Ciao Bella!

In his 1961 classic La Dolce Vita, Federico Fellini tells the story of gossip columnist Marcello Rubini’s struggle to find meaning in his life of temporary pleasures and unfulfilled work. The nearly-3-hours-long-movie follows Marcello through seven nights and seven dawns in which he ventures through several romances, longs for comfort from his ever-absent father, as well as guidance from his friend and mentor Steiner. In accordance with his preference of visual continuity over story continuity, Fellini presents Marcello’s tale in a unique style that manipulates the audience through unexpected transitions. Moreover, Fellini’s notion of cinema as a human circus manifests itself in numerous cabarets throughout the plot.

Marcello’s quest for meaning in life is filled with blatantly comical moments as well as rather subtle humor. However, in retrospect his journey seems rather tragic. As an unsatisfied tabloid columnist, Marcello finds himself seeking a mentor in life, struggling to write his long-planned book, and coping with numerous women who declare their love but leave him unsatisfied. All of his relationships seem to end in disappointment, be it with his suicidal fiancé, the neurotic movie star Sylvia, his long-lost father, or Steiner, the role-model who proposes a life detached from the world but rich of love. In the end, the Marcello’s high hopes in Steiner lead to his biggest disappointment.

Fellini’s choice of actors could hardly be more suitable as he portrays Mastroianni in his signature role has the Italian anti-hero, as well as Ekberg and Barker, who are basically playing themselves. Ekberg who won the Miss Sweden title and participated in the Miss Universe competition as well Barker, the Tarzan star who moved to Europe after his declining success in the U.S., show a great sense of irony in portraying characters that resemble them in numerous ways. I immediately recalled Barker as Old Shatterhand, my old childhood hero from numerous Winnetou movies.

In comparison to the early Hollywood classics as well as the French pioneers of cinema, Fellini appears to propose a third way of movie-making that incorporates and excludes aspects of both influences. While his polished camera style reminds of the early studio system and Hitchcock perfectionism, his narration style seems to resemble Truffaut’s choice of capturing a segment of life rather than offering a completed story. Yet, Fellini does not surpass the French in his realism as he emphasizes fantastic elements in narration.

Fellini uses a variety of visual and audio effects to play with the audience’s perception. In terms of camera work, Fellini applies both movement and contrast to involve the audience. In numerous shots, i.e. in the church (0:49:39) or at the beach (2:48:39), the camera’s and the characters’ movement is synchronized, facilitating the recipients’ perception of involvement. In terms of contrast, Fellini frequently places shots of strong disparity in sequence, e.g. from a traffic jam to an ancient fountain, from Vatican City to an oriental cabaret, or from a sleeping woman to a landing plane. In terms of audio, Fellini uses a similar technique as the movie’s soundtrack is revealed to be actual music in the scene, i.e. the car radio or the tape recorder in a restaurant. Through these surprising effects, Fellini demonstrates his control over the film as well as the audience.

Similar to the following movie 8½ (1963), La Dolce Vita includes several scenes that reveal Fellini’s notion of cinema as a human circus. As Marcello visits a dance bar with Sylvia, the Swedish diva, the movie suddenly transforms into a musical-like spectacle of collective ecstasy in dance and song. A similar transformation of reality occurs towards the ending of the movie, when a calm cocktail party evolves into a wild orgy. Furthermore, as each character leaves the venue, Marcello reintroduces them similar to the ending of a circus performance. In addition to the reoccurring circus motif, Fellini also reincorporates the themes of film-making and religion. Fellini’s critique becomes apparent during the miracle scene, as two children cause chaos among the crowd by claiming to see the holy Mary while media vultures instigate the event’s culmination.

La Dolce Vita demonstrates Fellini’s unique path as a director as he depicts Marcello’s sorrows in a manner unknown to previous works of cinema. By merging realistic narration with his playful and surprising detours into alternate realities, Fellini creates a refreshingly new class of cinema. In the end, the movie’s underlying tragedy outweighs it light moments of comedy. However, it this bitter sense of tragedy along with its humorous aspects that makes The Sweet Life even more intriguing: molto delizioso!