La Dolce Vita (1960) La dolce vita (original title)

Director:

Federico Fellini

Writers:

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

Release Date:

19 April 1961 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

The Sweet Life

Plot:

A series of stories following a week in the life of a philandering paparazzo journalist living in Rome.

Plot Keywords:

Journalist | Writer | Prostitute | Party | Gossip Columnist

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 8 wins & 12 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	...	Il padre di Marcello
Walter Santesso	...	Paparazzo
Valeria Ciangottini	...	Paola
Riccardo Garrone	...	Riccardo
Ida Galli	...	Debuttante dell'anno
Audrey McDonald	...	Jane (as Audey McDonald)
Polidor	...	Pagliaccio
Alain Dijon	...	Frankie Stout
Enzo Cerusico	...	Fotografo
Giulio Paradisi	...	Fotografo
Enzo Doria	...	Fotografo
Enrico Glori	...	Ammiratore di Nadia
Adriana Moneta	...	Ninni
Massimo Busetti	...	Bimbo del miracolo
Mino Doro	...	Amante di Nadia
Giulio Girola	...	Commissario di polizia
Laura Betti	...	Laura
Nico	...	Nico / Herself (as Nico Otzak)
Carlo Musto	...	Travestito
Lex Barker	...	Robert - marito di Sylvia
Jacques Sernas	...	Il divo
Nadia Gray	...	Nadia
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Giuseppe Addobbati	...	(uncredited)
Conte Brunoro Serego Aligheri	...	Young Man with Mink Coat (uncredited)
Federika André	...	Tenant in Steiner's House (uncredited)
Armando Annuale	...	(uncredited)
Joan Antequera	...	Woman at Castle (uncredited)
Juan Antequero	...	Spanish Gentleman with Eyepatch at Castle (uncredited)
Gianni Baghino	...	(uncredited)
Nadia Balabine	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Ignazio Balsamo	...	(uncredited)
Remo Benedetti	...	(uncredited)
Leonardo Botta	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Ida Bracci Dorati	...	(uncredited)
Ferdinando Brofferio	...	Maddalena's Lover (uncredited)
Giovanna Busetti	...	Lying Child of The Miracle (uncredited)
Tito Buzzo	...	Muscle Man (uncredited)
Daniela Calvino	...	Daniela (uncredited)
Tony Campanino	...	Man at Nightclub (uncredited)
Fabrizio Capucci	...	Photographer at Press Conference (uncredited)
Donato Castellaneta	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Adriano Celentano	...	Himself (uncredited)
Elisabetta Cini	...	Sleeping Duchess (uncredited)
Giulio Citti	...	Man at Nightclub (uncredited)
Nani Colombo	...	Woman at the Mirror (uncredited)
Mario Conocchia	...	Lawyer with Nadia's Bra (uncredited)
Francesco Consalvo	...	Scalise's Assistant (uncredited)
Tiziano Cortini	...	Movie News Cameraman (uncredited)
Decimo Cristiani	...	Young Man That Doesn't Talk (uncredited)
Mario De Grenet	...	Man at Castle That Dislikes Dog's Smell (uncredited)
Andrea De Pino	...	(uncredited)
Adele De Rossi	...	(uncredited)
Donatella Della Nora	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Christine Denise	...	Woman Eating a Chicken (uncredited)
Katherine Denise	...	(uncredited)
Carlo Di Maggio	...	Toto Scalise (uncredited)
François Dieudonné	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Count Ivenda Dobrzensky	...	Giovanni (uncredited)
Donatella Esparmer	...	Lady with the Irritated Man (uncredited)
Paolo Fadda	...	Assistant Police Inspector (uncredited)
Umberto Felici	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Oretta Fiume	...	Lisa (uncredited)
Rina Franchetti	...	Mother of the Miracle Children (uncredited)
Giacomo Gabrielli	...	Maddalena's Father (uncredited)
Franco Giacobini	...	Journalist at the Telephone (uncredited)
Angela Giavalisco	...	Woman at Airport (uncredited)
Romolo Giordani	...	Man at Castle (uncredited)
Christine Graefeck	...	(uncredited)
Lily Granado	...	Lucy (uncredited)
Libero Grandi	...	(uncredited)
Maurizio Guelfi	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Gloria Hendy	...	Woman in Via Veneto (uncredited)
April Hennessy	...	Woman in Via Veneto (uncredited)
Nina Hohenlohe	...	Woman at Castle (uncredited)
Antonio Jacono	...	Transvestite (uncredited)
Gloria Jones	...	Gloria (uncredited)
