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See what you want to see: La Dolce Vita’s take on women

La Dolce Vita, a film by Federico Fellini, plays with reality to question the role

of women in a patriarchal society. This iconic Italian film set in the 1960s consists of a

male protagonist, Marcello, who plays an important role in constructing Fellini’s

experiments with reality in the film by only entering the lives of women in a physically

superficial manner. Marcello is a famous journalist and obsessive philanderer who earns

money by writing about celebrities and wealthy individuals. He is never satisfied

enough with what or who he has, continuously running away from his insignificant

relationships and trying to obtain women with only superficial values such as Sylvia.

Fellini always gives women critical roles in his films, believing that their presence is

vital to the structure of the narrative, yet in his film, he often explores themes that might

be misogynistic. In La Dolce Vita, Fellini does not allow the audience to label this film

as purely misogynistic. Instead, the objectification and victimization of women

encourage the audience to form their own opinion about women and gender dynamics.

However, the film is not totally open to interpretations as Felling guides the audience

with the misogynistic aspects of the film to further a feminist message. As Ronald S.

Librach says, it can be debated that Fellini “works from a hermetically masculine

perspective: as meditations on his own flights of fancy, his films are largely

complications of male heterosexual fantasies.”1 The film’s most featured images are

from women seen as personifications of some “Feminine Flesh-women imaged” which

seems to be recurring measures of “adolescent sexism.” 2 This separation between image

and women adds to Fellini’s usage of reality versus womanhood by exploring women’s

values only physically and superficially. This is most evident with Sylvia’s character, a

1 Librach, “Reconcilation in the Realm of Fantasy,” 86.

2 Librach, “Reconcilation in the Realm of Fantasy,” 86.
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well-known Swedish-American actress who is the embodiment of the Hollywood sex

symbol.

The movie portrays a masculine behavior that is meticulous and objective while

feminine behavior is the contrary. Women are expected to be impulsive and

enthusiastic. These virtues can be appreciated in Sylvia; an idealized version of women.

She is idealized by meeting the beauty standards in the 1960s of being blonde, curvy

and light skin as well as femine, outgoing and polite. The majority of the males in the

film, including Marcello, rather be with female characters that are mostly superficially

beautiful instead of characters with true struggles such as Emma who is depressed and

attempted to commit suicide. June Butler believes there are two types of women

depicted in Fellini’s movies. The ones who are “symbiotically attached to their male

counterparts by limpet-like silken strands and could not live with or without the object

of their affections.”3 This can be seen with the clingy girlfriend, Emma, from Marcello’s

carefree self. In contrast, there are women who “appear entrapped at first but often

throw off unseen ties (…) – women who subsequently find liberty and fulfilment

through self-actualization.”4 This can be seen with Sylvia’s character, particularly after

her boyfriend becomes violent towards her. Butler argues that men’s role was to gaze at

women, admire their charisma or vulnerability, and occasionally alternate their path to

chase the women they idealize. On the other hand, we see that women are more prone to

know their path. Fellini is capable of empowering women as women’s “self-

determination became achievable and their ultimate freedom was attained largely

without male intervention or help.”5

3 Butler, "Female Liberation and Autonomy in the Films of Federico Fellini," 43. 
4 Butler, "Female Liberation and Autonomy in the Films of Federico Fellini," 43. 
5 Butler, "Female Liberation and Autonomy in the Films of Federico Fellini," 44. 
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Fellini uses different camera techniques to often empower women. While the

majority of movies attempt to increase the emotional intensity through a combination of

close-ups and additional dramatic camera strategies, the implementation of suitable or

deliberate music, and through building up the scene, La Dolce Vita does not follow this

structure. Fellini uses many medium and long-shot and barely any close-ups. Without

many close-ups the audience does not get an intimate view on the characters. Usually,

when a scene gets to its climactic point in La Dolce Vita, the camera pulls back. This

can be observed in the scene where Marcello is about to tell Steiner’s wife about her

husband’s death while the paparazzi surround them. A big crowd, in this case, the

paparazzi, take up most of the space in the shot, which is something that persists

throughout the movie, diminishing the emotional significance as the audience becomes

