733 La dolce vita

[Aspect]

I'm so beyond excited for this release. I love every frame of La Dolce Vita and every note in its ebullient and, at times, melancholy score. I can see why some would consider it a period-piece of a particular time in Rome's history (and I don't see the problem with that - the atmosphere and details of a time gone by are huge points in the film's favor IMO), but that's ignoring many of Fellini's weighty thematic concerns, which are just as timely as ever. Fellini's grand comic view of the world isn't one-sided. His films abound in contradictions that illustrate the essential meaningless of modern life without sacrificing warmth and humor.

Take the famous opening scene for example. Marcello and Paparazzo fly over the rooftops of Rome in a helicopter that carries a large statue of Jesus Christ with his arms outstretched. They're spotted by a bevy of sunbathing beauties who stand up to wave and ask them where they're taking the statue. Marcello, over the noise of the propeller, manages to convey that they're bringing the statue to the pope. Then he asks for their phone numbers, which they reprovingly deny him. He shrugs and tells the pilot to continue on.

This comic vignette (which the film is chock-full of) provides the viewer with a picture (rather than an explanation) of a society and culture in transition. Does religion matter anymore in a media-infused environment that treats celebrities as royalty and move-stars as gods (even in a city as religious as Rome)? Has the Vatican become just another show venue (as Fellini would later explore in his ecclesiastical fashion show in Roma)? After all, Marcello is the 1960 equivalent of a TMZ reporter. Fellini, in his artistic wisdom, doesn't answer that question. He merely poses it in a visual fashion and leaves interpretation up to the viewer. One could argue that he's saying that religion is a joke in such an environment. Or that maybe the shallow people who inhabit it could use something else in their lives, even if it's not religion, to fill the empty void they carry within them. Which leads to another Fellini concern - the pursuit of art (Marcello's an aspiring writer).

Marcello is cynical about the Via Veneto and the characters that inhabit it, but he still has idealistic artistic ambitions that are represented by the intellectual, Steiner. Steiner, however, rebukes emotion and feeling in art and prefers more sterile expressions, such as a recording of nature sounds as opposed to the real thing. I won't spoil the ending of Steiner's story, but it leaves Marcello feeling disillusioned and, possibly, without writing dreams. Fellini is skeptical of overly intellectual pursuits and doesn't see art as one-sided, it should be both intellectual and emotional (human).

While La Dolce Vita seems to be a work of disillusionment, it is one of the most lively and festive cinematic confections ever devised. Fellini, in his magnanimous wisdom, both celebrates and criticizes his enormous cast of characters. He never judges unfairly. He sees himself in many of them, their weaknesses and strengths, and presents them at their most vital. Like any great artist, and Fellini most certainly was, he doesn't condemn any of them to the waste-bin of history. Especially Marcello. Oh, what will happen to our lost hero? Fellini reached a creative dead-end after La Dolce Vita, just like his main character. Who doesn't after creating a colossal masterpiece? I think 8 1/2 was his solution. For Fellini, creativity was religion, and the epiphany at the end of 8 1/2, of immense value for anyone who aspires to be an artist, is a celebration of art for art's sake, of creativity as the ultimate human expression. It's what kept him going as a filmmaker for the next 30 years, and partly explains his wacky, yet equally brilliant, later output. I like to think Marcello, maybe a year after the end of La Dolce Vita, took a good look around him, saw past the facade, and wrote his book. Kind of like Jep in The Great Beauty, a movie that sort of combines the cynicism of La Dolce Vita with the creative victory of 8 1/2.

Anyway, this is much longer than I meant it to be. I think the movie's just wonderful. While Fellini captured a certain moment in time (a changing Rome in 1960), the nascent societal characteristics on display haven't gone anywhere. La Dolce Vita still matters, maybe more than ever.

[Mr Sausage]

Tedious other discussion moved here.

[Michael]

I am surprised by the mostly lukewarm reaction here. This is the first time I said Holy Shit when I heard the news since the announcement for Nashville. La Dolce Vita and Criterion...come on now. A landmark film, one of the most essential films in the history of cinema, being welcomed by Criterion is a celebration. It's not even my favorite Fellini.

[Luke M]

I am surprised by the mostly lukewarm reaction here. This is the first time I said Holy Shit when I heard the news since the announcement for Nashville. La Dolce Vita and Criterion...come on now.

I am too. I think it's a huge deal. Since moving into a tiny NYC apartment about a year ago, I've actually held off buying Criterions but La dolce vita will be a pre-order title.

I think, and this is just my limited view because I haven't been following blu-ray sites much as of lately, that blu-ray releases overall appear not to generate the same excitement as they once did even a year ago. It seems to me that blu-rays are entering(have entered?) an almost laserdisc era where it's great for the collectors but the populous is glued to another medium-streaming. Maybe I've jumped the gun but I like to think the tepid reaction of Criterion releasing La dolce vita is not for the film itself but because of the current state of blu-rays.

