Marcello Mastroianni, Anouk Aimée, Yvonne Furneaux

A dashing gossip columnist, and would-be novelist, is caught in the morass of decadent Roman society in which he rootlessly and amorally wanders in search of himself.

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91% liked it

27,147 ratings

Unrated, 2 hrs. 58 min.

Directed by: Federico Fellini

Release Date: January 1, 1960

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DVD Release Date: September 21, 2004

Stats: 1,402 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,402)


  • July 23, 2009
    Without Giulietta Masina, Fellini's films seem a little thin on charm and a little thick on just about everything else.
  • June 14, 2009
    The statue of Christ suspended from a helicopter. A sad clown leading a group of balloons out of a room. A romantic conversation spoken through ventilation shafts. A buxom blonde bathing in the Trevi Fountain of Rome. It's not hard to see why "La Dolce Vita" was Fellini's real br...( read more)eak out film, and one of his more famous pieces. Not only is it a splendid cautionary tale about a man incapable of committing to anything at all, but it contains some of the most memorable and fascinating episodes in the history of film.

    "La Dolce Vita" follows the exploits of the self-destructive tabloid journalist Marcello Rubini (Marcello Mastroianni), a quasi-celebrity spending long nights amongst the colorful upper class of Rome. He's a gossip writer that strives to write a novel but can't bring himself to commit to such serious work. He's married to Emma (Yvonne Furneaux), every bit as self-loathing as he is, whose latest suicide attempt is an overdose of pills. The other women in his life include Maddalena (Anouk Aimee), a partner-in-crime thrill-seeker; Ninni (Adriana Moneta), a streetwalker who shows him and Maddalena her flooded loft; and Sylvia (Anita Ekberg), a seductive Hollywood starlet visiting Rome. Along the way, he also encounters his father (Annibale Ninchi), a traveling salesman who can't quite keep up with Marcello's nightlife, and Steiner (Alain Cuny), a wealthy intellectual friend he admires, but who warns him about the ugliness of a life of an "organized society where everything is calculated and perfected".

    Most movies need to be seen in one sitting. They're so carefully constructed in their form that you can pinpoint the exact moment each act begins and ends. "La Dolce Vita", on the other hand, is purely episodic - a film that, while obviously best as a whole, does not follow a conventional arc, but rather a series of rises and falls. You could make a mini-series out of Rubini, with each episode dealing with an entirely new setting and his expansive set of accomplices.

    "La Dolce Vita" is book-ended by a scene of Christ leaving Rome on a helicopter, and one of a prehistoric fish washed up on a beach. This warning signal illustrates the ugliness of the lives of Marcello's type and those that heedlessly worship them. The emptiness of a life without commitment in favor of shameless partying and unrelenting lustful endeavors. In it's final moments, we're told clearly that Rubini, although oblivious in his current state, has also failed to commit to his last chance at redemption. It's a heartbreaking scene, but a beautifully poetic illustration of Rubini's nature and his unavoidable downfall.
  • May 19, 2009
    every cinephile has at least one "great" director that they dont resonate with at all, and i think mine is fellini. like 8 1/2 i found this film to be beautifully shot and technically impressive, but also like 8 1/2 i found the actual story telling to be choppy and non-sensical....( read more) rather than a coherent plot the film is 3 hours of random and unconnected moments in marcello's life that are supposed to lead one to an understanding of his plight for love and the meaning of life, but instead i just felt that his life sort of sputtered along until an anticlimatic ending that brought no closure at all. a beautiful film to look at and ekberg brought some needed charisma to the film, but the story was very unsatisfying for me.
  • July 15, 2008
    Marcello Mastroianni might be the coolest dude to ever fill a pair of loafers
  • April 15, 2008
    it was okay. about a load of rich italians that get really bored and like to sleep around. anita ekberg was da bomb! the actors were all alright to watch. i just didn't understand where the film was going or what the point of it was? except maybe to perv at ekberg?!!? maybe i'll ...( read more)like it more if i view it again sometime. maybe it grows on ya. ah well, if nothing else... ekberg. have i said ekberg enough times?
  • November 4, 2009
    Una gran obra de arte!
  • October 23, 2009
    Not Fellini's best, but there are many flashes of brilliance. It would have been better if a bit shorter, but the acting is first rate, Anita Ekberg is excellent, and Marcello Mastroianni is great. Great plot, always interesting. Outstanding score and the film has many memorable ...( read more)scenes.
  • October 6, 2009
    well,my main problem with this fellini classic is,with its almost 3 hours running time,it lacks a central storyline.we're just given a bunch of people (with the perspective of Marcello Mastroianni character)wandering through society,.this lacks of focus makes me hard to enjoy LA ...( read more)DOLCE VITA completely.i hope my next fellini experience will be better than this
  • October 5, 2009
    Italian legend with paparazzis.
  • September 25, 2009
    One of Fellini's most accessible and straight forward films. If you are unfamiliar with the work of Fellini, this is an excellent place to start.

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Comments


  • binky013
    March 20, 2007
    Actually, Julian, I kind of do understand that. She's a babe. And she's a babe who gets wet in a fountain. I can truly understand how that might stand out in someone's memory, but I agree that this may not be the greatest artistic scene in the film : )

    In some ways, it's a way-before-its-time precursor to Spring Break wet T-shirt contests.

    For me, the greatest scene may be him dismissing the angel at the end. Although I can totally relate to the prostitute's flooded basement. In Hawai`i, that happens. Maybe not a lot, but it happens way more than I like to think about . . .
  • julianbastidas1
    March 11, 2007
    I have never understood why when someone thinks in this movie always the first thought is the fountain scene and Anita Ekberg. Yes, of course is a beutiful scene, and a important one, but it´s not the essence of the movie; it has mamy more greater scenes.

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La Dolce Vita Trivia


  • In what classic Fellini film did Anna Ekberg saunter in a Rome fountain?  Answer »
  • In 'Lost in Translation', which black & white film are Bob and Charlotte watching whilst drinking wine in Bob's room?  Answer »
  • What director links the movies "Amarcord", "The Nights of Cabiria", "La Dolce Vita", and "8½"?  Answer »
  • Which film features the classic scene where Swedish actress Anita Ekberg is being drenched in Rome's Trevi Fountain?  Answer »

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