La Dolce Vita

"La Dolce Vita" has a clear difference in style, cinematography, characters, and plot, compared to that of the previous films we have watched. This film is a post-war film that was made in 1959-1960. It represents the economic growth that had occurred in Italy after the end of WWII, and how differently people were living and acting due to this change. The nation as a whole was no longer feeling the complete poverty and lack of optimism that was felt in "Bicycle Thieves". However, although the film displays the lavish lifestyle that was experienced by some, this was not the case for many Italians at the time. This film represents the new idea of creating films that could allow viewers to escape their own lives and watch the lives of others whom they wished they could be, in this case rich people who love to party and fall in love. "La Dolce Vita" exemplifies the change in both attitude and interest during this time, and the influence other nations (Hollywood in the United States) had on Italy, whether it had been in film or just in the everyday life of the average Italian citizen. As Italy developed during this time, so did its cinema, which can now be viewed as a representation of the thoughts, feelings, and emotions of the people living during that period.