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La dolce vita (1960)
Rate:
5
Viewed:
2/14, 5/25
2/14:
You may notice Anita Ekberg gracing the DVD covers, posters, and trailers of La dolce vita, but
unfortunately, she only appears in the picture for twenty minutes or so.
Thereafter, she's forever gone. That's when the film started to lose me for good because I thought it was
all about her. Anita Ekberg's presence speaks volumes, and it's the most famous performance of her career.
The rest is poetic although it's empty. Yes, I understand how boring and superficial everybody is despite their
wealth. But to watch La dolce vita for three hours long? That's too much. I could only take thirty minutes
in one sitting. But yes...this is the film that birthed the term "paparazzi" because of the character's name
Paparazzo.
All in all, you'll either love or hate La dolce vita, but I'm indifferent and consider it to be another
overrated film by Federico Fellini.
5/25:
I'm dropping my rating from '6' to '5' for La dolce vita.
It's overlong, boring, and devoid of meaning although I acknowledge it as the most famous film to come out of
Italy, putting Federico Fellini on the map. There's no story but an endless free-flowing trip from
one group of rich wastrels to another with several iconic scenes, especially in the Trevi Fountain. Obviously,
they've had too much time on their hands.
All in all, the biggest mistake of La dolce vita is making Anita Ekberg's screen time so short, and the
film was pretty much finito afterwards.