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| One of the fabulous, glamorous posters for Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita |
QUICK REVIEW:
A Roman journalist spends a week chasing women, partying, interviewing a Swedish movie star, covering a religious mass hysteria and reconnecting with his father.
The 7th feature by Italian master filmmaker Federico Fellini (La Strada (1955)) is a true masterpiece and a multi-faceted salute to beauty and the myriads of variety in life; to eroticism, the woman, the city and the night.
Anouk Aimée (8½ (1963)), Marcello Mastroianni (What?/Che? (1972)) and Anita Ekberg (The French Sex Murders/Casa d'Appuntamento (1972)) are equally splendid in the film, which also has one of the most fantastic and memorable beginnings and endings in cinema history.
La Dolce Vita [which translates to 'the sweet life'] is written by Fellini, Ennio Flaiano (The Tenth Victim/La Decima Vittima (1965)), Tullio Pinelli (8½) and Brunello Rondi (Sex Life in a Women's Prison/Prigione di Donne (1974)), with uncredited work done by great Italian filmmaker Pier Paolo Passolini (The Gospel According to St. Matthew/Il Vangelo Secondo Matteo (1964)). - Don't miss this magical piece of cinema history!
Related posts:
Federico Fellini: Top 10: The best B/W movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
8½ (1963) or, Vive la Cinema!
Nights of Cabiria/Le Notti di Cabiria ((1957) - Fellini serves private infatuation as incredible masterpiece
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| Anita Ekberg in Rome's Trevi fountain in Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita |
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| Marcello Mastroianni on the beach in Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita |
Here's a trailer for the film
Cost: Unknown
Box office: 19.5 mil. $ (North America only)
= Unknown (likely a big to huge hit)
[La Dolce Vita was released February 5 (Italy) and runs ca. 180 minutes. The film was mostly shot in Rome's Cinecittà studio, where more than 80 sets were reportedly created, making it a very costly film to mount. The Trevi fountain scene was, however, shot in the actual fountain, either in January or March, (sources differ), - but the water was definitely so freezing that Mastroianni had to wear a wetsuit under his costume (and chug vodka), while Ekberg completed it in just her gown. La Dolce Vita is also famous for coining the term 'paparazzi', which is the name of a tabloid character in the film. The film became a target for censorship: It was condemned by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano and banned in Spain for 15 years. But it was also hailed by scores of critics; it won the Palme d'Or in Cannes and the Best Costume Design Oscar and is recognized as one of the finest films ever. It was also nominated for direction, screenplay and art direction, which it lost to Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins for West Side Story, William Inge for Splendour in the Grass and The Hustler, respectively. A cost or world total for the film is not to be found online, but there seems little doubt that the film was a hit, probably a big or huge hit. La Dolce Vita is certified fresh at 96 % with a 9.1 critical average on Rotten Tomatoes.]
What do you think of La Dolce Vita?
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