Dolce Vita Confidential: Fellini, Loren, Pucci, Paparazzi, and the Swinging High Life of 1950s Rome

by Shawn Levy

“A brisk, frothy narrative . . . informative and fun.” —The Wall Street Journal

In the dizzying wake of World War II, Rome skyrocketed to prominence as an epicenter of film, fashion, photography, and boldfaced libertinism. Artists, exiles, and a dazzling array of movie talent rushed to Rome for a chance to thrive in this hotbed of excitement. From the photographers who tailed the stars to the legends who secured their place in cinematic fame, Dolce Vita Confidential resurrects the drama that permeated the streets and screens of Rome.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Film, Italy, Art, Media Tie In, Fashion

483 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

Shawn Levy is the author of eleven books of biography, pop culture history, and poetry. The former film critic of The Oregonian and KGW-TV and a former editor of American Film, he has been published in Sight and Sound, Film Comment, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, The Hollywood Reporter, and The Black Rock Beacon, among many other outlets. He jumps and claps and sings for victory in Portland, Oregon, where he serves on the board of directors of Operation Pitch Invasion.

Reviews

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, author Shawn Levy accomplishes the goal which he states in the Acknowledgements: “… to explore a certain cultural epoch, to celebrate a set of personal heroes and favorite works of art, to identify the moment when various elements of the modern world first came together…” In meeting this goal, the book showcases Rome as a center of film, fashion and street photography and how it came to be.

There is background on how Mussolini appreciated film and fostered its growth. In 1937 he consolidated his film operations in a state of the art, 73 building studio city on a 145 acre (walled) compound. It produced propaganda newsreels and light comedies. After the war, it became a refugee camp, and, side by side with the refugees, filmmakers appeared. Levy details how the post-war film industry was aided by this studio and by protectionist legislation that made it worth-while for American producers to film in Italy. In the number of filmed in Italy titles, stars and Oscar nominees and winners, you see what was hiding in plain sight: Italy’s major contribution to film in the post-war years.

As Levy tells it, the Italian fashion industry has a debt to Giovanni Battista Giorgini, a Florentine noble whose family fortune was in marble quarries. His dedicated efforts gave Italy’s seamstresses and fashion designers access to American markets by convincing major department store buyers to extend their Paris season and attend an Italian runway show at his villa. He gave them first class treatment and showcased Italy’s best design. You get a step by step of how he accomplished this, recruiting the fashion artists, getting the buyers interested and following up.

The Via Venuto with small restaurants and places to hang out became the place to for stars and celebrities unwind and be seen. Capturing the right someone at the right time, place and pose could bring a hungry young man much needed cash. A cottage industry sprung up. The life of the Via Venuto was glamorized in Fellini’s “La Dolce Vita” and the word “paparazzi”, a take on the name of one of the photographers in the film, entered the world-wide vocabulary.

As noted, Levy profiles his heroes, the best profile being that of Federico Fellini (here’s hoping Levy has a bio in the works) Sophia Loren and Emilio Pucci. There are many clips (some are cameos, others are a bit longer) of other stars and directors, Italian fashion creators and some of those soon to be called “paparazzi”.

This was a brief moment in time, the end of which Levy traces to the 1960’s cultural explosion. Beatles clearly did not appeal to those whose international stars were Dominico Mondugno and Mario Lanza. Similarly, the youth culture was not a good fit in a country that lived in extended families.

I’d like to see more development on why it ended. The Berlusconi media empire, begun in 1973, with its emphasis on sensationalism, and its growing monopolistic power was surely a factor. Italian fashion has continued its world-wide prominence, admittedly in northern Italy, while the focus of this book is Rome.

I’m grateful to Norton for publishing this book. It will have a small but eager readership. It is clearly fills a niche and is not likely to be a big seller.

[Jessica (Odd and Bookish) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free through Goodreads' First Reads.

This isn't a book I would typically pick up, but I still enjoyed it. It was really fun learning about Rome in the 50's. I had no idea it was that crazy. The author's writing style was very engaging, making it a pleasurable read.

Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about Rome during this time period.

[Chuck Pickerill · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a warm night in 1958 and you are in Rome cruising down the famed Via Veneto in a vespa. You pass a nightclub with a pack of photojournalists crammed outside waiting to snap a shot of actress Ava Gardner and her latest man. Further down the road, actor Anthony Steel is ready to chase after another photographer while his wife, Swedish actress Anita Ekberg waits patiently in the car. This is the world writer Shawn Levy immerses the reader in DOLCE VITA CONFIDENTIAL.

