La Dolce Vita
Marcelo is a unhappy man. He hates his job as a gossip columnist. He isn’t happy in his current relationship, which causes him to pursue many women over the course of the film. He doesn’t seem satisfied where he is in life. He seems to think he is enjoying the nightlife of Rome. Deep down he knows he wants more.
There is a lot to be said about the life he has chosen. The women all represent an escape. An opportunity. He chases after them because of what they offer. Meanwhile he has a dedicated girlfriend at home he seems to resent but can never leave. Maybe he knows it’s because deep down, he knows he may never find one as dedicated. Maybe he doesn’t think he deserves to.
Speaking of the women, they are all well cast for their parts, and are all absolutely beautiful in this. Each one nails the scenes perfectly.
Marcello meets a friend who represents what he wants. The family, the lifestyle, the intelligence. But upon stating his admiration and desire for it, his friend, Steiner, gives a warning that his life isn’t as perfect as it seems. It is a moment of foreboding, one I won’t spoil, but it’s result will have a profound effect on Marcello and his decisions at the end.
Thematically, it’s well structured. The scenes with the press and crowd frenzied over the Madonna sends a clear message about the seedy side of journalism. It’s treatment of a “miracle” is something to sell the papers, and treated seriously by the press.
In a later scene, one involving a widow who ha don’t yet received the news, is confronted by photographers as the detective and Marcello try to give her the news. It’s almost prophetic.
We even get some idea about why Marcello is the way he is when we meet his father and get some insight on their relationship.
Sure there are some scenes that go on for too long, such as the party on the castle. But it’s necessary to show. In the end, Marcello seems unhappy with his decisions. He behaves badly at a party. Mistreats a young woman who happens to be drunk. And what’s worse, is he seems to recognize this. As he stands at a beach, a “monster fish” has been brought ashore on a net (really a manta ray of some sort). He seems to make eye contact with it and it almost judges him. As if to say, “I’m not the real monster here.”
Marcelo is a unhappy man. He hates his job as a gossip columnist. He isn’t happy in his current relationship, which causes him to pursue many women over the course of the film. He doesn’t seem satisfied where he is in life. He seems to think he is enjoying the nightlife of Rome. Deep down he knows he wants more.
There is a lot to be said about the life he has chosen. The women all represent an escape. An opportunity. He chases after them because of what they offer. Meanwhile he has a dedicated girlfriend at home he seems to resent but can never leave. Maybe he knows it’s because deep down, he knows he may never find one as dedicated. Maybe he doesn’t think he deserves to.
Speaking of the women, they are all well cast for their parts, and are all absolutely beautiful in this. Each one nails the scenes perfectly.
Marcello meets a friend who represents what he wants. The family, the lifestyle, the intelligence. But upon stating his admiration and desire for it, his friend, Steiner, gives a warning that his life isn’t as perfect as it seems. It is a moment of foreboding, one I won’t spoil, but it’s result will have a profound effect on Marcello and his decisions at the end.
Thematically, it’s well structured. The scenes with the press and crowd frenzied over the Madonna sends a clear message about the seedy side of journalism. It’s treatment of a “miracle” is something to sell the papers, and treated seriously by the press.
In a later scene, one involving a widow who ha don’t yet received the news, is confronted by photographers as the detective and Marcello try to give her the news. It’s almost prophetic.
We even get some idea about why Marcello is the way he is when we meet his father and get some insight on their relationship.
Sure there are some scenes that go on for too long, such as the party on the castle. But it’s necessary to show. In the end, Marcello seems unhappy with his decisions. He behaves badly at a party. Mistreats a young woman who happens to be drunk. And what’s worse, is he seems to recognize this. As he stands at a beach, a “monster fish” has been brought ashore on a net (really a manta ray of some sort). He seems to make eye contact with it and it almost judges him. As if to say, “I’m not the real monster here.”