[criterionsnob]

Beaver

[Lowry_Sam]

I am surprised by the mostly lukewarm reaction here.

I've been holding off commenting because this is my favorite film of all time. It's also been one of the most requested titles on Criterion's Facebook page, so the announcement itself wasn't really a surprise (given Criterion's past relationship with Paramount) and I've been expecting the release (it's also a companion piece to 8 1/2 ever since the lawsuit was settled. For me the issue is that it's coming out on a single disc. If there was ever a release that deserves a 2-disc, special edition treatment, this is it. Also a bit disappointed this got released after the switch over to single format. If there's one release I would have wanted on both formats, this is it. But, after the blowback over my kvetching that Marketa Lazarova (another 3 hour film w/ all the extras shoved on to one disc), I just thought I'd hold off complaining before it was released.

Beaver
Video Bitrate: 22.00 Mbps

Too bad the Criterion is the only blu-ray reviewed, it would have been nice to see how the image stacks up against the other blu-ray releases.

[tenia]

It's certainly the same source than the French or the Italian BD. But then, maybe Criterion has slightly adjusted the contrast (as usual) for their release.

I don't recall the bitrate being much higher on the French BD.

[Koukol]

The screen-caps look stunning on my laptop

[Lowry_Sam]

The screen-caps look stunning on my laptop

My guess is that it'll probably be like Nashville, while not as high a bit rate as other releases, no discernable difference from any of the other available releases. I will still pick it up, but can't say I'm not a bit disappoiinted that this release isn't filled to the gills with excellent supplements (on a 2nd disc) - no commentary, no thing from Paolo Sorrentino, nothing from the 1960s, only Fellini extra is an audio interview...

[hearthesilence]

Familiarity and evolving tastes have dulled its appeal just a little bit - I lean strongly towards 8 1/2 and I Vitelloni as my two favorite Fellini films - but I was glad to see this, especially after all the lawsuits and ownership disputes over the past decade.

It was one of my favorites in high school and the first Fellini film that really engaged me - I remember it being cited as one of Roger Ebert's absolute favorites, and that prompted me to check it out. While it was out-of-print, it seemed like it was frequently screened in 35mm around NY, so I've seen it at least four, maybe five times in the past six years.

[Koukol]

The screen-caps look stunning on my laptop

...no discernable difference from any of the other available releases....

Then you're not seeing what I'm seeing.

Not only is the contrast better but there's more detail and more info on every side of Criterion's frame.

[Lemmy Caution]

I consider myself a Fellini fan.
Think 8.5 and I Vitelloni are masterpieces.
But actively dislike La Dolce Vita.
Find it a real chore to try to sit through.

Interesting to see that LDV is rather polarizing here.

[hearthesilence]

Dave Kehr has always been down on it. His archival review from his time at the Chicago Reader (1974-1985):

The film was hugely successful and widely praised in its time, though it's really nothing more than the old C.B. De Mille formula of titillation and moralizing—Roman orgies and Christian martyrs—with only a fraction of De Mille's showmanship. With Anita Ekberg as the Flesh (too much) and Anouk Aimee as the Spirit (too little).

[Zot!]

That Reader blurb has continued to run ever since when LDV has a revival screening in town. I love the film and besides all the magnificent spectacle, the argument that it's too decadent seems um...obvious? Mastroianni's descent is the counterpoint to the organist friend

SpoilerShow

who fucking kills his entire family because of the evils of humanity

. Also yeah, if the decadence wasn't attractive, it wouldn't make any sense. Besides being a feast for the senses, the themes here are pretty nicely laid out, and Fellini doesn't make it obvious, or hyper-critical It's his milieu after all, and he's filled with self-loathing.

[Dylan]

It's not just Dave Kehr, there were a few major critics at the time that didn't like La Dolce Vita: Andrew Sarris, Pauline Kael, John Simon. I also seem to remember that the Cahiers crowd also didn't think much of it.

The blu looks amazing from the screen captures...

[FrauBlucher]

It's his milieu after all, and he's filled with self-loathing.

He pretty much spent his lifetime in a self loathing mode. If you read I, Fellini by charlotte Chandler, it's all there for everyone to see.

[Zot!]

It's his milieu after all, and he's filled with self-loathing.

He pretty much spent his lifetime in a self loathing mode. If you read I, Fellini by charlotte Chandler, it's all there for everyone to see.

I think that's one of the remarkable things about him. Usually artists with such a vivid imagination tend to be self-assured or defensive (Godard, Tarkovsky, Salavador Dali), but Fellini was constantly trying to question the value of his own philosophy and talent. I think both he and Bergman made a real effort to examine themselves as artists and people, which is something that I appreciate, and I believe added a lot of humility and humanity to otherwise very strong perspectives and bold ideas.

