K. said it best: “Too many people are missing the point. The film is a critique of the mainstream world's descent into superficiality, conformity, materialism, and self-indulgence, showcasing this descent through the Hollywood/journalist lifestyles, and hereby also displaying the influence/effect these lifestyles have in our societies. The film brings to awareness the vanity of celebrity culture, and non-judgmentally observes the lives that are lost within the self-indulgence of it. Fellini exposed the lie that the so-called elite leads the perfect life, revealing in truth that the extravagance of their lives is nothing but a façade for their superficiality. Most of all this is a film about self-boredom, lack of satisfaction, and the vain search for satisfaction through conformity and superficial relationships.”
Mainstream society is so far removed from our past as small tight-knit communities working together to live peacefully and comfortably that it is impossible to be truly happy. We were wired to survive that way for thousands of years, and we were pretty successful at it and relatively happy as well. Then the next stage of evolution happened and most of us are still subconsciously grasping for our former ways of life. In the film, this is represented by the young girl working at the small restaurant that Marcelo is writing in at the beach. When she calls to him and he can’t understand, it is modernity that holds him back from understanding. Modernity is also represented by Marcelo’s ideal: Steiner. He looks up to him so much and doesn’t understand how warped Steiner is by his own modernity. It’s crushing him, so much so that he goes crazy and kills himself and his family.
Although there are truly magnificent frames in this movie and I truly appreciate the technical abilities that crew has, the length of some sequences of these frames make the movie difficult to focus in. I find the non-linear storytelling adds some contrast to the movie however once again the viewer is having difficulties in building connections to the characters since there are too many jumps between them.
Some good some bad, I don't call this movie a masterpiece, not a favorite of mine.
Too many people are missing the point. The film is a critique of the mainstream world's descent into superficiality, conformity, materialism, and self-indulgence, showcasing this descent through the Hollywood/journalist lifestyles, and hereby also displaying the influence/effect these lifestyles have in our societies. The film brings to awareness the vanity of celebrity culture, and non-judgmentally observes the lives that are lost within the self-indulgence of it. Fellini exposed the lie that the so-called elite lead the perfect life, revealing in truth that the extravagance of their lives is nothing but a façade for their superficiality. Most of all this is a film about self-boredom, lack of satisfaction, and the vain search for satisfaction through conformity and superficial relationships.
I don't really get why people disapprove this film that much, I find it beautiful, and many great films have no need of a plot driven story. Nowadays everyone loves to Sorrentino but I don't see nothing there that hadn't been done before by Fellini.
Nevertheless, the end ruined the film for me, I got annoyed by the scene in the beach party.
A critique of a societal group works if the group in question can understand the comments. Here it only feels like they are in on the joke, the rest of us unwashed masses trample over each other to get a piece of a "miracle tree."
I can appreciate the technical skill on display and the cinematography was good but I feel that people are too afraid of having a dissenting opinion. I understood most of the main points the film was making, I just didn't care. In order for me to sit through an over-long, self-indulgent, jerk-off fest, I have to sympathize with one of the characters, particularly the main one. Marcello wasn't particularly compelling and you never see him actually working (writing; interesting note, when I had the thought of when is he going to actually write something, the very next scene was of him sitting in a cafe failing to writing anything), so his existential crisis, which seems neatly resolved by the end, comes across as tedious.
There were three stand-out scenes that I enjoyed. The opening sequence with Jesus, Steiner's party monologue and the very last bit with the monster on the beach. More than any other parts, they supported the auteur's vision, however they cannot be viewed in a vacuum and need to be taken in with the drawn-out whole.
And to think that I put off seeing this for so long, just to have an opportunity to experience it in its intended format, is very anti-climatic.
By far the most shamelessly self-indulgent movie I've ever seen. That doesn't make it bad. It's beautifully shot and has some fun moments, but three hours is an awfully long time to watch rich people be capricious.
I've seen over 3,000 movies and not one of them was directed by Federico Fellini? I should be pretty ashamed I suppose. And I call myself a film buff? Anyway, it's about time that I had a Fellini film to my watched library and La dolce vita is what I happened upon. Along with 8½, La dolce vita is what I most often hear of being commented on when it comes to Federico Fellini so my expectations are up there.
The title translated means "the good life" and refers to the kind of lifestyle that main character Marcello Rubini leads. I didn't read anything about La dolce vita before watching it and I'll admit that I was not expecting the unstructured format that it "follows." We the viewers get an inside look at Marcello Rubini's life in seven different episodic sequences. Fellini doesn't give you everything on a nice platter though. You're responsible for closely following everything that's going on or you will fall behind.
Synopsis
Marcello Rubini (Marcello Mastroianni) is a journalist working for a gossip magazine in Rome. He's engaged to Emma (Yvonne Furneaux) but is always out and about day and night living "the good life" so that he can get good scoops for his job. Despite many glitzy nights in fancy restaurants with big celebrities and many affairs, Marcello feels like he's missing something. He ends up diving further and further into the lifestyle he follows with no end or fulfillment in sight.
