La dolce vita (1960)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Federico Fellini

Writers:

Federico Fellini (story) &
Ennio Flaiano (story) ...

Release Date:

19 April 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The Sweet Life

Plot:

Journalist and man-about-town Marcello struggles to find his place in the world, torn between the allure...

Plot Keywords:

Journalist | Sex | Writer | Socialite | Gossip Columnist

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 7 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Marcello Mastroianni	...	Marcello Rubini
Anita Ekberg	...	Sylvia
Anouk Aimée	...	Maddalena (as Anouk Aimee)
Yvonne Furneaux	...	Emma
Magali Noël	...	Fanny (as Magali Noel)
Alain Cuny	...	Steiner
Annibale Ninchi	...	Marcello's father
Walter Santesso	...	Paparazzo
Valeria Ciangottini	...	Paola
Riccardo Garrone	...	Riccardo
Ida Galli	...	Debuttante of the Year
Audrey McDonald	...	Jane (as Audey McDonald)
Polidor	...	Clown
Alain Dijon	...	Frankie Stout
Enzo Cerusico	...	Newspaper photographer

Also Known As:

La dolce vita (France)
La douceur de vivre (France) (alternative title)

Runtime:

174 min | Germany:177 min (premiere) | Portugal:165 min (re-release) | USA:180 min (premiere)

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

Italian | English | French | German

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric)

Certification:

Italy:VM14 | Hungary:18 | South Korea:15 | Brazil:14 | Spain:13 | Spain:(Banned) (1960-1980) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M (DVD rating) | Australia:PG (original rating) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:Not Rated | West Germany:12 (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Bassano Romano, Viterbo, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Riama Film

Trivia:

It seems that term "paparazzo" was coined by Federico Fellini's friend and scriptwriter Ennio Flaiano, who seemingly derived from a novel by British Victorian novelist George Gissing ("By the Ionian Sea"). It was the last name of the owner of an Hotel in the Italian city of Catanzaro (Calabria) in southern Italy where George Gissing was staying at.

Goofs:

Continuity: The aircraft which brings Sylvia to Rome is an Alitalia Vickers Viscount as it comes in to land, but is both a Douglas DC-7C and DC-6B when it is on the ground.

Quotes:

Steiner: We must get beyond passions, like a great work of art. In such miraculous harmony. We should love each other outside of time... detached.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Spinout (1966)

Soundtrack:

Patricia

Brilliant - Italian film making at its zenith

From so many perspectives, this film is a true artistic masterpiece, and happily, a commercial success. Those vehement in their dislike are simply wrong; their criticism does not hold up. Fellini and some few others, unlike most critics, completely understood that film derives NOT from the world of plays but from PAINTING. First time viewers - if the plot seems confusing, should just sit back and enjoy the staggering accomplishments of lighting, cinematography and staging. And that is leaving out of course, acting, writing directing!

Briefly, the film follows seven aimless days and nights in the life of Marcello Rubini, a world weary Roman "reporter" who writes for gossip magazines. Yes, it does document the slow self-destruction of an unfulfilled writer, it is really a dire warning that the banality and sheer boredom of the late 20th Century were (are) likely to bore us ALL to death ... and Fellini hit the mark with perfect precision, the world's best bullseye, if you will ...

The acting is first rate, Mastroianni is so masterful, that when he uses one or two of his cliches - they stick out like sore thumbs in a towering performance. (We forgive him for those tiny imperfections!) Likewise, all the players - from leads to bit roles are brilliant.

A film then, not in this world, or really even of it, but an oblique reflection of the coming decade (the movie was shot in 1959) the details of which, Fellini already seemed to know! Staggeringly hip and modern - well, a Masterpiece!