Abstract
IIn 1960, Italy was a country in rapid cultural transition. Nowhere was this cultural current, this ebb of conservative Italian virtue and flow of flashy Italian consumerism, more evident than in Italy's age-old seat of power: Rome. During this time, famed director Federico Fellini undertook to enlist the elements of high-modernism and auteurism in the creation of a work of art that would capture something of the new culture rising in Rome. The result was the now canonical film <em>La Dolce Vita. </em>Infamous for its sensuality, but eminent for its masterly artistic story-telling, fifty years have seen the value of Fellini's film for film critics and historians alike increase substantially. Here, that value will be assessed by an analysis of the film's reception at the time of its release, followed by a close look at the film itself. An exploration of how <em>La Dolce Vita</em> simultaneously captures and criticizes the period of its production demonstrates this work of art's invaluable status as a historical artifact.
Highlights
As Federico Fellini'sinfamousfilm La Dolce Vita begins, ahelicopter suspends a statue ofChrist as i t flies over t h e city o f Rome, The helicopter, a man-made marvel, passes a n ancient Roman aqueduct as i t nears historic St
While intending tomakea very different type o f film after his previous film, Nights of Cahiria, he came to "realize thattheRomehehad intended to depict had been replaced by another city, more brashandcosmopolitan . " 1 Instead, Fellinimade the can onical film, La Dolce Vita, o f equal value to film critics and historians alike
Reflecting o n the decade i n film, The New York Times hailed La Dolce Vita as "one o f the most widely seen and acclaimed European moviesofthe 1 9 6 0 s . " 6 Thepublic ' sclamor to see t h e film was accompanied by ovations from a majority of promin e n t critics i n Italy andthe rest o f Europe
Summary
IN 1960, ITALY WAS A COUNTRY IN RAPID CULTURAL TRANSITION. NOWHERE WAS T H I S CULTURAL CURRENT, THIS EBB OF CONSERVATIVE ITALIAN VIRTUE AND FLOW OF FLASHY ITALIAN CONSUMERISM, MORE EVIDENT THAN IN ITALY'S AGE-OLD SEAT OF POWER: ROME. With this powerful visual, Fellini immediately alerts the viewer to the distinction between the old Rome— the Rome of ancient structures, monuments, and churches—and the new, modern Rome. The events that follow form seven distinct episodes o f action that are loosely threaded together Throughout all his adventures, Marcello's dreams, fantasies, and nightmares mirror the hedonism o f his waking life. W h e n the film was released inAmerica the following year, the film again received praise f r o m critics w i t h some minor exceptions, amongwhich was a notable review i n Time magazine : "For all its vitality, the film is decadent, a n artistic failure , " 8 a n d " " worstof all, La Dolce Vita fails to attract t h e moviegoer as m u c h as i t repulses h i m , fails toinspirehis sympathies as w e l l as hisdisgust . W h e n the film was released inAmerica the following year, the film again received praise f r o m critics w i t h some minor exceptions, amongwhich was a notable review i n Time magazine : "For all its vitality, the film is decadent, a n artistic failure , " 8 a n d " " worstof all, La Dolce Vita fails to attract t h e moviegoer as m u c h as i t repulses h i m , fails toinspirehis sympathies as w e l l as hisdisgust . " 9 M o s t critics, though , l i k e Bosley Crowther , awriter for The New York Times, concludedthat the film " proved to deserve all t h e hurrahs and the impressive honors it has received." Inhis review, Crowtherwritesthatthe film is a n "awesome picture, licentious i n content but moral and vastly sophisticated i n its attitudeandwhatit says." La Dolce Vita was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Director—winning for Best Costume Design: Black-andWhite—and received a New York Film Critics Circle award for Best Foreign Film
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