La Dolce Vita (1960)

This is an imperfect-but-creditable Italian movie. Marcello is a journalist who has built his reputation by reporting on celebrity scandals. While visiting members of the high society in Rome, he discovers that their debauched lifestyles are starting to hurt him. He has a fiancée, but is unfaithful to her due to the temptation of famous and attractive women. He confesses to his friend that he is not getting fulfillment with a materialistic life and sometimes contemplates spiritual matters.

The title means “the sweet life” or “the good life.” The Catholic Church described it as a parody of Christ's second coming and the film was banned in Spain until 1975. Steiner’s suicide was influenced by the death of Italian novelist Cesare Pavese. Some of the extras were real aristocrats. The movie won an Academy Award for Best Costume Design in a Black-and-White film. The term paparazzi, for an independent photographer who tries to get candid photos of celebrities, derives from the name of the character Paparazzo.