unaware of where to look at. Another technique used in this film to emotionally detach

the audience is the use of two shots instead of a shot/reverse-shot such as over-the-

shoulder framings. Shot/reverse shots position the viewers at the center of a discussion,

making them feel involved in the action, hence relating and empathizing more with the

character. Alternatively, the two-shot positions the viewers in front of the character,

ensuring them that they are only viewers observing. Emotional detachment from the

audience encourages them to critically think about what is happening in the movie. One

of the dramatic techniques Fellini uses to accomplish this is by not giving a resolution to

a conflict. Not only does this impede the audience to get to know the female characters

on a deeper level, but it also makes the audience wonder about the lifestyle of

journalism and the entertainment industry which play a big role in furthering the

feminist message through the false depiction of reality, especially of women’s body and

values like intelligence and wisdom. The audience becomes aware that the pictures and

stories told by paparazzi do not reveal the whole truth. This somewhat follows Bertolt

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Brecht’s Epic Theatre techniques that aimed to make the audience "allow the spectator

to criticize constructively from a social point of view” 6 with the alienation effect. He

wanted his plays to be intellectual rather than emotional. Since the audience cannot get

to know the character, especially the female characters, as there are few points of view

shots, Fellini wants the audience to think whether men’s behavior towards women

should be based on women’s physical appeal. The audience should decide what virtues

make a woman valuable. This somewhat takes the agency from women as the audience

determines women’s worth.

Sylvia is a key character to analyze because she represents the idealized female

figure that society created. Every man desires her while women aim to be like her. One

of the most iconic scenes in the movie, in the fountain, depicts Marcello’s lustful

thoughts when he is with Sylvia. Librach describes it as: “Fully absorbed by her own

public image, Sylvia is a goddess who would anoint Marcello as an acolyte in the cult of

her adoration; as fountain, the Trevi is Arethusa, fount of the creative inspiration which

is denied Marcello in his pursuit of a "pagan divinity".” 7 Sylvia is dressed in a tight

strapless black dress that puts a great emphasis on her chest. Her hair is long and

flawless. This sexual appeal is not only meant to trigger Marcello but also the audience.

The male viewers should feel the same desire towards her, revealing how easy it is to

persuade a man. This is the easiest way for the media to captivate the male audience’s

attention; by sexualizing women.

The fountain scene is relevant because it captures Marcello’s conflicting desires

as well as an idealized and sexualized image of Sylvia. The scene starts with a wide shot

of Sylvia in the fountain, playing with the water. Her body language is direct and

6 Willett, “The Street Scene,” 125.

7 Librach, “Reconcilation in the Realm of Fantasy,” 95.

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sensual, inviting Marcello to come with her. A medium shot captures Marcello’s

admiration before accepting her invitation to join her. The audience can sense his desire

by seeing him, watching her. This discloses a shift in gender power. Sylvia is the one in

control. She is the one giving him orders to come. Her power comes from her charm.

Fellini, by giving Sylvia control, gives her more qualities than just being a trophy. She

is more than just her sexual appeal. Fellini shows Sylvia in a close-up with her eyes

closed as Marcello appears and becomes a two-shot, making it objective. Marcello gets

extremely close to her and raises his hand with the desire to touch her. The temptation

to kiss her almost becomes more powerful than if he had kissed her. Here is when the

audience understands that no matter how much Marcello wants her, he is aware that she

is simply a product of the film industry who profits from the influence she has over

men. Marcello does not want her as deeply as he wants her image. All his lustful

thoughts were stopped once the scene was reaching its climax which reveals part of the

film’s pattern. La Dolce Vita highlights the emotional detachment of spectacle by

releasing the suspense. The audience never gets the answers they want.

