found myself developing contempt for the 174-minute run-time. The contrasts of the Eternal City to the modern development is the setting itself. This reason alone may be enough to watch this movie, but I can’t imagine the average viewer enjoying it in 2024. If made today, I’m sure La Dolce Vita would be ramped up to eleven with the debauchery. Moreover, I’m certain the story possessed a message that hit differently in 1960 and through that lens I want to review the work. For that reason, I am comfortable giving it a 4 ½-star equivalent of an (85). It is beautiful to look at and its tableau has helped shape what Rome looks like to the outsider, even today. But be warned, this movie is a slog for a single sitting and you may find yourself saying, “get on with it already” from the couch. For the cinephiles who appreciate the technicalities of filmmaking, this is a must watch — same goes for those who want a complete view of the history of Italian filmmaking. It also gave us the term “paparazzi,” named after the invasive tabloid photographer, Paparazzzo (Walter Santesso). Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/30/25 Full Review William B Great movie. Totally recommended Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 12/11/24 Full Review Rare T This film is like a time capsule that preserves the Rome of the 1960s: its landmarks, its views, its people, their stories, their fashion, their art and music… It may seem long, but one has to get into the spirit of La Dolce Vita, and that is in reference to the title as much as it is to what it stands for. The cinematography is magnificent, and perhaps that is what preserved Federico Fellini’s masterpiece throughout all these decades. The story lacks structure, but Fellini’s touch is what assures the viewers that that is okay as long as the camera is telling a story, one for each episode. Even if hypothetically the film lacked a story, it would still be worth watching just for the cinematography and camerawork. It may not be the greatest movie of all time, but it is one of the absolute greatest especially in Italian cinema, and for that is a valuable piece of history. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/05/24 Full Review Abe A The Italian The Great Gatsby. Actually, change that: The European The Great Gatsby. They both make essentially the same point, in different ways. Fitzgerald the hedgehog; Fellini the fox. The (postwar) Roaring Twenties; The (postwar) Swinging Sixties. Fitzgerald is the poet of one big convergent idea that arrives at a single point; Fellini is the master of scenes and scenecraft (as Dostoevsky does in his novels) that oscillate around the idea and close a circle. You probably won’t see another movie like this again—I haven’t—but my most pressing impression of this is that Fellini is a genius of the cinematic image, of the cinematic scene, of the cinematic idea, of the cinematic symbol, perhaps less so (in this movie) of the rigorous organization of form, nor of the most abstract ideas. With Godard, and perhaps Resnais—Fellini is the most visual, the most ‘cinematic’ of all auteurs. The scene with the character exits near the end, with the crown of feathers, is just one of the truly great scenes that permeate this ‘string of spectacular scenes’ that is La Dolce Vita. Not the greatest, but certainly one of the very greatest, movies ever made. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 04/28/24 Full Review Panayiota K I loved the sequence with Anita Ekberg and i appreciate the message of this movie but it was so long. So many longueurs of scenes Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 07/13/23 Full Review Kev F A unique storytelling style that consistently delivers the same message, La Dolce Vita is still relevant for today's society. It is filled with emotions, varieties, and thoughts. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 07/09/23 Full Review Read all reviews

La Dolce Vita

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