La Dolce vita (1960)

Marcello is a young playboy journalist who spends his days between celebrities and rich people, seeking for ephemeral joy in parties and sex... (imdb)
Cast and Information
Directed By: Federico Fellini
Written By: Federico Fellini, Ennio Flaiano, Tullio Pinelli, Brunello Rondi
Starring: Marcello Mastroianni, Anouk Aimée, Riccardo Garrone, Anita Ekberg, Evelyn Stewart, Alain Cuny, Magali Noël, Yvonne Furneaux, Valeria Ciangottini, Walter Santesso, Annibale Ninchi, Audrey McDonald
Genre: Drama
Where to Stream
Loading...


La Dolce vita belongs to 122 collections
1. 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (collaborative: moderated by kozan26 - 234 stars)
2. Criterion Collection (collaborative: moderated by caffe - 167 stars)
3. IMDB Top 250 (collaborative: moderated by ppinocchio - 123 stars)
4. Roger Ebert: Great Movies (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 80 stars)
5. Palme d'Or (collaborative: moderated by mpowell - 79 stars)
6. Existential films (collaborative: moderated by frederic_g54 - 55 stars)
7. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2008 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Scottathon - 39 stars)
8. Empire's 500 Greatest Movies Of All Time (public: Ross - 36 stars)
9. New York Times' The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made (collaborative: moderated by theficionado - 32 stars)
10. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2010 revision) (collaborative: moderated by MMAlpha - 32 stars)
11. The Guardian's 1000 films to see before you die (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 30 stars)
12. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2014 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Jehan - 27 stars)
13. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2012 revision) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 25 stars)
14. IMDb Top 250 Complete (collaborative: moderated by Jorg - 23 stars)
15. Academy Award - Oscar - ALL Best Picture, Directing, Acting & Screenplay Nominees (collaborative - 22 stars)
16. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2017 revision) (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 22 stars)
17. Criterion Collection (Blu-ray) (collaborative: moderated by epiphany - 20 stars)
18. Over 3 Hours Long (collaborative: moderated by djross - 19 stars)
19. They Shoot Pictures' Recommended Viewing (collaborative: moderated by Cinephile - 19 stars)
20. Best of criticker: Drama (collaborative: moderated by avgcrtckr - 18 stars)
21. Cahiers du cinema's 100 Greatest Films (collaborative: moderated by CCLZA - 17 stars)
22. List: Empire's 100 Best Films of World Cinema (collaborative: moderated by KasperL - 17 stars)
23. Edgar Wright 1000 Favorite Movies (Aug 2016) (collaborative: moderated by Aron Ericson - 17 stars)
24. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2013 revision) (collaborative: moderated by rant1229 - 16 stars)
25. FIPRESCI Prize (collaborative: moderated by paulofilmo - 14 stars)
26. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2011 revision) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 14 stars)
27. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2020 revision) (public: djross - 14 stars)
28. Sight and Sound 2012 (collaborative: moderated by DavidB - 13 stars)
29. films101.com's 5 star films (collaborative: moderated by ppinocchio - 11 stars)
30. International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 11 stars)
31. Cinema Discusso Yearly Consensus (2008) (public: PeaceAnarchy - 10 stars)
32. Sight and Sound 2002 (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 9 stars)
33. Anamorphic Cinematography (collaborative: moderated by Bojangles - 7 stars)
34. David Thomson's 1000 Films (collaborative: moderated by MMAlpha - 7 stars)
35. Open or ambiguous ending (collaborative: moderated by juandr - 7 stars)