Review
Fellini has crafted a beautiful film to look at with each individual frame that composes it. The many different locations in Rome are all immaculately captured and could easily be used as a tool for Italy to hook tourists to come to Rome. The costumes are a huge highlight of La dolce vita. Male and female characters alike ooze style with their sunglasses, huge dresses and perfectly pressed suits. Even the cars that the characters drive are romanticized from big American land yachts to tiny British sports cars. Everything put together is a feast for the eyes and could practically carry the movie without any substance.
In terms of the story, I'm not joking that you have to really pay attention to everything and be ready to make logical judgements. Not all the episodes are necessarily linear and they do make jumps in time. Watching Marcello Rubini is like watching a goldfish in a bowl, but obviously way more interesting. When does a goldfish ever get to mix it up with lots of attractive women anyway?
In a way, La dolce vita is like a time capsule. It's like a time period frozen forever that features the discontent of one man. Even the discontent of just about everyone. There are lots of theories you could think up as to what Ldv really means and I love that. Federico Fellini has something to say about Italy, romantic relationships, friendship, aristocracy and a lot more. There's weight behind everything that happens in La dolce vita and as unstructured as it seems, it's far from it.
My initial shock to the unstructured mess that La dolce vita seemed at first gave away to utter fascination and awe. Marcello who looks cool and collected is really a shell of a man. Besides the beautiful art that La dolce vita resembles, it's a deep story that features some really cinematic moments like the Jesus statue flying over Rome and the Trevi Fountain dip. At 174 minutes it's a long film to get through but packs more than enough calories to fill its run time.
@Admiral Softy, lol! But let's not generalize, just most Americans are like that.. And certainly most Brazilians, Germans, Japanese, Italians, French, whatever.. For those, go watch BATMAN!
Yup, too bad all us Americans are incapable of feeling emotions. Thanks for pointing out the hollowness of my soul as the reason this one doesn't quite click for me.
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Comments 1 - 15 of 28
essaywhu
K. said it best: “Too many people are missing the point. The film is a critique of the mainstream world's descent into superficiality, conformity, materialism, and self-indulgence, showcasing this descent through the Hollywood/journalist lifestyles, and hereby also displaying the influence/effect these lifestyles have in our societies. The film brings to awareness the vanity of celebrity culture, and non-judgmentally observes the lives that are lost within the self-indulgence of it. Fellini exposed the lie that the so-called elite leads the perfect life, revealing in truth that the extravagance of their lives is nothing but a façade for their superficiality. Most of all this is a film about self-boredom, lack of satisfaction, and the vain search for satisfaction through conformity and superficial relationships.”Mainstream society is so far removed from our past as small tight-knit communities working together to live peacefully and comfortably that it is impossible to be truly happy. We were wired to survive that way for thousands of years, and we were pretty successful at it and relatively happy as well. Then the next stage of evolution happened and most of us are still subconsciously grasping for our former ways of life. In the film, this is represented by the young girl working at the small restaurant that Marcelo is writing in at the beach. When she calls to him and he can’t understand, it is modernity that holds him back from understanding. Modernity is also represented by Marcelo’s ideal: Steiner. He looks up to him so much and doesn’t understand how warped Steiner is by his own modernity. It’s crushing him, so much so that he goes crazy and kills himself and his family.
heat_
Although there are truly magnificent frames in this movie and I truly appreciate the technical abilities that crew has, the length of some sequences of these frames make the movie difficult to focus in. I find the non-linear storytelling adds some contrast to the movie however once again the viewer is having difficulties in building connections to the characters since there are too many jumps between them.Some good some bad, I don't call this movie a masterpiece, not a favorite of mine.
Additional recommendation for a beautiful bourgeois ridicule movie: https://www.icheckmovies.com/movies/le+charme+discret+de+la+bourgeoisie/
Limbesdautomne
Slow descent into hell for Marcello who, being close with 'gods' decadence for a long time, ends to join them.Read more in French on La Saveur des goûts amers.
K.
Too many people are missing the point. The film is a critique of the mainstream world's descent into superficiality, conformity, materialism, and self-indulgence, showcasing this descent through the Hollywood/journalist lifestyles, and hereby also displaying the influence/effect these lifestyles have in our societies. The film brings to awareness the vanity of celebrity culture, and non-judgmentally observes the lives that are lost within the self-indulgence of it. Fellini exposed the lie that the so-called elite lead the perfect life, revealing in truth that the extravagance of their lives is nothing but a façade for their superficiality. Most of all this is a film about self-boredom, lack of satisfaction, and the vain search for satisfaction through conformity and superficial relationships.Borvaran
I don't really get why people disapprove this film that much, I find it beautiful, and many great films have no need of a plot driven story. Nowadays everyone loves to Sorrentino but I don't see nothing there that hadn't been done before by Fellini.Nevertheless, the end ruined the film for me, I got annoyed by the scene in the beach party.
