La Dolce Vita

( 6 )

Overview

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 ...
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Overview

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.
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Editorial Reviews

Barnes & Noble - Ed Hulse
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.
All Movie Guide - Lucia Bozzola
An international hit, partly due to its then-frank sexuality, La Dolce Vita (1960) marked an artistic turning point in Federico Fellini's career, confirming him as one of the premier filmmakers of international art cinema. Eschewing the remains of his roots in Italian Neo-Realism, Fellini turned tabloid journalist Marcello's day-to-day experiences among the international jet set into a visually flamboyant, Dante-esque odyssey through contemporary Roman decadence. From the surreal opening image of a Christ statue "flying" over Rome by helicopter through Anita Ekberg's frolic in the Trevi Fountain to the final beach scene, Fellini filled his first foray into widescreen photography with evocative imagery juxtaposing ancient Rome with modernity, surface beauty with spiritual desolation. Winner of the 1960 Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, La Dolce Vita became a worldwide critical and financial success, turning Fellini first-timer Marcello Mastroianni into an international star and earning Fellini an Oscar nomination as Best Director. With La Dolce Vita appearing the same year as Michelangelo Antonioni's L'avventura, Fellini joined his compatriot as one of the leading cinematic poets of the modern condition, yet with a visual splendor and affection for the carnivalesque that would distinguish his work for the next decades.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 1/1/1998
  • UPC: 017153221237
  • Original Release: 1960

    • Rating:

  • Source: REPUBLIC PICTURES
  • Presentation: Subtitled
  • Format: VHS

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
Marcello Mastroianni Marcello Rubini
Yvonne Furneaux Emma
Anouk Aimée Maddalena
Anita Ekberg Sylvia
Alain Cuny Steiner
Lex Barker Robert
Annibale Ninchi Marcello's father
Valeria Ciangottini Paola
Walter Santesso Paparazzo
Renee Longanni Signora Steiner
Laura Betti Laura
Massimo Bonetti
Leonardo Botta Doctor
Tito Buzzo Muscle Man
Daniela Calvino Daniela
Donato Castellaneta
Adriano Celentano Rock 'n' Roll Singer
Enzo Cerusico Newspaper photographer
Leo Coleman Negro Dancer
Mario Conocchia
Alain Dijon Frankie Stout
Enzo Doria Newspaper photographer
Mino Doro Nadia's Lover
Rina Franchetti Their Mother
Ida Galli Debutante of the Year
Riccardo Garrone Riccardo, the Villa Owner
Enrico Glori Nadia's Admirer
Nadia Gray Nadia
April Hennessy
Antonio Jacono Transvestite
John Francis Lane
Sandra Lee Spoleto Ballerina
Marianna Leibl Yvonne's Companion
Gino Marturano Their Pimp
Carlo Musto Transvestite
Nico Nicollina
Magali Noël Fanny
Umberto Orsini
Franca Pasut Girl Covered with Feathers
Cesarino Miceli Picardi Irate Man in Nightclub
Polidor Clown
Giulio Questi Don Giulio
Leonida Repaci
Alfredo Rizzo Television Director
Franco Rossellini
Archie Savage Negro Dancer
Lisa Schneider
Jacques Sernas Matinee Idol
Barbara Steele
Maria Teresa Vianello
Haniet White Sylvia's Secretary
Angela Wilson People at Via Veneto
Vadim Wolkonsky Prince Mascalchi
Technical Credits
Federico Fellini Director, Screenwriter
Giuseppe Amato Producer
Leo Cattozzo Editor
Otello Fava Makeup
Franco Ferrara Musical Direction/Supervision
Ennio Flaiano Screenwriter
Piero Gherardi Costumes/Costume Designer, Production Designer
Franco Magli Executive Producer
Otello Martelli Cinematographer
Pier Paolo Pasolini Screenwriter
Tullio Pinelli Screenwriter
Angelo Rizzoli Producer
Brunello Rondi Screenwriter
Nino Rota Score Composer
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4
( 6 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(3)

4 Star

(2)

3 Star

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2 Star

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Sort by: Showing all of 6 Customer Reviews

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    A HIP MOD TRIBUTE TO ITALIAN CINEMA

    La dolce vita was a riveting ride through the riveting world of Rome's jet set. It caught the very essence of the aristocracy and those who look in from the outside. Fabulous direction and acting make it a classic that all film lovers must see.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Stunning Digital Transfer

    Now I can finally throw away my VCR. This is the last title I have been waiting for. LDV is one of the true great existential epics. It depicts a talented man, who follows a story rather than his dreams. He slowly slips into a wasteland, until in the end he has become the shallow vapid person he used to report on.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted September 24, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted July 24, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted August 19, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted July 14, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

Sort by: Showing all of 6 Customer Reviews