The book details how in the wake of World War II, Rome emerged from the ruins to become the epicenter of film, fashion, photography and culture during the 1950's. The book details the Italian neorealism films of such directors as Luchino Visconti, Vittorio De Sica and Roberto Rossellini along with the rise of the noted Cinecittà Studios. We also learn about how foreign productions favored filming in Rome leading it to become known as "Hollywood on the Tiber." Other sections of the book detail the rise of Italy's famed fashion designers such as the Fontana Sisters, Valentino and Emilio Pucci among others. We also get the low down of the many photojournalists that became a staple of the Rome celebrity scene and eventually would be tagged with the title of paparazzi. We also get to walk among the famous actors, actresses and royalty that would populate the Via Veneto during this time period.

Levy writes in an easy and entertaining style that hooks you right away. He also never lingers on a topic for too long before moving on to another aspect of Rome during this time period. My favorite section of the book details the making of Federico Fellini's "La Dolce Vita" that would immortalize the Via Veneto scene for better or worse in film history. Reading this book will leave you wanting to plan your own trip to Rome to try to capture a little of that "Dolce Vita" lifestyle. Even if you can't make it to Rome, the author a provides a list of films he watched as research for the book which you can seek out to bask in some of that magic. Overall, "Dolce Vita Confidential" is an informative and fun read that will transport you back to that exciting time period of Rome in the 1950's.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to follow

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A hodgepodge of various information, linked by location. This book covers what happened culturally in Rome from 1945 to about 1963, mainly focusing on the movie and fashion worlds. There is a smattering of stories about race cars, crimes, politics, high society, music, art and literature. Reading this book made me want to read more about a lot of different people and subjects briefly mentioned.

Apparently I've seen more Italian movies from the 1950's and 60's than I thought I had. Levy has the tendency to summarize in too much detail the plots of various movies. Quite often I found myself realizing, "Oh yeah, I've seen that!" Most I saw in my teens and twenties. I wonder what I'd think of them now, 30+ years later. Maybe I'd actually like Antonioni now instead of finding him dull and insufferably tedious?

I wish there had been more about the fashion world, especially about Pucci and Valentino. Wow, Pucci was quite the well-rounded gentleman! He really led a charmed life. Must find a biography of him in order to learn more.

I can see this book being painfully dull if you don't have an interest in the arts, especially movies. But if that scene is your cup of tea, then I think this book hits the spot.

#Popsugar Reading Challenge 2020 A book set in a city that has hosted the Olympics

[Raquel · Rating 4 out of 5]

1950s Rome was the epicenter of culture: fashion, film, luxury cars, Vespas, race car driving, celebrity and paparazzi. How did a city in ruins after the destruction of WWII transform itself into the epitome of glamour and fame? The answer to this is found in Shawn Levy's book Dolce Vita Confidential. In the book Levy paints the picture of postwar Italy and how luck, good timing and lots of talent transformed how the world saw Italy and how Italy saw itself.

Full review here: http://www.outofthepastblog.com/2016/...

[Peter W Blaisdell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shawn Levy’s Dolce Vita Confidential gets 4 stars for its breezy, easy tone in describing an exuberant period in modern Italian cultural history. In one sense, the topic is feather light. However, Rome during the 50’s, with its notions of cheerful sensuality, still exerts considerable influence on today’s cinema, fashion, and how we view privacy, celebrity and scandal. Further, Levy has a keen eye for setting, the Roman neighborhoods and, particularly, the Via Veneto which engendered the flowering of creativity across all manner of art and life – though there is a special focus on Fellini’s film La Dolce Vita as the distillation of this era’s effluence.

Dolce Vita’s charm is its focus on the cultural milieu, but it would be illuminating to learn a bit more about how Italy’s post-war economy and politics enabled the burst of artistic inventiveness during the 50’s. Also, being an efficient writer, Levy seems to have used research from his numerous other books to flesh out Dolce Vita; justifiable, I suppose, but sometimes the reader gets the sense that Levy provided extensive detail on a given individual or situation simply because he already had the homework on hand.

I write literary fantasy novels, a genre rather remote from Dolce Vita. Nonetheless, I can certainly learn from Levy’s sense of setting and vivid exploration of an era of exaggeration, when everything was dialed up to eleven. Levy’s descriptions evoke an Italian beauty zipping past the Spanish Steps on a Vespa.