36. Sight & Sound 2012 Directors' Top 100 Greatest Films of All Time (public: Whyte Nite - 7 stars)
37. List: Taschen (collaborative: moderated by KasperL - 6 stars)
38. Abstruse (collaborative: moderated by dardan - 6 stars)
39. Best by different standards (public: sesito71 - 6 stars)
40. Filmsite.org - Sex in the Movies, An Illustrated History (collaborative: moderated by afx237vi - 5 stars)
41. Top 3000 movies with the most votes on IMDb (public: fanfic - 5 stars)
42. Cats (collaborative: moderated by djross - 4 stars)
43. Cinemag's Best 200 films Ever Created! (collaborative: moderated by hristos - 4 stars)
44. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2007 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Scottathon - 4 stars)
45. IMDb Top of The 1960's (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 4 stars)
46. List: The Essential 100 by TIFF (expert panel) (collaborative: moderated by KasperL - 4 stars)
47. Capsules, guest reviews, list candidates... (366weirdmovies) (collaborative: moderated by sesito71 - 4 stars)
48. Average Percentile >70 (collaborative: moderated by peyrin - 4 stars)
49. The 100 Greatest Films of All Time according to BFI's Sight and Sound (2022 edition) (collaborative: moderated by Dr.N0 - 4 stars)
50. Djross movie of the year (public: djross - 4 stars)
51. Roger Ebert's 102 Films You Must See (public: kevinjoseph - 4 stars)
52. Djross great movies (public: djross - 4 stars)
53. 100 film italiani da salvare (public: ott - 4 stars)
54. Edward Copeland's Ray Memorial 100 (collaborative: moderated by theficionado - 3 stars)
55. TIFF Essential 100 (collaborative: moderated by theficionado - 3 stars)
56. Little to no plot (collaborative: moderated by juandr - 3 stars)
57. The 100 Greatest Films of All Time according to BFI's Sight and Sound (2022 edition, directors) (collaborative: moderated by djross - 3 stars)
58. Djross masterpieces (public: djross - 3 stars)
59. Criterion Collection (Blu-ray and 4K) (public: PepeCamello - 3 stars)
60. Djross film as art (public: djross - 3 stars)
61. filosofici (collaborative: moderated by Rubens - 2 stars)
62. Spike Lee's List Of Essential Films Every Filmmaker Must See (collaborative: moderated by comepelicula - 2 stars)
63. Oscar: Best Costume Design (collaborative - 2 stars)
64. Djross landmarks of cinema (public: djross - 2 stars)
65. Battleship Pretension top 100 (public: snallygaster - 2 stars)
66. Djross feature film of the year (public: djross - 2 stars)
67. John Kobal Presents The Top 100 Movies (collaborative: moderated by CCLZA - 1 star)
68. Martin Scorsese's "My Voyage to Italy" (collaborative: moderated by CCLZA - 1 star)
69. Taschen 100 All-time favorites movies (collaborative: moderated by hristos - 1 star)
70. List: Empire's masterpiece picks (collaborative: moderated by KasperL - 1 star)
71. "Filmmakers: Favorite Film" (collaborative - 1 star)
72. Leonard Maltin: 100 Must-See Films of the 20th Century (collaborative - 1 star)
73. A Year of Essential Cinema (collaborative: moderated by Ibetolis1 - 1 star)
74. Halliwell's Four Star Films (collaborative: moderated by MacSwell - 1 star)
75. Showing on MUBI (UK) (collaborative: moderated by barryegan - 1 star)
76. Italian director (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 1 star)
77. Djross 1960s masterpieces (public: djross - 1 star)
78. movies of the year - Brian (public: JooJoo - 1 star)
79. KAH's movies of the year.. (public: KAH - 1 star)
80. Jodie's Movie of the Year (public: jgreenwood - 1 star)
81. Djross Italian masterpieces (public: djross - 1 star)
82. List: The Essential 100 by TIFF (public: KasperL - 1 star)
83. Cinetheque (public: allegreller - 1 star)
84. IMDb Top 250 (2 years) (public: sianaa - 1 star)
85. The Greatest Movies of All Time - Filmweb's Alternative Top 500 (public: Hadleyreis - 1 star)
86. Rome (collaborative: moderated by Moribunny)
87. Cannes 1960 Official Selection (collaborative: moderated by djross)
88. Antoniennui (collaborative: moderated by edsu)
