Italian director Federico Fellini’s 1960 film La Dolce Vita is widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. The comedy-drama offers a satirical look at Rome’s high society in the late 1950s, critiquing the decadence and excess of the city’s elite. The film’s title, meaning “the sweet life” in Italian, is deeply ironic, as the characters lead shallow, unfulfilling lives despite their wealth and status. At nearly three hours long, La Dolce Vita is an ambitious and sprawling work, featuring an episodic narrative structure that allows Fellini to explore various facets of Roman nightlife. The film cemented Fellini’s reputation as one of the preeminent auteurs of his era.
La Dolce Vita stars Marcello Mastroianni as Marcello Rubini, an ambitious journalist who covers Rome’s celebrity scene. Though Marcello longs for the intellectual life of a serious writer, he gets sucked into the superficial world of the rich and famous in his pursuit of success and pleasure. The film follows Marcello over seven nights and dawns in Rome as he attends lavish parties, orgies, and other gatherings of the city’s elite. Despite reveling in this hedonistic lifestyle, Marcello remains unfulfilled and dissatisfied.
One of the film’s most famous scenes depicts a wild party at an aristocrat’s mansion where the revelers frolic in an ornate fountain. This sequence captures the reckless abandon and dissolution of Rome’s upper class as they seek to combat boredom through decadence. Though the party appears glamorous from afar, the participants are actually quite pathetic as they debase themselves.
In another famous scene, Marcello accompanies his unfaithful fiancé Emma (Yvonne Furneaux) to a nightclub where his intoxicated friend Steiner (Alain Cuny) recites an impromptu speech criticizing the immorality and superficiality of their social circle. This monologue articulates some of the film’s central themes, condemning the emptiness behind the alluring facade of La Dolce Vita.
The film’s most memorable character is the seductive starlet Sylvia (Anita Ekberg) who is visiting Rome. In an iconic sequence, Sylvia and Marcello wander the city at night and end up at the Trevi Fountain, where Sylvia sensually dances and wades through the waters. This justly famous scene cemented the fountain’s status as a quintessential Roman landmark. Sylvia’s uninhibited, free-spirited persona represents the romantic ideal that Marcello seeks but is unable to find in his own world of false glamour.
La Dolce Vita features a sprawling supporting cast including Marcello’s intellectual friend Steiner, his frustrated girlfriend Emma, his overbearing father, and his lover Maddalena (Anouk Aimée), among others. This diverse cast allows Fellini to provide social commentary on subjects ranging from religion and suicide to marital infidelity and prostitution. Stylistically, the film is full of Fellini’s signature flair, including extravagant party scenes and surreal dream sequences, all captured with rich black-and-white cinematography.
Upon its release, La Dolce Vita drew controversy for its sexual content, but also universal acclaim for its artistry. The film won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and was nominated for four Academy Awards, with Fellini taking home the Oscar for Best Costume Design. Marcello Mastroianni’s nuanced lead performance cemented his status as a major star. The film is widely considered Fellini’s masterpiece, exerting enormous influence over subsequent generations of filmmakers.
In the six decades since its premiere, La Dolce Vita remains a landmark of world cinema. Its unflinching satire of Rome’s glitterati is as relevant as ever in exposing the rot beneath decadent and immoral societies. The film captures both the seductive appeal of “the sweet life” and its ultimate hollowness. Fellini’s sprawling portrait of excess and ennui provides a nuanced critique of a self-indulgent culture obsessed with celebrity and hedonism. Though parts of La Dolce Vita now seem a bit over the top, the film’s central themes still ring true. With its lavish party scenes, glimpses of depravity, and cynical take on modern life, La Dolce Vita was one of the definitive cinematic works of its era and continues to rank among the great classics of Italian cinema.
