Italy in the 1960’s seems to have been very similar to America in the 1960’s. Protest and the mentality of peace and love as depicted in La Dolce Vita seem to have been common. Much like America, there was a cultural revolution. Women finally gained the right to abortion, gay and lesbian movements were started and divorces became more acceptable. Italy was changing during this time period, not only were they moving forward socially, but they were also trying to hold on to the past to keep regional traditions alive.
I know that the articles talked about if La Dolce Vita should be considered Neorealist or not, but to be completely honest, I don’t think that I completely understand what Neorealism is. I thought that Neorealism was supposed to show things how they really are- almost documentary style. However I don’t believe that La Dolce Vita does that. I think that La Dolce Vita shows an exaggerated version of the world as Fellini sees it. I think that he is trying to convey the message to people that the road Italy is heading down is not very moral. Also because of the way Fellini is so creative and uses so many symbols I don’t see how that fits into Neorealism. Then again I could be completely mistaken about what Neorealism is and may need to edit this blog entry….