fonz
A critique of a societal group works if the group in question can understand the comments. Here it only feels like they are in on the joke, the rest of us unwashed masses trample over each other to get a piece of a "miracle tree."I can appreciate the technical skill on display and the cinematography was good but I feel that people are too afraid of having a dissenting opinion. I understood most of the main points the film was making, I just didn't care. In order for me to sit through an over-long, self-indulgent, jerk-off fest, I have to sympathize with one of the characters, particularly the main one. Marcello wasn't particularly compelling and you never see him actually working (writing; interesting note, when I had the thought of when is he going to actually write something, the very next scene was of him sitting in a cafe failing to writing anything), so his existential crisis, which seems neatly resolved by the end, comes across as tedious.
There were three stand-out scenes that I enjoyed. The opening sequence with Jesus, Steiner's party monologue and the very last bit with the monster on the beach. More than any other parts, they supported the auteur's vision, however they cannot be viewed in a vacuum and need to be taken in with the drawn-out whole.
And to think that I put off seeing this for so long, just to have an opportunity to experience it in its intended format, is very anti-climatic.
kellyoung
By far the most shamelessly self-indulgent movie I've ever seen. That doesn't make it bad. It's beautifully shot and has some fun moments, but three hours is an awfully long time to watch rich people be capricious.CinemaDump
I've seen over 3,000 movies and not one of them was directed by Federico Fellini? I should be pretty ashamed I suppose. And I call myself a film buff? Anyway, it's about time that I had a Fellini film to my watched library and La dolce vita is what I happened upon. Along with 8½, La dolce vita is what I most often hear of being commented on when it comes to Federico Fellini so my expectations are up there.The title translated means "the good life" and refers to the kind of lifestyle that main character Marcello Rubini leads. I didn't read anything about La dolce vita before watching it and I'll admit that I was not expecting the unstructured format that it "follows." We the viewers get an inside look at Marcello Rubini's life in seven different episodic sequences. Fellini doesn't give you everything on a nice platter though. You're responsible for closely following everything that's going on or you will fall behind.
Synopsis
Marcello Rubini (Marcello Mastroianni) is a journalist working for a gossip magazine in Rome. He's engaged to Emma (Yvonne Furneaux) but is always out and about day and night living "the good life" so that he can get good scoops for his job. Despite many glitzy nights in fancy restaurants with big celebrities and many affairs, Marcello feels like he's missing something. He ends up diving further and further into the lifestyle he follows with no end or fulfillment in sight.
Review
Fellini has crafted a beautiful film to look at with each individual frame that composes it. The many different locations in Rome are all immaculately captured and could easily be used as a tool for Italy to hook tourists to come to Rome. The costumes are a huge highlight of La dolce vita. Male and female characters alike ooze style with their sunglasses, huge dresses and perfectly pressed suits. Even the cars that the characters drive are romanticized from big American land yachts to tiny British sports cars. Everything put together is a feast for the eyes and could practically carry the movie without any substance.
In terms of the story, I'm not joking that you have to really pay attention to everything and be ready to make logical judgements. Not all the episodes are necessarily linear and they do make jumps in time. Watching Marcello Rubini is like watching a goldfish in a bowl, but obviously way more interesting. When does a goldfish ever get to mix it up with lots of attractive women anyway?
In a way, La dolce vita is like a time capsule. It's like a time period frozen forever that features the discontent of one man. Even the discontent of just about everyone. There are lots of theories you could think up as to what Ldv really means and I love that. Federico Fellini has something to say about Italy, romantic relationships, friendship, aristocracy and a lot more. There's weight behind everything that happens in La dolce vita and as unstructured as it seems, it's far from it.
My initial shock to the unstructured mess that La dolce vita seemed at first gave away to utter fascination and awe. Marcello who looks cool and collected is really a shell of a man. Besides the beautiful art that La dolce vita resembles, it's a deep story that features some really cinematic moments like the Jesus statue flying over Rome and the Trevi Fountain dip. At 174 minutes it's a long film to get through but packs more than enough calories to fill its run time.
Rating
8.5/10
Dieguito
@Admiral Softy, lol! But let's not generalize, just most Americans are like that.. And certainly most Brazilians, Germans, Japanese, Italians, French, whatever.. For those, go watch BATMAN!Admiral Softy
@DieguitoYup, too bad all us Americans are incapable of feeling emotions. Thanks for pointing out the hollowness of my soul as the reason this one doesn't quite click for me.
Paper_Okami
Unbearably dull and self indulgent... How this won the palm'dor over the amazing L'Avventura.., we will never know...Miss Jitterbug
Great movie....!rainy
She's as gorgeous as annoying.sapta
way too long to hold interest all the way.Big A2
Gorgeous women? God-awful lip-synch? Yup, you're watching a Fellini movie.And no, it didn't feel too long at all.
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