MovieChat Forums > La dolce vita (1961) Discussion > Made me want to kill my family

Made me want to kill my family

posted 17 years ago by knoxville322
40 replies | jump to latest

We just finished La Dolce Vita in Cinematic Studies class at school. We skipped ahead so that we could quickly finish this poor excuse for a film. I will buy a movie poster for Gigli and frame it on my wall before I ever watch this piece of trash again. I could write an intelligent review of why I dislike this film but it doesn't even deserve one. I hope that everyone involved in the production of this film experiences a tragic loss in their lifetime so that they can understand the amount of loss the viewer felt when they gave up three precious hours of their life to this flaming piece of garbage. I understand that this film was up for some Academy awards and all I can say is that the Academy must have been experimenting with some type of drug while watching this movie. I've never cut my wrists but I'm guessing the experience is similar to watching this film - painful and pointless. May God have mercy on anyone who embarks on a three hour viewing adventure with La Dolce Vita.

[–] jsrrtzjr10 14 years ago

I did like it. Better than those dreadful Bergman's films [except "The Seventh Seals"]. Is rather long but I like the scenes inside the big house, and the Italian media pushing too much a sensationalist news of some "miracle". At least the Italians gave this picture a little of "humor" for laughs, despite some ugly scenes like the suicide of his Jewish pseudo intellectual friend who also killed his kids. Some will like it and others will hate it. I can understand.

[–] wendy44130 14 years ago

The cinematography was gorgeous. After 3 hours, I had hope for some redemption from our lead character. None came. He seemed to have promise at the start of the film. Like he was still torn. Instead, he sank further into despair instead of moving himself upward.
His father was not around when he was a child. Boo hoo. He had a girlfriend who adored him, but he only cared for himself. A woman he had feelings for, was as vapid as he was. He wanted to be a serious writer. The horrid murder/suicide of the writer he looked up to had no effect on him. Nothing got through to him. By the end of the movie he was just as disconnected as the socialites he played with.
I know not all films should have a happy ending, but this was just painful to watch. Beautiful pictures, story of dispair. Not something I needed 3 hours to teach.

[–] Endy7 13 years ago

"Instead, he sank further into despair instead of moving himself upward."

No he didn't. He chose the life he wanted but felt guilt because he grew up in a society where old Catholic values were socially programmed into everyone.

"The horrid murder/suicide of the writer he looked up to had no effect on him."

What effect? Steiner's seemingly picturesque life led to his suicide which was clearly hinted by himself. Marcello's life was something that Steiner would have prefered to avoid the real "darkness".

"story of dispair"

Not it isn't. You didn't understand it very well. It's a story of sweet life, the life that some people want and choose over the traditional way which was heavily promoted in the society but was clearly not suitable for everyone. It was a period where more and more made that step which led into a new era. The ending was rather happy in a way that a person admitted to himself who he really was instead of living in a lie.

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]