Despite his emotional detachment techniques, Fellini immerses the audience into

the film with his sound and lack of sound. The sound used in the fountain scene relates

to Carl Jung’s idea of female complexity. In this scene, most of the sound is diegetic,

including the character’s dialogue and the fountain’s water. In other words, there are no

clues to lead our emotions such as dramatic non-diegetic music, magnifying Marcello’s

desperate desire. Fellini stated, “‘I also wanted that silence, that moment of suspension’

between Marcello and Sylvia, and we are reminded of what Carini, his loquacious

scenarist, says to Guido as the director's peremptory space towers are being dismantled

towards the end of 8'/r.”8 Fellini believes that we are being continuously overwhelmed

8 Librach, “Reconcilation in the Realm of Fantasy,” 95.

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by dialogue. The moments of silence give the audience a familiar yet unfamiliar feeling

at the same time. Directors often fill the silent gaps with music to dictate the audience’s

emotions. However, by using this approach the audience gets to see the female

complexity as they experience an honest depiction of real-life and the moments that we

tend to run away from. The viewer is forced to feel Marcello’s lust and exasperation,

euphoria and embarrassment. Fellini tempts the viewers, both male and female, with

Sylvia’s luscious body and gestures to reflect on what truly matters. In other words,

should we be guided by lust or love? Marcello’s backing off from his almost erotic

behavior shows that he chose love at that moment. Love is, therefore, found in raw

characters like Emma that sometimes come with deep emotional baggage.

Nevertheless, before concluding that Marcello chose love, his almost kiss with

Sylvia raised various concerns to the audience as he was in a committed relationship.

Seeing this type of behavior makes some viewers question whether the problem is in

Marcello’s impulsive and irrational comportment or in the girlfriend’s lack of values

that Marcello is looking for. If women do not look like Sylvia, are they bound to be

cheated on? Will women like Sylvia still get cheated on? This behavior is implying that

women should act and look a certain way if they want their man to truly want them.

This is one of the reasons why women often feel insecure. All they see in the media,

including films, is the idealized image of women. Nonetheless, this scene can also be a

critique of men. Marcello is never satisfied with what he has. Every woman that he’s

been with gives him a different chase and experience, yet none can fill his personal

hollowness.

Marcello is an accurate representation of a narcissist man. His boredom reveals a

profound dissatisfaction. He tries to get rid of his discontent with eager attempts to get

women. Sylvia is the only character who is not trapped in his hopelessness. However,

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she seems to have the same superficial energy as Marcello does. Butler believes “the

equally conceited Sylvia was unlikely to consider that she was anything other than a

poster child for his rampant egotism.”9 This can be seen through his relationship with

Emma as well. Marcello seems to not care about their relationship the same way Emma

does. Nevertheless, at times, he seems worried and immaturely dependent on her and

continuously comes back to her no matter how big the argument is. Fellini shows that

their relationship only continues due to Marcello’s weakness and Emma’s refusal to let

him go. This somewhat puts both the male and female character at an equal position.

Fellini greatly admired Carl Jung’s work and has used his theory of anima and

animus, to which he said was "a meeting place between science and magic, between

reason and fantasy."10 The “anima” refers to the “unconscious feminine side of a man’s

personality” while “animus” refers to “the unconscious masculine side of a woman.” 11

In La Dolce Vita, Marcello meets various quantities of his anima. Jung’s theory consists

of four levels of anima: “Eve” embodying desire; “Helen” embodying success; “Mary”

embodying innocence; “Sofia” embodying wisdom. There is at least one female

character that falls into those 4 levels. Maddalena represents Eve because the only

interaction she had with Marcello was a sexual one. Sylvia falls into the “Helen”

category as she is seemingly successful yet not necessarily intelligent nor insightful.

“Mary” is characterized by the young girl, Paola, who is wholesome and righteous.

Lastly, “Sofia” can be seen through the poet’s character, Iris Tree. While these four

women mainly represent those levels, every single female character in the film

constitutes those levels in different ways. For instance, Sylvia is not only considered to

be desirable, but her fame implies that she is extremely successful. Despite men wanting