89. Mubi Europe (collaborative: moderated by Svengali)
90. Nino Rota (composer) (collaborative: moderated by djross)
91. Versátil Home Video (collaborative: moderated by allegreller)
92. watching 2015 (collaborative: moderated by max805)
93. Films that appear on They Shoot Pictures, Don't They?, Cahiers du Cinema and Sight & Sound Directors and Critics' ALL TIME Top 100 Lists (collaborative: moderated by CCLZA)
94. They Shoot Pictures, Don't They?: TOP 100 (collaborative: moderated by CCLZA)
95. Piero Scaruffi's list of great films (collaborative)
96. Foreign films on Divicast (collaborative: moderated by Dunstan-xxx)
97. Movies I Saw in Theaters (public: theficionado)
98. Disappointments (public: shalev)
99. Djross 1960 top ten (public: djross)
100. Nepogledano (public: aney)
101. cinema (public: edsu)
102. 1960: Year in Review (public: polanski28)
103. My DVD Collection (public: balseiros)
104. Filmspotting Ratings Project: Week 12 (public: PeaceAnarchy)
105. Four-Star Movies (Gail Kinn & Jim Piazza) (public: Alex Watkins)
106. Movies to See: Drama (public: Lord Moe)
107. My Criterions (public: Matthew Parkinson)
108. Bakış Büyüteci (public: Ozancan)
109. Jodie's Feature Film of the Year (public: jgreenwood)
110. KENDELL'S MASSIVE LIST (public: kendell)
111. Djross Italian feature films I've seen (public: djross)
112. Tom's Movies (public: tomwalsh)
113. 5x10 Project 2 (public: kendell)
114. Sight and Sound 2012 - Combined List - Part I (public: Ariaz)
115. seen (public: gamzeknc)
116. history of film (public: hyrras)
117. La Fémis 208 films (public: chengming)
118. Djross non-English-language feature film of the year (public: djross)
119. C-1960 (public: cantahta)
120. Olivier Assayas's Top 10 Criterion Collection Films (public: TychoCelchuu)
121. My ratings (public: tpbradbury)
122. Djross the 100 films that define my taste (public: djross)
Browse the full list of collections
Stars | User | Rating | |
7 | ![]() |
Alex Watkins | 4 70th |
For a movie named "The Sweet Life," Marcello's life certainly doesn't seem enviable. Sure, it's glamorous, but there's no comfort to be had in it, other than on a surface level. By the end of the movie his character seems utterly weary and worn down. The movie is nothing more than a series of events in his life showcasing this superficial glamour, but it works, mainly because of Fellini's incredible grasp of style and his penchant for indulgence. The cinematography is stunning.
|
|||
5 | ![]() |
MartinTeller | 72 41st |
Something like L'Avventura but with more stuff going on. And yet, for all the "stuff" happening in Dolce, it all seems almost as empty as the lifestyle it's commenting on. Maybe there's too much in this film, bopping around from one scenario to the next without exploring any of them deeply enough.
|
|||
5 | ![]() |
eveelun | 74 55th |
People accuse Fellini of being indulgent and excessive - it's true, of course, but isn't that his point? Anyway, while it's wonderfully filmed with some clever and striking scenes peppered throughout, it didn't impress me all that much. None of the films many observations struck me as particularly profound and 8 1/2, at least for me, had better and more memorable images. Though for quite a long film it manages to be pretty entertaining and occasionally quite captivating.
|
|||
5 | ![]() |
KasperL | 80 86th |
Is the title ironic? That depends, I guess, on your view on the decadent society very successfully depicted here. Fellini compellingly suggests that these over-privileged people, somehow trapped by their own excesses, lead empty and messy lives. Fittingly, it's a somewhat messy narrative. The length of the running time is a bit indulgent. And why couldn't those Italians just record the sound on-set, huh? Dubbing should be a capital offence.
|
|||
4 | ![]() |
Pickpocket | 9 93rd |
So ambitious, so daring, so unique. If a movie could have balls this one would have a pretty large pair.
