La Dolce Vita
1960 · Movie · NR · 176 min · ★ 8.0 · 96% critics
A tabloid journalist drifts through Rome’s glamorous nightlife, chasing celebrities, scandals, and fleeting romance while feeling pulled toward a more meaningful life and the dream of becoming a serious writer. Told in a series of episodes, the film contrasts glittering parties and public spectacle with private emptiness and uneasy self-reflection.
Also known as The Sweet Life · Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita · Fellini's La Dolce Vita
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Details
- Original title
- La dolce vita
- Years
- 1960
- Release date
- 1960-02-05
- Language
- Italian
- Rated
- NR
- Runtime
- 176 min
- Critic score
- 96/100
- TMDB rating
- 8.0/10 (2,034 votes)
- Box office
- $19,500,000
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you’re up for a lengthy, episodic dive into fame, decadence, and modern emptiness, especially if you like 8½ or Nights of Cabiria; Not for you if you need a tight plot and a likable lead.
Pros: iconic Rome nightlife; striking black-and-white visuals; sharp social critique | Cons: long runtime; episodic, aimless feel; emotionally distant tone
Themes
- dying and death
- sea
- newspaper
- lovesickness
- sunrise
- unsociability
- rome, italy
- photographer
- loss of loved one
- sadness
- night life
- fountain
- +5 more
Awards & recognition
- Academy Award — Best Costume Design, Black-and-White · 1962
- Palme d'Or · 1960
- Academy Award — Best Director · 1962 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Costume Design, Black-and-White · 1962 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Writing, Original Screenplay · 1962 · nominated
Show all 6 awards →
- Academy Award — Best Art Direction, Black and White · nominated
Cast & crew
Marcello Mastroianni
as Marcello Rubini
Anita Ekberg
as Sylvia
Anouk Aimée
as Maddalena
Yvonne Furneaux
as Emma
Magali Noël
as Fanny
Alain Cuny
as Steiner
Annibale Ninchi
as Marcello's father
Walter Santesso
as Paparazzo
Valeria Ciangottini
as Paola
Riccardo Garrone
as Riccardo
Directed by Federico Fellini