Carlo Kechler	...	Man with Clock (uncredited)
Else Knorr	...	(uncredited)
Paolo Labia	...	Servant in Maddalena's Household (uncredited)
John Francis Lane	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Sondra Lee	...	Ballerina in Spoleto (uncredited)
Marianne Leibl	...	Yvonne's Companion in Miracle Sequence (uncredited)
Guglielmo Leoncini	...	Scalise's Secretary (uncredited)
Giuliana Lojodice	...	Servant at Steiner's House (uncredited)
Renée Longarini	...	Miss Steiner (uncredited)
Francisco Lori	...	Man in Miracle Sequence (uncredited)
Francesco Luzi	...	Radioreporter (uncredited)
Mario Mallarno	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Renato Mambor	...	A Tall Young Man (uncredited)
Vittorio Manfrino	...	Tabarin Director (uncredited)
Maria Marigliano	...	Massamilla (uncredited)
Carlo Mariotti	...	Male Nurse (uncredited)
Gino Marturano	...	Pimp (uncredited)
Maria Mazzanti	...	Woman at Airport (uncredited)
Harriet Medin	...	Sylvia's Secretary (uncredited)
Marta Melocco	...	(uncredited)
Nello Meniconi	...	Man on Via Veneto (uncredited)
Alex Messoyedoff	...	Priest at the Miracle Site (uncredited)
Gianfranco Mingozzi	...	Priest That Lets Steiner Play Organ (uncredited)
Lucia Modigliani	...	(uncredited)
Maite Morand	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Aurelio Nardi	...	Uncle of Lying Children of The Miracle (uncredited)
Desmond O'Grady	...	Steiner's Guest (uncredited)
Liana Orfei	...	(uncredited)
Umberto Orsini	...	Man in Sunglasses That Helps Nadia Strip (uncredited)
Contessa Cristina Paolozzi	...	Laughing Girl at Seance (uncredited)
Ada Passeri	...	Woman in Miracle Sequence (uncredited)
Franca Pasut	...	Girl Covered with Feathers (uncredited)
Loretta Pepi	...	(uncredited)
Paola Petrini	...	(uncredited)
Cesarino Miceli Picardi	...	Irate Man in Nightclub (uncredited)
Princess Doris Pignatelli	...	Lady in White Coat at Castle (uncredited)
Alberto Plebani	...	Doctor (uncredited)
Oliviero Prunas	...	Oliviero - Son of Prince (uncredited)
Giovanni Querrel	...	Man at Nightclub (uncredited)
Giulio Questi	...	Don Giulio (uncredited)
Concetta Ragusa	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Loretta Ramaciotti	...	Woman in Seance (uncredited)
Leonida Repaci	...	Steiner's Guest (uncredited)
Alfredo Rizzo	...	Television Director (uncredited)
Rosemary Rennel Rodd	...	English Medium (uncredited)
Giancarlo Romani	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Franco Rossellini	...	The Beautiful Horseman (uncredited)
Prince Eugenio Ruspoli di Poggio Suasa	...	Don Eugenio Mascalchi (uncredited)
Margherita Russo	...	Steiner's Guest (uncredited)
Anna Maria Salerno	...	Prostitute's Friend (uncredited)
Anna Salvatore	...	Steiner's Guest (uncredited)
Archie Savage	...	Negro Dancer (uncredited)
Leopoldo Savona	...	Negro Dancer (uncredited)
Lisa Schneider	...	Woman in Miracle Sequence (uncredited)
Maria Pia Serafini	...	Second Lady with the Irritated Man (uncredited)
Noel Sheldon	...	Man in Via Veneto (uncredited)
Isabella Soldani	...	(uncredited)
Letizia Spadini	...	Steiner's Guest (uncredited)
Giò Stajano	...	Pierone (uncredited)
Gino Talamo	...	(uncredited)
Sandra Tesi	...	Young Girl Living Nearby (uncredited)
Henry Thody	...	Reporter (uncredited)
Tomás Torres	...	Gianelli (uncredited)
Iris Tree	...	Poetess at Steiner's Party (uncredited)
Vando Tress	...	Police Inspector (uncredited)
Gondrano Trucchi	...	Servant at Caracalla's (uncredited)
Teresa Tsao	...	Woman in Nightclub (uncredited)
Winie Vagliani	...	Steiner's Guest (uncredited)
Leontine Van Strein	...	Matinee Idol's Girl Friend (uncredited)
Aldo Vasco	...	Man in Miracle Sequence (uncredited)
Lucia Vasilicò	...	Young Woman Making Confession at Nadia's Party (uncredited)
Maria Teresa Vianello	...	Woman at Airport (uncredited)
Sandy von Normand	...	Interpreter at the Press Conference (uncredited)
Antoinette Weynen	...	(uncredited)
Angela Wilson	...	Woman in Via Veneto (uncredited)
Vadim Wolkowsky	...	Prince Mascalchi (uncredited)
Maria Teresa Wolodimeroff	...	The Bored Lady (uncredited)
Italo Zingarelli	...	Don Giulio (uncredited)