9 Butler, "Female Liberation and Autonomy in the Films of Federico Fellini," 50. 
10 Librach, “Reconcilation in the Realm of Fantasy,” 92.
11 Shafton, “Dream reader : contemporary approaches to the understanding of dreams,” 89.
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her, a sense of innocence is seen as she does not give in into any sexual interaction or

request with any men, even her boyfriend. Her interest in art and eloquence when

speaking also gives her wise values seen in Jung’s “Sofia” level. Similarly, Emma is

filled with desires and tries to sexually persuade Marcello at times. Even though she is

dependent on others, she is determined on what she desires. Yet Fellini does not seem to

think that men are capable of manifesting these four qualities in such a nuanced way as

they are only shown superficially. It is as if Fellini wants the audience’s attention to go

to the female characters in order to question their values and behaviors as well as the

way the patriarchal society treats them. When Marcello is with the poet, he compliments

her poems, saying that they are powerful and straight to the point as if a man had written

them. This sexist comment is said with a very natural and honest tone as if it was the

norm. The poet does not defend herself, revealing the oppression towards women.

Women at the time simply accepted that they were considered inferior and in fact,

because of this, the poet seemed to be delighted after Marcello’s compliment.

Paola’s character, a young girl, raises a sense of purity in the middle of all the

bizarre events which adds to female complexity by showing that society shapes women

to become a certain way. She appears in the last scene of the film as she looks pure and

beautiful as if an angel had come to talk to Marcello. Paola gets a close-up and stares at

the camera, breaking the fourth wall. Marcello looks both to the angel-like girl and to

his group of “friends.” It is as if he has to choose between heaven and hell. There is a

sense of hope in this scene as Marcello initially chooses Paola. Because of the distance

separating both characters, shown in a wide shot, Marcello cannot hear what Paola has

to say. It somewhat symbolizes that he only hears what he wants to hear, juxtaposing

the media only showing what they want the audience to believe in. This also reflects the

common theme of La Dolce Vita of only getting some glances into the characters’ lives

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and never obtaining a resolution to the conflicts. Because he struggles to listen, he gives

up and goes back to “hell.” This could be a judgement to men as they tend to give up,

especially on women, if it is not what they want to see or hear. Because Paola is only a

child, she is not sexualized nor materialized. Yet once she grows up, she is bound to fall

into the traps of men.

Fellini seems to confuse the audience by both supporting women and

objectifying them. “Women in these films are portrayed as subjects of scrutiny by

nearly all players, male and female, including audiences who naturally follow Fellini’s

line of gaze.”12 Fellini allows the audience to see the female characters in a superficial

light through numerous objective shots, making them formulate their own opinion about

women’s rights. Sylvia’s character is perfect to tempt both the characters in the movie

and the audience. Therefore, despite Fellini’s techniques to emotionally detach the

audience, the viewers still get to experience some kind of connection with the characters

by experiencing some of the erotic elements of the movie as well as by looking into

Marcello’s unsolved mistakes and consequences. After watching La Dolce Vita, its

viewers question what is real after seeing so much superficiality. This is up to the

audience to answer. As a viewer, I wondered what Marcello is truly after. Is it love,

pleasure, recognition or money? Similarly to Marcello, in real life, humans often find

themselves attracted to the wrong people and experiences. However, will humans ever

learn? The purpose of La Dolce Vita is to make the audience raise critical questions

about what they just saw and experienced such as what can we do to achieve gender

equality or what are the barriers that women experience to achieve respect from men?

Fellini should not merely lecture its audience and give them the answers. This would

12 Butler, "Female Liberation and Autonomy in the Films of Federico Fellini," 53. 
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defeat the purpose because it would no longer be entertainment, meaning people would

not be prone to watch it.

Bibliography:

Butler, June. 2015. "Female Liberation and Autonomy in the Films of Federico
Fellini." Studies in Arts and Humanities Journal 1 (1): 43-53.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.18193/sah.v1i1.17. http://proxy.library.nyu.edu/login?
url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2196654846?accountid=12768.

Librach, Ronald S. 1987. "Reconcilation in the Realm of Fantasy: The Fellini World and the
Fellini Text." Literature/Film Quarterly 15 (2): 85-98.
http://proxy.library.nyu.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/226989245?
accountid=12768.

Shafton, Anthony. Dream reader: contemporary approaches to the understanding of dreams.

United States: State University of New York Press, 1995.

Willett, John. 1964. “The Street Scene.” A Basic Model for an Epic Theatre, (April), 125.

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