A harried movie director retreats into his memories and fantasies. Starring Marcello Mastroianni, Claudia Cardinale, and Anouk Aimée -- 1st Fellini film --
Well, finally a piece of classic cinema that lived up to its reputation. Fellini provided a really enjoyable, comedic, and yet mystifying and complex viewing expierience. His attention to detail in the areas of lighting and camera movement were clearly evident throughout, and his writing skills shine as well. The numerous extended dream sequences were the most exciting parts of the film, providing a figurative window into the main character's thoughts. I found myself wishing the film had been based more in these sequences rather than focusing more on the reality-based aspects of the story.
Fellini did a fantastic job of instantly sucking the viewers in as well with a memorably haunting opening sequence. I went back and watched just that scene over again after I had finished the film and it was given a whole new layer of depth of meaning. Great film, looking forward to multiple rewatches, as well as getting my hands on La Dolce Vita sometime soon.