Directed by
Federico Fellini

Writing credits
Federico Fellini		(story) &
Ennio Flaiano		(story) &
Tullio Pinelli		(story)
Federico Fellini		screenplay &
Ennio Flaiano		screenplay &
Tullio Pinelli		screenplay and
Brunello Rondi		contributing writer
Pier Paolo Pasolini		uncredited

Produced by
Giuseppe Amato	....	producer
Franco Magli	....	executive producer
Angelo Rizzoli	....	producer

Original Music by
Nino Rota

Cinematography by
Otello Martelli

Film Editing by
Leo Cattozzo		(as Leo Catozzo)

Production Design by
Piero Gherardi

Costume Design by
Piero Gherardi

Makeup Department
Sergio Angeloni	....	assistant makeup artist
Otello Fava	....	makeup artist
Renata Magnanti	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Nello Meniconi	....	production manager
Manlio Morelli	....	production manager (as Manlio M. Morelli)
Alessandro von Norman	....	production supervisor (as Alessandro Von Norman)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Dominique Delouche	....	first assistant director
Guidarino Guidi	....	first assistant director
Gianfranco Mingozzi	....	second assistant director
Paolo Nuzzi	....	first assistant director
Lili Rademakers	....	second assistant director (as Lili Veenman)
Giancarlo Romani	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Vito Anzalone	....	assistant production designer
Giorgio Giovannini	....	assistant production designer
Lucia Mirisola	....	assistant production designer
Brunello Rondi	....	artistic advisor
Italo Tomassi	....	set designer (uncredited)

Sound Department
Oscar Di Santo	....	sound
Agostino Moretti	....	sound
Mike Le Mare	....	assistant sound editor: English dub (uncredited)
Wally Milner	....	English sound recordist (uncredited)
Maurice Rootes	....	English dubbing editor (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Ennio Guarnieri	....	assistant camera
Arturo Zavattini	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Lucia Mirisola	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
Adriana Olasio	....	assistant editor
Vanda Olasio	....	assistant editor (as Wanda Olasio)

Music Department
Franco Ferrara	....	musical director
Armando Trovajoli	....	music arranger (as Armando Trovaioli)

Other crew
Mario Basili	....	production secretary
Lilla Brignone	....	voice dubbing: Anouk Aimée
Osvaldo De Micheli	....	production secretary
Mario Di Biase	....	production secretary
Clemente Fracassi	....	general manager
Gabriella Genta	....	voice dubbing: Yvonne Furneaux
Isa Mari	....	script supervisor
Romolo Valli	....	voice dubbing: Alain Cuny

Production Companies

• Riama Film
• Gray-Film (co-production)
• Pathé Consortium Cinéma (co-production)

