Review of La Dolce Vita (1960) by Tony P — 25 Feb 2009

"La Dolce Vita" might as well be a photograph of how bleak "the sweet life" really is. Some movies portray fame and fortune in a boring light, where the rich and famous feel imprisoned by their luxuries, but this film casts a more realistic (or neorealistic) luminance on fancy indulgences. "La Dolce Vita" shows that having the ability to get whatever you want whenever you want is actually destructive.

Marcello is a journalist who is in with so many people in the entertainment industry that he himself is a celebrity, and he uses this not just to spread gossip through his work, but to get whatever girl he wants. As the film progresses, we watch a man fade away until there is nothing left but a numb-headed consumer out only for pleasure.

However, the most gut-wrenching aspect of this moral decomposition is what appears to be a glimmer of hope in the middle of the film. It appears that Marcello begins to seek more in life. He begins to wonder about purpose and vanity. Scenes of meaningless jubilance burst around him as his mind dwells on other things. A reunion with his father helps him question family, as does a talk with an rich friend. Marcello is warned by his friend that when life becomes predictable and mathematic, when everything is perfect and you no longer have to strive for anything, that is when you are dead. For some time, it appears that Marcello takes this to heart at least somewhat, but his lust for pleasure drives him down to rock-bottom.

"La Dolce Vita" probably came across as rash, sacriligious, and stupid when it was first released. There are plenty of questionable scenes involving Christianity, particularly the faking of a miracle, but I, for one, do not think director Federico Fellini means harm for religion. In fact, if anything, Fellini shows that the commercialization of religion and the fact that people are growing increasingly apathetic to it are the primary reasons for moral declination. The film opens with a helicopter flying a statue of Jesus to the Pope, but the air of the scene is irreverent and laughable. One character joyfully writes her name on a wall in an old church. The point here is that these scenes of sacreligion are ironic, because the people who need this faith are missing it when it's right under their noses.

There is a lot to discuss in this film, as it was carefully written and filmed. In fact, the only fault one could possibly find in the film is the terrible sound editing. Even the lips of Italians speaking Italian don't match up. But since most audiences will see it with subtitles, hopefully the lips won't be too much of a distraction.

Still, it is a fine film, worthy of many viewings and critical analysis.

Schaffer System: 3.5/4 stars.

Technical Excellence: 1/2 star.

Validity: 1 star.

Worldview: 1 star.

Content/Vehicle Incoorporation: 1 star.