MovieChat Forums > La dolce vita (1961) Discussion > Fellini is so over rated

Fellini is so over rated

posted 20 years ago by inlovewithmovies
275 replies | jump to latest

Fellini is not a great film maker. He's not even a good film maker. To place him on the same level with the greats is an insult to the greats. He is completely self-indulgent. His films are pretentious, smug, and worse of all boring. He is not a visionary, but a phony. This movie is just a clear example of that.
La Dolce Vita has no plot and is exceedingly dull at a run time of 3 hours long. Gone With the Wind, the Godfather, and Titanic-- I can see as deserving of 3 hours, but this piece of triviality could have been told in 10 minutes. It's been a long time since a movie has inspired so much hatred in me for what was on the screen. I would rather be subjected to a Jennifer Lopez movie marathon, starting with Gigli than to go through another viewing of this never ending tortuous meaningless journey through Marcello's vapid existence. In fact, throw in a Ben Affleck marathon while you are at it starting with Surving Christmas and I'd still gladly take that torture then another Fellini "classic." I've tried to like Fellini and this about the fifth movie I've seen of his and I'm sorry but he is not brilliant. Fellini should take lessons from Goddard on what a cool movie is supposed to be like.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] 15 years ago

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[–] nanofish-1 15 years ago

I must admit that I loved both LDV and 8 1/2. 8 1/2 still speaks to me after twenty viewings. However, some of his other films not so much. Fellini is, if nothing else, a master of subtle characterizations and of establishing empathy, so different from the cartoon-ish characterizations from a film like Titanic. But what is the criteria for genius? A top-ten film list? An Oscar. Your personal adoration? Its total cash draw? The number of college professors who assign the artist as homework? (And yes, a few of Fellini's films fall into most of these categories.) I try not to think of greatness in those terms. And BTW, all films are Art; it's just that some are better than others. If a piece of art withstands the test of time, if it is referenced in the industry by artists as a major influence, and if it has sustained its popularity in the face of technical innovations, then it probably is great Art. But still, you don't have to like it at all. I enjoy reading the responses to such troll threads because it allows me to hear the defenders cite reasons why they love the film, and I usually learn something from them. The posts that support "X is sh!t" are, more often than not, devoid of any interesting or meaningful information. They are what they complain about the most, they are simply boring.

[–] seangal824 15 years ago

You ignorant *beep*

[–] karakurt-sabri 15 years ago

I totally agree with the poster, i too have watched several Fellini movies. First time i saw one was at a cinema, where i went to see "Das Goebbels Experiment", the pre-show was La Dolce Vita. I liked it a lot, but to say that i would watch it again, no no. It's just simply too long and definately not my cup of coffee. I think that's cos most of the time when we watch movies, we want to associate ourselves with the characters on the screen, or the situation which is created, or whatever. Now when I watch Fellini movies, i definately can not say that it's a world which is close to mine. It's a different, strange world the movies are set in and I simply can't see any reflections to my own life. I'm no director, i'm no model, and i'm definately not interested in their lifes portrayed by Fellini...

Does that mean i do not like art movies, or that i'm ignorant? I don't think so Tim! For example, Akira Kurosawa has made several artsy fartsy movies, and by God I love those! Why, well that's simple, i like the world Kurosawa creates in his movies, they are by far the greatest imho. Ikiru was top notch, Shichinin no Samurai (don't even have to mention that), Rashomon, Ran (!!!). Those are artsy movies as well, but i can understand that world, the cruel and lonely samurai existence for example.

[–] Miura88 15 years ago

La Dolce Vita has no plot

It's not supposed to have a linear plot, you can't criticise a film for being something it's not, you have to try and look at a film on its own terms. Do you complain about the unemotive acting in a Bresson film?

Anyway about Fellini, yes his films became more self-indulgent, they were more of a visual spectacle and he pretty much abandoned his neo-realism roots. Do I like his surrealist pics like "Satyricon", "Juliet Of The Spirits" + "Roma" as much as "La Strada", "I Vitelloni" or "Il Bidone"? Personally no, but his later films are just as inventive and powerful as his earlier ones, he's just expressing his creativity through visuals instead of a more concentrated plot. "La Dolce Vita" is my favourite film, but it took 4 viewings for that to happen: First time I saw it I liked it but didn't know what to make of it, 2nd + 3rd time I knew what to expect, saw the tragedy of Marcello's character, was seduced by the charm of the nightlife of Rome while simultaneously feeling repulsed by their lack of spirituality. I loved the jazz soundtrack, the gorgeous cinematography, I also admired the symmetry of the various sequences in the film e.g. Marcello can't talk to the women at the start or the girl at the end, he chases his "ideal" woman Sylvia through Rome + doesn't get her, the crowd of people chase the vision of Madonna but they can't see her.

Some directors want you to sit back and admire their talent at a distance, Fellini was one director who invited you into his films to celebrate his talent.

Marie got her ass kicked in "Au Hasard Balthazar"

[–] Endy7 15 years ago

Pretty funny that a person who wrote "La Dolce Vita has no plot" has an username "inlovewithmovies". Well... you're not. Maybe you are in love with visual versions of cheap everyman's novels or something like that. If you really love a motion picture, then you love what it really is, an audio-visual art form... not just a standard book narrative played out by actors on the screen. Now if your user name would be "angloplotnazi" I wouldn't even reply.

[–] weirdturnpro 14 years ago

You are an idiot, plain and simple. Piss off.

[–] skylerboodie 14 years ago

i watched this film last night, and it is the fourth Fellini film i've watched after 8 1/2, La Strada and Nights Of Cabiria. Of all the famous 'great directors' whose work I've seen, Fellini has been the only one who I've found to be a total disappointment. I don't think the films are badly made or anything - just really boring. IMHO.

[–] Instamatic 14 years ago

check out the fellini "books of dreams", maybe u don't share the vision of making films out of dreams, but certainly maybe your surrounding (phony friends, cinema students, professors etc) is not helping to have a clear thinking about what't the meaning of fellini in movie history. Travel alone more often :D.