A Classic That Fails To Be Sweet (And Succeeds By Doing So)

 

La Dolce Vita (The Sweet Life) (1960) – A tabloid journalist covers
the hedonism of Rome’s elite and becomes a part of it. Slowly
drawn deeper into the depths, he faces the choice of where his life
will go.

Directed by Federico Fellini                                Starring- Marcello
Mastroianni, Anita Ekberg

Why I Liked It – (?), Long, grim and filled
with unlikable characters, Fellini realizes his story with
brilliance.

So, here I go again. “La Dolce Vita” appears
on lists of “The Greatest Films of All Time” with the regularity
of a heartbeat. It was the highest grossing foreign language film in
the United States at the time. Written and directed by one of the
acknowledged giants of 20th century film, Federico Fellini, it is
bold, sweeping and more than a little naughty for its time. And the
main body of film criticism since its debut has agreed it is a
classic.

And I can’t tell you I liked it.

I do not deny any of the items listed before.
Fellini does wonderful things on the screen. This is another movie
that would benefit from being on the big screen. There are panoramic
shots of post-war Italy, especially around Rome, that deserve all the
screen space they can get. And Fellini gets every ounce out of all that
scenery. It’s core is the shallowness of
the sweet life. The portrayal of debauchery at the end made me
uncomfortable, even by the different standards of the early 21st
century.

None of it changes the fact that I never warmed to
this movie. It is not one I would choose to watch again.

The reason for that is simple, like “Breakfast
at Tiffany’s”, there is not a single likeable character in the
entire film. There are dozens of characters spread through the almost
three hours of the movie. No, let me amend that. There is one. A tiny
role, that of a young girl who works at a restaurant. Her name is
Paola. She’s on the screen for less than ten minutes total. The
only reason I include her is that the character plays an important
role before the movie ends. But everyone else? They range from rather
sleazy to repellent. They lack interest in anything other than the
immediate gratification of their basic urges. Despite being rich,
famous, and beautiful, they are unhappy. They treat themselves and
everyone around them like disposable trash.

And yes, I understand that this is the point of
the movie. Fellini was reacting to a scandal among the decaying
remnants of Italian aristocracy. It centered on drug fueled depravity
that may have resulted in the death of a young woman. (The case
remains unsolved to this day). He leaves no doubt about the echoing
emptiness of their lives that drives them to destroy themselves. As
you would expect from an icon, he is masterful in the attempt. The
story centers on the life of a tabloid journalist (Mastroianni)
caught up in the lifestyle of the rich and famous. He feels torn
between this life and the one he dreams of as a serious author. That
side of his life includes his beautiful, but dependent and depressed,
fiancee. The question of which life he will choose carries on to the
last minute. The director leaves no question of what that decision
is.

None of which changes the fact that, with a single
exception, these are unpleasant, self-centered, destructive people.
Add in the fact of the interminable running time, and the movie was a
bit of an ordeal. So, did I enjoy “La Dolce Vita”? I can’t say
that I did. There is admiration for the things done well. But, it’s
not a movie I will press on you, saying “You have to see this
movie!” For film students and experts, it is a “must see”. For
the rest of us? Consider yourself warned.

Rating – *** Worth A Look