This movie is about a Roman journalist at the crossroads of his life but unable to move forward in any meaningful direction. He is a man trapped in his life of superficiality.

Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita is a very aesthetically beautiful film. The widescreen compositions are often outstanding. The crisp black and white photography is lit to perfection and a joy to behold. One of the factors that makes Italian cinema in general so appealing for me is the gorgeous natural light of that country, allied with the stylish decor and architecture; and in this film these elements are well in abundance. If nothing else, La Dolce Vita is a treat to the eyes. Style over substance is a term that could certainly also be applied to the denizens of LDV's Rome. We are introduced to an array of beautiful but shallow character's; from Marcello Mastroianni's gossip journalist, via Anita Ekberg's international film star or Nico's fashion model, everyone is beautiful on the surface but somewhat dead underneath. And perhaps this is a problem with the film in general; a three hour expose of shallow people is an exhausting experience.

The film is not plot-driven. It's episodic, divided into seven days in the life of a Roman gossip columnist. It's not always obvious what the point of certain events actually is. I found myself spending quite a lot of energy actually trying to actively understand the meaning of Marcello's experiences, and not always successfully I concede. But suffice to say that a very general reading of the film's message would be that it is about the superficiality of celebrity and the emptiness of much of modern urban life. And while a lot of it is still very relevant today – in particular the public's obsession with celebrity – it's not always clear what Fellini is trying to say. It's quite an obtuse film, with a fair amount of symbolic imagery and loaded dialogue. It's certainly serious cinema. Although I often found myself enjoying it most when it was less intellectual and more sensual, such as the wonderful iconic scene where Anita Ekberg takes a dip in the Fontana di Trevi. This justifiably famous sequence is the most purely cinematic moment in La Dolce Vita and, in my opinion, the film could have benefited from more scenes of such striking power punctuated through its three hour running time.

Overall, although I do admire this film, I find it too tiring and drawn out to love. It's very well acted and photographed, it's just a little unengaging and occasionally tedious. That said, it's one to seek out if you are at all interested in 60's New Wave cinema.

Okay, get ready and hold onto your hats folks, as I was NOT 100% enthralled with this film and think it's a bit overrated. Yes, this of course if the signal that you should NOT read any more but simply mark my review as "not helpful" because my opinion differs from the norm. I actually get this a lot if I buck popular wisdom but shouldn't a review try to say something different other than "I agree with you and everyone else"? Now don't misunderstand me--I did NOT dislike the film nor do I say it was poorly made. But the film's messages about fame and the pointlessness of life got rather tiresome to me after a while. Plus, while at first the film seems to say that certain lifestyles or types of people are hollow and banal, the final message of the overall film seems to be ALL life is pointless. I really enjoyed the scenes with Anita Ekberg--they remind me of the pointless adulation of celebrity today (such as Anna Nicole Smith) but after a while it seemed that Fellini was pretty much lampooning and condemning everything and leaving the viewer with the possible conclusion that life is meaningless so you may as well become an idiot (like Marcello had become by the end of the film). In many ways, though the movie is often upbeat and trivial, the meta-message is much more depressing and cold than that many Bergman films. I at least liked to have seen SOME spark of hope or at least a movie that didn't go on for so long that it left me a bit depressed.

Overall, not a bad film at all, but there are many Fellini films I prefer, such as WHITE SHEIK, LA STRADA and AMARCORD.

This was a movie that I didn't see until recently. After seeing it, I am kicking myself for not having seen it earlier. It is a simply wonderful film, and one of the best movies of the 60s. It is a scathing satire on the decadence of contemporary Italy and the hypocrisy of the Catholic Church, and Fellini's reputation for flamboyant and controversial imagery and subject matter can be seen in full flight here. In no way is that a bad thing, I loved the subject matter La Dolce Vita took and it dealt with it in a superb way. It may be a scathing satire, but it is also a surprisingly mature and poignant film as well.

While over two and a half hours long, La Dolce Vita is never dull, or at least not to me, because everything is so well done the film just engrosses you. The script is truly excellent and easy to understand and the story is a brilliantly written(if episodic) one too with some wonderfully constructed scenes-loved the musical sequence best of all, and the encounter with Anita Ekberg in Rome's Trevi Fountain is unforgettable. Fellini's direction is outstanding and one of the main reasons why La Dolce Vita is as good as it is.

From a visual stand point, La Dolce Vita cannot be faulted either. The cinematography is simply gorgeous as are the immaculate production values. In fact, I don't know about anyone else but this is one of the most visually beautiful films I have seen in a while now. Nina Rota's score is one of his best, it is very beautiful and memorable. The acting I found little to fault either. Marcello Mastroianni is absolutely wonderful playing a wholly credible if somewhat unsympathetic character, and all the acting and characterisations are on par too.

All in all, this film is a masterpiece and for those who haven't seen it already, I recommend it highly. 10/10 Bethany Cox