Barnes & Noble

Legendary Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita not only ranks as a landmark of Italian cinema but stands as one of the essential films of the 20th century. It is also Fellini's most cohesive and straightforward film -- despite its episodic framework and multifarious cast of characters -- as well as the film that made Marcello Mastroianni an international star. He portrays a Rome-based gossip columnist who yearns to become a serious writer but can’t seem to give up the shallow, amoral lifestyle he has adopted. At the time of its original theatrical release, this 1960 drama shocked audiences worldwide with its casual depiction of a purposeless, decadent segment of Rome’s cosmopolitan populace. Viewers gasped when Mastroianni and bored, nymphomaniacal socialite Anouk Aimee picked up a prostitute for a ménage à trois; when the hostess (Nadia Gray) of a wild party kicked off an orgy by performing a striptease for her guests; and when a wealthy nobleman staged an evening of debauchery in the family’s stately castle. And, of course, there was that iconic scene in which a glamorous Hollywood film star (Anita Ekberg) waded into Trevi fountain, oblivious to the staring eyes of passers-by gathered around her. All the while, Mastroianni’s character seemed indifferent to the one woman who truly loved him (Yvonne Furneaux, in the best performance of a generally undistinguished career). This was pretty strong stuff back then, especially for American moviegoers unused to seeing such antics on the big screen. Forty-some years later, La Dolce Vita doesn’t seem quite so shocking, but Fellini’s representation of the worship of false, debased values by these pleasure seekers remains startlingly profound and affecting. Thematic relevance aside, his masterwork continues to enthrall cineastes for its perfectly contrived atmosphere, gloriously photographed images, evocative musical score, and pitch-perfect portrayals by a brilliant cast. “Classic” is a word used rather promiscuously these days, but it certainly describes this film to a T. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

In one of the most widely seen and acclaimed European movies of the 1960s, Federico Fellini featured Marcello Mastrioanni as gossip columnist Marcello Rubini. Having left his dreary provincial existence behind, Marcello wanders through an ultra-modern, ultra-sophisticated, ultra-decadent Rome. He yearns to write seriously, but his inconsequential newspaper pieces bring in more money, and he's too lazy to argue with this setup. He attaches himself to a bored socialite (Anouk Aimée), whose search for thrills brings them in contact with a bisexual prostitute. The next day, Marcello juggles a personal tragedy (the attempted suicide of his mistress (Yvonne Furneaux)) with the demands of his profession (an interview with none-too-deep film star Anita Ekberg). Throughout his adventures, Marcello's dreams, fantasies, and nightmares are mirrored by the hedonism around him. With a shrug, he concludes that, while his lifestyle is shallow and ultimately pointless, there's nothing he can do to change it and so he might as well enjoy it. Fellini's hallucinatory, circus-like depictions of modern life first earned the adjective "Felliniesque" in this celebrated movie, which also traded on the idea of Rome as a hotbed of sex and decadence. A huge worldwide success, La Dolce Vita won several awards, including a New York Film Critics CIrcle award for Best Foreign Film and the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Hal Erickson

Product Details

• UPC: 741952305194
• Source: KOCH LORBER FILMS
• Editions: Copy Protected
• Time: 2:54:00
• Sales Rank: 40,016

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