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1[[quoteright:319:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/la_dolce_vita_6801.jpg]]
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3A highly acclaimed 1960 film by Creator/FedericoFellini with a Music/NinoRota soundtrack., ''La Dolce Vita'' (''The Sweet Life'') is about some days in the life of gossip journalist Marcello Rubini (Creator/MarcelloMastroianni), who has to deal with apparitions of the Madonna, a friend's existential anguish, problems with his girlfriend, a lot of lovers and a highly annoying photographer friend.
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5The movie is famous for being considered "immoral" for its presentation of the Roman lifestyle and the obvious FanService Fellini provides with the women (though if you were to look at it, you'd probably raise an eyebrow about it), for its scene of Creator/AnitaEkberg bathing in the Trevi Fountain in UsefulNotes/{{Rome}}, for being the {{Trope Namer|s}} for the term {{Paparazzi}}, and for being the first film that Creator/RogerEbert ever reviewed.
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7!! This film provides examples of:
8* AdvertisedExtra: Anita Ekberg as the actress Sylvia is the most prominent figure on the poster. While she ''is'' one of the most memorable parts of the film, she's only in one part of the film out of seven.
9* AllegoricalCharacter: Paola, a waitress Marcello meets in a scene otherwise unrelated to the film, represents the yearnings of nostalgia inherent to Italian neorealism, with her desire to someday return to her home of Perugia. [[spoiler: She reappears at the very end of the film to call out to Marcello, whose inability to hear her represents his disconnect from the emotionally fulfilling past in favor of a life of excess.]]
10* BilingualDialogue: Marcello has a nonexistent grasp of English, and mostly communicates with English-speaking Sylvia in his native Italian, which she understands alright.
11* BreakTheCutie: Marcello. By the end, the poor guy has just given up, but [[spoiler: Steiner killing both his own kids and himself]] is really what sealed it.
12* TheCasanova: Marcello, though he is technically more of a subversion, considering he's manipulated by the women instead of the opposite.
13* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Sylvia.
14* CoolShades: Marcello and Paparazzo wear ones so cool that they get to the LogicalExtreme of wearing them [[SunglassesAtNight at any time.]]
15* DistantFinale: The final part of the film is set sometime after [[spoiler: Steiner's suicide]]. Marcello has quit journalism to become a publicity agent, and his temples are visibly graying.
16* DistractedByTheSexy: Marcello and Paparazzo are distracted from a statue of the Christ (the news they're covering) by a group of women sunbathing.
17* DownerEnding: A subtler example than many, but the final part of the film demonstrates that, after everything he went through, all Marcello has done is fall further into decadence and the artificial celebrity lifestyle. The final scene demonstrates this beautifully, as his inability to hear Paola shows he's lost any connection to the past.
18* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: Steiner.]]
19* FanService: All over it.
20* FetishizedAbuser: Marcello treats his fiance Emma horribly -- taking her for granted, cheating on her, and being dismissive of her feelings; which leads her to develop a drug addiction. On one occasion, they fight and he slaps her and then throws her out of the car. As it's customary for the period, Marcello is the sexy hero of the story who gets broken by the events of the plot. It doesn't help that his reconciliation with Emma is treated as romantic, tender, and a very needed [[BreatherEpisode breather scene]] before another traumatic but unrelated thing occurs to him.
21* {{Foil}}: Steiner, to Marcello. While Marcello is a womanizer who suffers from emotional emptiness and artificiality due to his life as a journalist, Steiner is HappilyMarried with two children, and seems much better adjusted as an intellectual. [[spoiler: ''Seems'' is the keyword, and Steiner ends up killing himself and his children due to his own existentialism. His death is what pushes Marcello into fully becoming part of Italian celebrity culture.]]
22* JadeColoredGlasses: Marcello slips them on around the time [[spoiler: Steiner commits MurderSuicide.]]
23* LargeHam: Frankie and the rock singer of the same scene.
24* LikeFatherLikeSon: Marcello's father is as much of a womanizer as he is.
25* MoodWhiplash: The movie is fairly comical... [[spoiler: And suddenly Steiner decides to kill himself and his children.]]
26* MsFanservice: Sylvia.
27* OffingTheOffspring: [[spoiler: Steiner does it before killing himself.]] Made even sadder by the fact that he really loved them.
28* {{Paparazzi}}: Paparazzo is the {{Trope Namer|s}}.
29* PrettyInMink: Sylvia wears a fur-lined cape and then a white ermine wrap.
30* RandomEventsPlot: One of the most famous examples in cinema.
31* SexyBacklessOutfit: Most of the women in the movie, especially those Marcello courts, like Maddalena or Sylvia.
32* SunglassesAtNight
33* UrbanLegendLoveLife: For the film that launched Mastroianni's career on TheCasanova ticket, he never really played any character of the sort; Mastroianni himself said that all his characters billed as such were in fact the exact opposite. In ''La Dolce Vita,'' he allows himself to be used by the women he pursues.
34* VitriolicBestBuds: Marcello and Paparazzo. Mainly on Marcello's part.
35* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The kitten Sylvia found.
36* WhenYouComingHomeDad: Marcello reveals this to have been the case regarding his father, which is why he acts so disconnected when he meets with him. [[spoiler: It takes a tragic turn when he has to say goodbye to him again after his father has a mild heart attack, with the implication that the two will never meet again.]]
37* WishingWell: The iconic scene at the Trevi Fountain.
38* YouCanLeaveYourHatOn: Nadia does one. She ends conveniently [[NakedInMink covered by a fur.]]

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