La Dolce Vita
by Federico Fellini
1960 | Italy, France| M12 | Drama | 2h48

The magnum opus of one of the most popular Italian filmmakers of all time, La Dolce Vita is a portrait of celebrity culture, with a protagonist on the trail of the seductive lifestyle of the rich and glamorous celebrities who, in the midst of the spectacle society era, show off in Rome. The voyeur of this mundane spectacle is Marcello Rubini (Marcello Mastroianni), who, as a gossip journalist, explores the fringes of the spotlight. The film’s authenticity is due in part to Fellini’s “study” of the lives of stars, which took up an entire summer, and also to the autobiographical dimension of Marcello’s character, an evocation of Fellini’s early days in Rome, where he began working as a journalist. Forever remembered for the iconic image of Anita Ekberg in the Trevi Fountain, La Dolce Vita is an ode to the city of Rome, showing us its opulent and vibrant facades and then revealing the progressive decay at its core.

starring Marcello Mastroianni, Anita Ekberg, and Anouk Aimée