LA DOLCE VITA (THE SWEET LIFE) (1960) B/W widescreen 173m dir: Federico Fellini

w/Marcello Mastroianni, Anita Ekberg, Anouk Aimée, Yvonne Furneaux, Alain Cuny, Magali Noel, Nadia Gray

From Georges Sadoul's Dictionary of Films: "The life of a journalist and press agent (Mastroianni) as he mixes with the film world and high life in Rome. Notable sequences: the statue of Christ flown by helicopter over the Eternal City; the arrival of the star (Ekberg), trailed everywhere by photographers, and her visit to St. Peter's in religious garments; the miracle in a small town and the resultant publicity; the orgy in a nightclub; the abortive suicide of the journalist's girlfriend; their scenes together in the apartment; the evening at the home of the philosopher Steiner (Cuny), who fears suicide; the night spent in the palace of a decadent aristocratic family; the orgy in the villa; the journalist finding an enormous dead fish on a beach where he also meets an innocent young girl.

"One could criticize this film for its anarchy and grandiloquence but there are many episodes and images that cannot be easily forgotten. Anita Ekberg is all bubbling femininity while Mastroianni conveys the restless bitterness of a man who has 'made it' but isn't sure if it's what he wants."

LA DOLCE VITA won an Oscar for Best Costume Design (Piero Gherardi). It was also nominated for Best Director, Original Story and Screenplay (Fellini, Tullio Pinelli, Ennio Flaiano, Brunello Rondi), and Art Direction (Gherardi).