[FrauBlucher]

One of the things he constantly beat himself up about was his own perception of how he treated his wife, Giulietta Masina. Which is very obvious in his films when it comes to the female characters, particularly the women who are married to the protagonists or if they are the protagonists themseleves, as in Juliet of the Spirits.

I really can't wait to see La dolce vita again, and in 1080p will be the sweet life.

[The Narrator Returns]

Blu-ray.com

[aox]

Stunning BD

I noticed something odd I hadn't seen before. When Marcelo and Maddalena pull up the prostitute's apartment block early in the film to have sex, there is a shot from the shadows from behind the car. In this shot you can see what I guess can be best described as a gas hose coming from the gas tank and dragging almost eight feet behind the car. Apparently, this is common at gas stations for people to drive off forgetting they hadn't returned the hose to the pump. Then, it rips off the pump and drags behind the car. Could there have been a deleted scene here? Doesn't seem like a gag Fellini would even indulge in.

[Roger Ryan]

...I noticed something odd I hadn't seen before. When Marcelo and Maddalena pull up the prostitute's apartment block early in the film to have sex, there is a shot from the shadows from behind the car. In this shot you can see what I guess can be best described as a gas hose coming from the gas tank and dragging almost eight feet behind the car. Apparently, this is common at gas stations for people to drive off forgetting they hadn't returned the hose to the pump. Then, it rips off the pump and drags behind the car. Could there have been a deleted scene here? Doesn't seem like a gag Fellini would even indulge in.

The shot in question begins at the 14 minute mark in this video. I believe it is an electrical cord supplying power to a light hidden in the vehicle which helps illuminate the actors (the light seems to be placed at the right of the rear seat). They must have thought the figures in the car weren't defined enough without the light. Normally, the effect would be accomplished using a battery-powered light, but the gaffers apparently didn't have one available.

By the way, in total agreement over the beauty of the BD. My appreciation of this film has grown considerably over the past few years and I only wish there was a scholarly commentary track on this new edition. As it is, I find the kogonada visual essay to be very haunting.

[jsteffe]

The effort they put into this restoration paid off; the Blu-ray looks absolutely gorgeous, as others here have noted. They clearly put a lot of effort into the grading stage.

I received the Blu-ray of L'AVVENTURA at the same time and thought it looked slightly weaker than LA DOLCE VITA at first glance. Mainly, I wondered whether digital clean-up tools hadn't been applied just a touch to heavily on that film compared to LA DOLCE VITA. But I watched the Blu-ray under better conditions again and I'm happy with it as well.

[aox]

...I noticed something odd I hadn't seen before. When Marcelo and Maddalena pull up the prostitute's apartment block early in the film to have sex, there is a shot from the shadows from behind the car. In this shot you can see what I guess can be best described as a gas hose coming from the gas tank and dragging almost eight feet behind the car. Apparently, this is common at gas stations for people to drive off forgetting they hadn't returned the hose to the pump. Then, it rips off the pump and drags behind the car. Could there have been a deleted scene here? Doesn't seem like a gag Fellini would even indulge in.

The shot in question begins at the 14 minute mark in this video. I believe it is an electrical cord supplying power to a light hidden in the vehicle which helps illuminate the actors (the light seems to be placed at the right of the rear seat). They must have thought the figures in the car weren't defined enough without the light. Normally, the effect would be accomplished using a battery-powered light, but the gaffers apparently didn't have one available.

Thanks for your insight. It was so odd to me, but that makes so much more sense now.

By the way, in total agreement over the beauty of the BD. My appreciation of this film has grown considerably over the past few years and I only wish there was a scholarly commentary track on this new edition. As it is, I find the kogonada visual essay to be very haunting.

Agreed. I really wish this had a scholarly commentary. I listened to the Youngblood commentary once again on the new L'avventura BD and was reminded once again how fantastic a good commentary can be.

[domino harvey]

New visual essay by : : kogonada

I should have added another category to the Criterion Forum Awards: Worst Supplement. Wow. I have not watched any of the other "essays" he's done for the label or elsewhere, but this is some excruciating stretching of one minute of material to fit a ten minute extra, with extemporaneous equivalencies and an inflated sense of self-importance and "insight" so obvious to anyone who knows how to watch a film that I felt some real second-hand embarrassment. Is it possible anyone, ever, in the history of movie-watching, missed the "POV break" during Steiner's party? So why belabor the point with at least a half dozen replays as the Kranky label music drones on, as though we were getting an apocalyptic revelation and not just an A-to-B-and then all the way to-R half-assed amateur theoretic? I do hope Criterion at least paid the essay-maker fifty bucks so he can buy a better mic for future essays exploring the deep insights of the most surface-level Freshman year observations so he at least won't sound like he recorded said easy lobs via magic Anouk Aimee acoustics in the process.

[Koukol]

Tonight is the night I'll watch the new Criterion BD.
RIP, Anita