[Bil Antoniou · Rating 5 out of 5]

A scintillating page turner that I hoped would never end.

[F.R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

DOLCE VITA CONFIDENTIAL is a book which purports to be the story of Rome in the 1950s when it was the centre of the fashionable world. A city of impossible glamour that most of the world’s cities will never get within a whisker of. (The Last Shaun Levy book I read was about London in The Swinging Sixties, but even then London had the cool without the chic). However, despite its claims, I think - as the title suggests – what Levy is most interested in is detailing the making of Fellini’s LA DOLCE VITA, but putting it into full context of the time.

So, we get the whirl of fashion and tabloid photography that inspired the film, characters sketches of the main players in the film (and the likes of Sophia Loren, who it would be impossible to ignore) and what comes from this is a great conjuring of a long lost beautiful black and white world.

I like Levy’s prose style and its breeziness suits this subject perfectly. I have seen LA DOLCE VITA, but once and more than twenty years ago. (I’ll be honest with you, most of the Italian movies I’ve seen are Spaghetti Westerns or Giallo.) However, this is a book which seems to capture the essence Rome in the fifties, and in doing do makes me want me to ride a scooter, drink an expresso and start watching all the other Italian cultural milestones I haven’t seen but should have.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who are the papparazzi and where did they come from? Before Paris and Lindsey, Levy walks the reader through a time in history pre-papparazzi, where divorce was not only a gossip scandal but could mean you being thrown out of your country. When Rome cinema was bigger than Hollywood, where celebrities shot up from post war Europe to wearing the latest Italian fashions. To a country trying to bring itself out of financial difficulty, one movie at a time. Loved this book and highly recommend to anyone interested in cinema, fashion and the rise of celebrity culture.

[Mauro Del Citto · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolute pleasure this book was from start to finish. I've always had an interest in that creative boom just after the war, especially with the neo-realist pictures of Rosselini, De Sica, etc. Rome just sounded like another world and so damn exciting. The creation of the movie La Dolce Vita itself is absolutely enthralling and was interested to hear how the helicopter carrying the statue, the vision of the Madonna and Anita Ekberg splashing around the Trevi fountain came from actual events.
Highly recommend this book and congratulations to Mr Levy for answering some of those lifelong questions!!

[Yourfiendmrjones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps not as breezy as I had hoped given how I rocketed through his Rat Pack Confidential book. The sections on fashion might have benefitted from more photos as it is hard to picture what he is talking about. The best parts are the charting of Sophia Loren’s and Fellini’s careers but his attempt to frame it all by which paparazzi covered which incident or event or person felt like a stretch sometimes.

[Brenden Gallagher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love books about artistic golden ages and "Dolce Vita Confidential" might be one of my favorites I've ever read. Shawn Levy uses the careers of Federico Fellini, Emilio Pucci, and Sophia Loren as lenses through which to explore the bustling art scene of Rome in the 1950s. He details the post-war gonzo capitalist conditions that gave rise to an artistic golden age, the night-life of Via Veneto that acted as its epicenter, the great works that came out of it, and economic and cultural shifts that led to its downfall.

The greatest moments in the book come when Levy traces the real-life events that inspired La Dolce Vita, explains how those events play out in the film, and then discusses how the film remade Via Veneto into an exaggerated version of itself. The way that Fellini observed, harnessed, and depicted Rome in his work represents as beautiful an artistic symbiotic relationship as ever existed.

That isn't to say that the work on Loren and Pucci isn't equally compelling. In particular, the book's treatment of the way that Loren's career interacts with misogyny, the way that Loren is both a beneficiary and a victim of Italy's macho culture, is also fascinating.

And though these three are the pillars the book is built around, there are characters who pop in and out that could be topics of their own books. There is the fat deposed King Farouk of Egpyt who held court in Rome's cafes. There is Aïché Nana, a Lebenese actress who got drunk and stripped at a party, almost ruining her life in a national scandal. There is the cluster of paparazzi who chronicled it all. And there are many more artists, charlatans, night-life leeches, corrupt politicians, and debauched nobles along the way.