|
|||
4 | ![]() |
Derekstar | 60 36th |
I've given this two complete watches, and it still never clicked for me. Don't get me wrong, there are moments of profundity and brilliance in this film, but they are interspersed between long periods where nothing much interesting happens. Yes, some of the episodes are simply not interesting. In my view, this film could easily be half the length and twice as good. I'm not hating on long films, but in this case Fellini's sharp, powerful message gets diluted after too many monotonous scenes.
|
|||
4 | ![]() |
frederic_g54 | 9 90th |
(2nd viewing) A film showcasing glitz and glamour, this is indeed "The Sweet Life". The ending perfectly mirrors the extravagant decadence of its shallow characters, the latter not necessarily working in the film's advantage, as spending 3 hours with them becomes a drag. Luckily, Fellini infuses his film with great dialogue, memorable images and moments of beautifully profound humanism . Quite unique indeed, recommended !
|
|||
4 | ![]() |
Noblet | 56 31st |
I just thought this was a chore to get through. I felt that while trying to show how empty and sad all of these rich people's lives are, the film itself gets bogged down in all these boring, pointless scenarios. There are a few interesting moments throughout Marcello's journey, and the cinematography and lighting is superb - but I thought this was just a pretty mess.
|
|||
3 | ![]() |
PeaceAnarchy | 74 40th |
A beautiful shallow film about beautiful shallow people. There are some great images, some good acting and some entertaining moments, but ultimately no one in the film is likeable at all. The whole film is supposed to be about Marcello's internal stuggles, trying to chose between virtue and decadence, but as much as this is brought up it really doesn't ring true. Marcello just wasn't very likeable and it made the whole thing feel rather pointless.
|
|||
3 | ![]() |
Bojangles | 45 29th |
That stupid look on his face at the end pretty well makes it worth watching, but, holy shit did it meander getting there. It seemed like Fellini prepared a few well thought-out moments, and then just pointed the camera at stuff the rest of the time.
|
|||
3 | ![]() |
TedDedon | 93 90th |
La Dolce Vita is a very interesting, captivating, and marvelous movie that has very fun characters, a lot of style, and a way of progressing a rather nonexistent plot in a way that still keeps you entertained. Fellini is surely a master of incorporating decadence and style into each scene, and in my opinion, this is the movie that showcases that best.
|
|||
3 | ![]() |
KAH | 5 98th |
Existentialism perfected. The corruption of the individual and the search for meaning in a shallow and meaningless society, depicted carefully without ever roaring out the message or being melodramatic and overtly gloomy. The ending is one of the all time greats.
|
|||
3 | ![]() |
Shellish | 95 98th |
Every time you watch this movie, you'll love it more. Flawless.
|
|||
2 | ![]() |
CCLZA | 85 89th |
Each scene is a unique piece of art. Fellini's most famous film doesn't dissapoint.
|
|||
2 | ![]() |
Moribunny | 90 97th |
Reminds me of Thai cuisine, where the purpose is to perfectly balance every flavor of the palate in each dish. Each scene is such a dish, involving the perfect amount of music and silence, stasis and motion, thought and emotion, humor and horror, realism and symbolism. You can't simply judge this film in terms of plot progression. Fellini has made better films before it, but La Dolca Vita is his breakthrough in personal vision. Its idiosyncratic aesthetic is present in all his subsequent works.
|
|||
2 | ![]() |
Anomaly | 76 63rd |
There are some powerful and riveting scenes in here - such as the climactic party - but ultimately I'm more in love with the concept of the film than I am with the film itself. It sometimes looses its hypnotic nature, and the 3-hour run time is a bit much. Still an entertaining film with some great messages and Fellini sure is bold, but it doesn't all work.
|
|||
2 | ![]() |
gadaboutguy | 67 50th |
For a movie I like in concept, I don't particularly enjoy watching this.
|
|||
2 | ![]() |
Luna6ix | 65 23rd |
Clocking in at over two and half hours, I kind of assumed this movie would be a little more eventful, and having seen so many other people saying so many good things, that idea looked pretty solid. For the life of me, though, I could not get into this movie, I mean if you've seen one party scene, you've seen them all, and that's about three-quarters of this movie.
