La Dolce Vita (1960)

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

Director:

Federico Fellini

Writers:

Federico Fellini (story), Ennio Flaiano (story)

Stars:

Marcello Mastroianni, Anita Ekberg, Anouk Aimée

Won 1 Oscar. Another 10 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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
Evelyn Stewart	...	Debuttante dell'anno (as Ida Galli)
Audrey McDonald	...	Jane
Polidor	...	Pagliaccio
Alain Dijon	...	Frankie Stout
Mino Doro	...	Amante di Nadia

Storyline

Journalist and man-about-town Marcello struggles to find his place in the world, torn between the allure of Rome's elite social scene and the stifling domesticity offered by his girlfriend, all the while searching for a way to become a serious writer.

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Plot Keywords:

sexy woman | journalist | celebrity | party | italy | 

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Taglines:

The Roman Scandals - Bound to shock with its truth!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian English French German

Release Date:

19 April 1961 (USA)

Also Known As:

La Dolce Vita

Filming Locations:

Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, E.U.R., Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Gross USA:

$19,516,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Riama Film, Cinecittà, Pathé Consortium Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

174 min 177 min (premiere) 165 min (re-release) 180 min (premiere)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Federico Fellini considered Peter Ustinov and Walter Pidgeon for the role of Steiner.

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Goofs

When Marcello is typewriting in a restaurant on the beach and talking to the blonde young girl, the bar of the typewriter is centered on the machine. In the next take, it is displaced to the left of the typewriter.

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Quotes

Steiner: Don't be like me. Salvation doesn't lie within four walls. I'm too serious to be a dilettante and too much a dabbler to be a professional. Even the most miserable life is better than a sheltered existence in an organized society where everything is calculated and perfected.

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Alternate Versions

In the original American release, distributed by American International Pictures, the titles open with the AIP logo and appear over a shot of the sky with clouds. In the current release on DVD - and as shown on TCM - the title sequence is over a black background. When originally released, censors in several countries trimmed certain scenes, including the orgy near the end of the film.

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Connections

Featured in Elsa & Fred (2005)

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Soundtracks

I'm Goin' Away
(uncredited)
Written by Alan Greene

User Reviews

About as interesting as empty box

Frank Capra once said that there are no rules in film-making, only sins, and the cardinal sin is Dullness. And I'm sorry to say that Dullness is something that La Dolce Vita has in spades. The story is uninspiring, the plot non-existent, the characterisation flat and the dialogue is about as profound as a fortune cracker. Maybe something got lost in the translation, maybe I'm low-brow and uncouth, maybe I expect too much. Then again, maybe I just want to be entertained.

I'm sure La Dolce Vita has its adoring fans who would defend this title to the hills and go on about how intelligent it all is, and how my generation has been 'dumbed-down' by Hollywood. But please, let's be honest, it's simply not that good. Watch Cinema Paradiso instead.