Fellini: La Dolce Vita/Giuliette Degli Spiriti/I Vitelloni

Three films by Italian director Federico Fellini. 'La Dolce Vita' (1960), Fellini's epic tale of Roman decadence circa 1960, focuses on the adventures of gossip columnist Marcello (Marcello Mastroianni) as he runs with the jet set.

Following him as he interviews a young starlet (Anita Ekberg), rushes a girlfriend (Yvonne Furneaux) to hospital after a suicide attempt, and attends a variety of more-or-less wild parties, the film shows how he is both drawn to and repelled by the rich lifestyle that provides his living, and details the crisis in which he finds himself torn between an easy enjoyment of the ephemeral and a desire for a more productive life like that of his intellectual friend (Alain Cuny).

In 'Giuliette Degli Spiriti' (1965), a bored housewife discovers she can conjure up spirits who lead her into a life of sensual pleasures and a surreal fantasy world.

Fellini's first colour picture shows the director's imagination running riot and creating a bizarre and outlandish feature with the visual intensity of a horror film. 'I Vitelloni' (1953) is a semi-autobiographical story of a group of friends - 'i vitelloni' (the young calves) - who have grown up together in the town of Rimini.

Fausto (Franco Fabrizi), Moraldo (Franco Interlenghi), Alberto (Alberto Sordi), Leopaldo (Leopoldo Trieste) and Riccardo (Riccardo Fellini) spend their days in bars and cafes, dreaming of adventure, discussing women and sponging off their parents.

Only Moraldo (Fellini's alter-ego, who later becomes Marcello in 'La Dolce Vita') manages to escape the small-town existence and go to Rome.