|
|||
2 | ![]() |
jeff_v | 86 96th |
There is substantial meaning in Mastroianni's seven-day journey through the "sweet life" of Rome. It is no less than a search for meaning in life. Mastroianni learns it is not to be found in his idol Steiner, whose intellectual pretension masks the same fears he has. The film leaves itself open to interpretation. Does it expose the hollow core of idealism, or merely reflect a world we already know? The sweet life is an illusion, but the journey to attain it is very real.
|
|||
2 | bob thrillin | 70 46th |
|
Overlong, overstuffed, and overrated. That's Fellini for you.
|
|||
2 | ![]() |
90sCoffee | 70 32nd |
Other reviewers seem to be going through mental gymnastics to justify why it's a good film when it's a stylishly boring affair. True the topics are good but you already know all of them and it isn't worth 3 hours of your time just for the cinematography. Tedious from the conversations to the 'parties'. You need more of a plot if you try to make a movie about a man bored with life but this just covers its lack of substance with style.
|
|||
2 | ![]() |
NathanBates | 60 34th |
Fellini lived in a completely different world than I do -- I will never have gorgeous women draped on each arm, and a life spent carousing at night while barely working. So I find it challenging to connect with his decadent characters, all of whom seemed bored or depressed with their empty lives. While Fellini brings up interesting ideas (and some beautiful cinematography), at three hours, I'd rather find something else to do.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
Boobjuice | 85 87th |
Lovely.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
miss jesus | 43 25th |
Slow, empty, and frustrating. Despite the main character's glamorous life, he's apparently only fulfilled while in the bedroom, where the camera can't go. I'm left following this guy around and feeling as annoyed and aimless as he does. If that was the point, then well done, but this still wasn't very enjoyable and it was far, far too long.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
hehejaja | 90 91st |
Grief-stricken existentialism from a master of the medium. Magical.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
somnivore | 90 80th |
I probably don't understand much of it, but it's definitely a thought provoking, well composed image of various lifestyles.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
moraesfelipe | 75 80th |
It might be called self-indulgent -- and I think it really is --, but it's like a Fellini's living dream: a journalist falling in love with rich women lots of times, drinking, smoking, meeting strangers, giving order to his photographers -- and later being the target of the their lens -- and, in some cases, facing what could be a real miracle -- some sort of return to reality through religion -- and one of his friends turned a suicide criminal. A cinema obsessed with sin and sanctity.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
inhmn | 99 92nd |
again and again and again - movie with no time and space - a pure bohemian rhapsody ! http://www.trailerfan.com/movie/la_dolce_vita/posters/209451 <<< eyecandy
|
|||
1 | marc01 | 96 91st |
|
Just beautiful.
|
|||
1 | nunstrangler | 100 95th |
|
A surreal, comic tableaux with award-winning costuming.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
Bown | 91 94th |
La Dolce film
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
redacted | 98 99th |
Perhaps the finest allegory in film. Marcello, shadows the eternal diva through Rome to within an inch of her lips yet leaves with a hook to the gut. This is followed by the people of Rome chasing the Madonna through the fervor of belief and childish giggles. Fellini takes us tantalizingly close to both women leaving us expectant that each will submit to the will of their followers but we are left with Fellini's own divine doubts to mull over and in turn his detachment from a life of lost cause.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
mattorama12 | 77 82nd |
[SPOILERS] I kept expecting Marcello to learn something about himself that seemed so obvious to the audience. The final scene was a real kick when you realize that it's not in the cards for him.
|
|||
1 | ![]() |
lex | 100 98th |
La Dolce Vita is a film worth as much as you put into it. On the surface it's a series of social interactions mostly by hollow people living hollow lives with surreal touches, but what it mainly boils down to is the dissolution of Marcello's soul in its frequent distraction to an alluring way of life that is full of meaningless noise and sights. The stretching length actually works to its advantage I find, as by the end we feel just as exhausted by the constant excess as Marcello.
|
Average Percentile 72.51% from 2648 Ratings | ![]() |