La Dolce Vita (2-Disc Collector's Edition)

 

 

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LA DOLCE VITA presents a series of incidents in the life of Roman tabloid reporter Marcello Rubini (Marcello Mastroianni)--and although each incident is very different in content they gradually create a portrait of an intelligent but superficial man who is gradually consumed by "the sweet life" of wealth, celebrity, and self-indulgence he reports on and which he has come to crave.

Although the film seems to be making a negative statement about self-indulgence that leads to self-loathing, Fellini also gives the viewer plenty of room to act as interpreter, and he cleverly plays one theme against its antithesis throughout the film. (The suffocation of monogamy vs. the meaninglessness of promiscuity and sincere religious belief vs. manipulative hypocrisy are but two of the most obvious juxtapositions.) But Fellini's most remarkable effect here is his ability to keep us interested in the largely unsympathetic characters LA DOLCE VITA presents: a few are naive to the point of stupidity; most are vapid; the majority (including the leads) are unspeakably shallow--and yet they still hold our interest over the course of this three hour film.

The cast is superior, with Marcello Mastroianni's personal charm particularly powerful. As usual with Fellini, there is a lot to look at on the screen: although he hasn't dropped into the wild surrealism for which he was sometimes known, there are quite a few surrealistic flourishes and visual ironies aplenty--the latter most often supplied by the hordes of photographers that scuttle after the leading characters much like cockroaches in search of crumbs. Unfortunately, the only release now available is a grainy-looking videotape presented in pan-and-scan. But don't let that discourage you: even in this format its still a very worth while, very memorable film!

The English translation for "La Dolce Vita" as many know by now is "the sweet life". And, that's what Marcello Mastroianni seeks throughout this entire film. He plays a thrid-rate newspaper man who writes a gossip column. He thinks life would be so much better if he was wealthy, as does everyone else I know! He wants to be a respected reporter. This movie as with other Fellini movies contains things besides the story-line that keep your interrested. Movies like "Amarcord" can charm you with it's style and the wonderful music by Nino Rota. Or, "8 1\2" with it's brooding story-line as once again Mastroinni's mind drifts into the past. "La Dolce Vita" offers great location shots of Rome. There are many priceless visual shots in this movie, and I don't want to spoil them for those who've never seen this movie. But, there is one I feel I should tell you about. It deals with a hugh statue of Virgin Mary. That scene is shot beautifully. Those who have seen this movie know exactly what scene I'm talking about. The acting in this movie is enjoyable. Marcello as usual steals the show. Our hearts go with his character because sometimes we have wished for the same things. Maybe sometimes you yourself have thought, "There has to be something better out there"? This movie was nominated for 4 Oscars, in won one for "Best Costume Design". But, Fellini was up for an award as well. Here's some trival for everyone. Did you know that Paul Newman was the original choice for the lead? Can you imagine how that would of turned out?

This being my second Fellini film has made want him even more. Knowingly enough its Fellini's breakthrough film. In here it celebrates modern Rome as seen through the eyes of a celebrity journalist, Marcello Rubini (Marcello Mastroianni), a frustrated writer earning his keep by staying out every evening on the Via Veneto where he comes into contact with the rich and famous. We are supposedly witnessing the moral decline of Western civilization, and the worship of movie stars as religious icons. The reporter has a live-in girlfriend, who wants to get married, the possessive and depressive Emma (Yvonne Furneaux). He has many dalliances; one is with a bored nymphomaniac society gal (Anouk Aimee).

In this sporadic tale Marcello moves around the city with the paparazzi, ready to catch the action, and he has the power to make and break the Celebes he covers. Marcello, a celeb himself, attends nightclubs and parties that go on until dawn that are given by intellectuals, hedonists, the decadent rich and various other parties. One such memorable scene is over a false miracle (the media has a field day as a pair of children claim to have seen the Holy Virgin); the most moving scene is the suicide of an intellectual friend (Alain Cuny), that is done with compassion for the morally upright vic; and, finally, an orgy, that became the film's reason for being.

I have a few favorite scenes that lift the film above the muck: the opening shot has a helicopter lifting a statue of Christ into the skies and leaving Rome. As far I can see, it symbolically augments the departure of God for Fellini's prophetic vision. Another memorable scene is over the Trevi Fountain (Mastroianni goes into the fountain where visiting Hollywood actress Anita Ekberg is bathing). The warmest scene had Marcello meeting with his father (Annibale Ninchi) and tempting him with the sweet life.

The film veers between high culture and trash, with a little of everything in between. Because the sex was frank, the Catholic Church condemned it as a dirty movie (which I can imagine increased its box office). The film is much more than that, it's Fellini's statement about him as an artist and how he wants to make movies as both real life and fanciful art. It's winsome because of the stylish cinematography, which fills the screen with mind-blowing bizarre visuals. It's a special film, but has become dated; it points its finger at decadence with a certain titillation but just as easily seems to be grounded with a sophisticated attitude in its need to search for a way to find the sublime. Like its playboy hero Marcello, it can't make up its mind if it wants to grow up. You might say that our hero has become a victim of something that's too good to leave, but ultimately may not really be that good for him.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Deception...deception...
Sans nul doute ce film est et restera un chef d'oeuvre
du cinema italien.Cependant,la maison d'edition a decide
de publier LA DOLCE VITA avec une bande sonore en... Read more

Published on Sep 27 2004 by B.Proulx

2.0 out of 5 stars Not even close to his best. Better than L'Avventura
This film is a mess. It doesn't even come close to his other films. It has a few moments but the overall tone of this film is very simular to that of a fart. Read more

Published on Sep 25 2004 by Antonio Giusto

5.0 out of 5 stars An Existential Masterpiece
Although "8 1/2" is often touted as Fellini's greatest work, this other, equal masterpiece from roughly the same period grows more and more profound over time. Read more

Published on April 19 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars Fellini 's Vita
I am very fortunate to meet Guiletta Masini, the lovely wife of Federico Fellini. I several times wrote letters to Fellini himself and he answered back me. Read more

Published on Nov 4 2003 by F.R. Gomez

3.0 out of 5 stars So ... ?
I does lack a plot. I almost fell asleep during the first half. It picked up during the 2nd half when the main character ran into his father. Read more

Published on Sep 28 2003 by Joaquin R. Trigueros

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Greatest Films Ever Made
If film is a collaboration of people attempting to clarify one person's view of the world -- that of the director -- then La Dolce Vita is the most spectacular example of this... Read more

Published on Feb 3 2003 by Justin Kownacki

4.0 out of 5 stars La Dolce Vita, Forty Years After
Even when I saw La Dolce Vita many years ago, at the time of its first release, I found it hard to take the film's moralizing pretensions very seriously. Read more

Published on April 10 2002 by Dave Clayton

5.0 out of 5 stars L'Agrodolce Vita
I first saw La Dolce Vita when it was released into American theatres back in the 60s. Until then, movies were just an easy escape for me, something to do on a Saturday afternoon... Read more

Published on Dec 2 2001 by A. Carter

5.0 out of 5 stars Ah....... Rome at night!!!!!!!!
This movie really describes what is the sweet life.

Fellini big fan??????????? BUY IT NOW!!!!!!!!!!

Published on Oct 1 2001 by Masafumi Yamamoto

2.0 out of 5 stars disappointed
Maybe I was too young. I signed up for a course called "Italian Cinema and Culture" for the first term of my freshman year in college, thinking it sounded glorious... Read more

Published on May 1 2001 by D. Gill

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