Distributors

• Cineriz (1960) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Momentum Pictures (1960) (UK) (theatrical)
• Pathé Consortium Cinéma (1960) (France) (theatrical)
• Astor Pictures Corporation (1961) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Atalanta Filmes (1961) (Portugal) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• American International Pictures (AIP) (1965) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release) (dubbed)
• Republic Pictures Home Video (1985) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan) (double tape)
• SBP (2001) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Medusa Home Entertainment (2003) (Italy) (DVD)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2003) (Australia) (DVD)
• Koch Lorber Films (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Koch Vision (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Zima Entertainment (2005) (Mexico) (DVD)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• Vii Pillars Entertainment (2007) (Hong Kong) (DVD)
• Homescreen (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Gloria (1960) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Altomedia. Co. Ltd. (????) (South Korea) (DVD)
• Cinemagi (????) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Front Row Filmed Entertainment (2004) (United Arab Emirates) (all media) (Middle East)
• Globo Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• GoodTimes Home Video (1992) (USA) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2011) (Australia) (video) (VOD)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2012) (Australia) (TV)
• Van Blad (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Versátil Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Vídeo Mídia (198?) (Brazil) (VHS) (dubbed in Portuguese)

Other Companies

• Mega Playground  post-production facilities

Also Known As:

"La dolce vita" - Italy (original title)
"The Sweet Life" - USA (literal English 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:

Argentina:16 | Australia:M (DVD rating) | Australia:PG (original rating) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | Singapore:M18 (DVD rating) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:Not Rated | West Germany:18 (original rating) | Italy:VM14 | Hungary:18 | South Korea:15 | Brazil:14 | Spain:(Banned) (1960-1980) | Spain:13 | Singapore:PG | UK:12A (theatrical re-release) (re-rating) (2013) | Germany:12 (re-rating)

Filming Locations:

Bassano Romano, Viterbo, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Riama Film

Trivia:

Producer Dino De Laurentiis left the project when director Federico Fellini refused to cast Paul Newman in the lead.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the castle, Marcello lights a match to view some ancestral paintings. A spotlight is used to enhance the light of this match, but does not follow the actor's movements very closely and gives the illusion away.

Quotes:

Marcello Rubini:You are the first woman on the first day of creation. You are mother, sister, lover, friend, angel, devil, earth, home.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Le parfum d'Yvonne (1994)

Soundtrack:

Patricia

Complex And Rambling

Mostly because of the terrific high contrast, B&W visuals, and the evocative music, this is the only Fellini film I have seen that I have somewhat enjoyed. I recommend it, but not without reservations. It's a complex film with many textured layers of meaning. And, in typical Fellini fashion, it rambles and it meanders.

Deviating from standard three-Act structure, Fellini's story consists of roughly eight episodes, all starting at night and ending at dawn, more or less. Each has its own crisis. And the only thing that unites these episodes into a coherent whole is the story's protagonist, Marcello (Marcello Mastroianni). In his job as a journalist and overall observer of human nature, Marcello encounters people in high society who seem outwardly happy and self-fulfilled. On closer examination, however, these people are empty, hollow, alienated, emotionally adrift and vacant.

A good example is the starlet Sylvia (Anita Ekberg), a glamorous figure, but she's all image and no substance. "La dolce vita" is the first film that uses the concept of "paparazzi", which implies the importance of "image", separate from substance.

Throughout the various episodes Marcello sees these "images" of happiness, of contentment, but the images are deceptive, elusive, unreliable. In one episode, two "miracle" children "see" the Madonna. "The Madonna is over there", shouts one child. The crowd chases after her. But the other child who "sees" the Madonna runs in the opposite direction. Happiness, self-fulfillment, religious visions ... they're all a will-o'-the-wisp. And so, the film conveys a sense of pessimism and cynicism.

The film thus has deep thematic value. It caused a scandal when it was released, and was banned by the Catholic Church, apparently for appearing to be anti-religious.

Yet for all its deep meaning, "La dolce vita" can be a trial to sit through. Somewhere in the second half I began to lose interest. I don't have a problem with Fellini's deviation from standard plot structure. I do have a problem with a director who doesn't know when to quit. This film goes on for almost three hours. A good edit, to delete all the fat, would have tightened up the story and rendered it more potent. As is, it's too strung out, too stretched, too meandering.

If the viewer can persevere, there's enormous cinematic art in this film. And helped along by Nino Rota's music, the film is wonderfully evocative, at times stylishly melancholy.