Levy's history of Via Veneto and his examination of how Fellini and his contemporaries rose out and and were inspired by the cultural milieu amounts to a stunning work of history and criticism that should inspire anyone who reads it. For an artist, "Dolce Vita Confidential" is the kind of book that should reorient the way you seek inspiration in your own work and reconfigure your approach to reflecting the world around you.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

And it was amazing too! I have been 'un inglese italianato' for some years now & can happily revel in the heretical & transgressive behaviour of post-war Romans, epitomised by the packs of papparazzi & the vortex of new money, new ideas but the eternal, ever-powerful, dirty, old habits - no, not unwashed, unfrocked monks! - but the primeval & earthy forces of a society in rapid change.
Rome in the 50s was where 'it' was happening in lurid, well-lit colours & violent, dangerous moods: Fellini's 'La Dolce Vita' serves as a portrait of the time, when black-&-white films were artistic, & all the razzmatazz of technicolor film & new, productive energy was in full-flow at Cinecitta...the legendary studios outside the eternal city, to whose portals many Hollywood stars beat an eager path...all roads, briefly, lead to Rome...for brilliant fashion, for exotic, big-budget films & an effervescent vitality that defied any rational explanation!
Shawn Levy's exciting survey captures so much of this decade or so, drawing-on a variety of printed sources - he focuses particularly on the places & personalities that attracted the world's attention like rare butterflies in a common or garden setting - in this case, a dull street named Via Veneto, in the beating heart of Rome, which, like a butterfly, fluttered briefly & spectacularly, before the Fellinesque circus left town. There is so much to entertain here that I heartily recommend this book to any reader with a spark of humanity, a reader who enjoys the cut-&-thrust of real people in an unreal moment...a decade of decadence, a brief interlude in this absorbing city's monumental place in western civilisation. The notorious Nero may have fiddled...but never as enthusiastically as this!

[Stephen O'Donnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS is the real deal. Shawn Levy is the real deal. Until the last decade or so, I was always a non-fiction reader - history, the arts, dance, music, fashion - and I actually wanted to write books on those topics, myself. With all the years, all that reading, I've developed a really good sense of when the non-fiction author really knows their stuff, when they - THE most important thing - are solid in differentiating between good and junk sources; I'm continually shocked that so many lauded non-fiction writers don't have that essential ability. And I think I'm a good judge of this even when I don't know the subject all that well. Shawn - clearly - gets it right, here. Widely, deeply researched, he gives us the big picture - and - the rich detail. The stories he relates are fascinating, often wild, but there's a lack of suspicious hyperbole; his sources seem really "clean". I can only imagine that was a tough nut considering the subject, but not once in 400 some pages did he set off any "alarms"!

On top of that, as a writer, he's such a beautiful craftsman. The structure of the book is - exactly - what it needs to be. Clear, richly textured, with a graceful forward momentum. There's so much information put across in this book, but it's all delivered with a wonderfully light touch. His writing is subtle and accessible and elegant. Simply, this is a great book.

[Joaquin A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Life is really is sweet, even when it seems bitter at first taste, and you should gobble it up.”

Great introduction to “Hollywood on the Tiber” and postwar Rome. Enjoyed reading about the role of Cinecittà, the great partnership between director Fellini and actor Mastriani, and the great mega movies of the late 50s and early 60s such as La Dolce Vita which showcased both the city’s immorality and its beauty. I enjoyed reading about De Sica’s Neorealism, the rebirth of Italian fashion under Pucci, the inspiration for the word paparazzi coming from the photographers of Via Veneto, and the Holliday of Ferragosto. Here’s to living life alla Romana. There would have been no Salvatore Ferragamo without Giovanni Giorgini. He’s the one who took the torch from Paris and used Florence’s Pitti Paalce to entice Bergdorf Goodman and others to learn more about Italian Haute Couture.

[Daniel Etherington · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to read this really: I lived in Rome for a couple of years, I've read a bit of Roman history (including of the modern era), I've also done a masters in film studies and I worked as a film journo for about a decade.

That's not to say I loved this. I'm not a huge fan of the idiom Levy is using and I did skim when he went extensive detail about fashion. The book, however, is worth is for its fantastic description of the evolution of the trashy photo-journalist we know today as paparazzi, and for the global reaction to Fellini's film, La Dolce Vita.

La Dolce Vita not only gave us the term paparazzi, with one of the characters a photographer called Paparazzo, it's also the quintessential Rome film, and the production, the cultural artefact, that Levy constructs his book around.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, so bear with me here, but this might be one of my favourite books. Ever.

This is the second group biography I’ve read this year which detailed an era and place (the other, The Riviera Set) but this one was such a JOY to read.

Some history books drag or seem dense, but not this one.
You can tell in every single word how excited and passionate the author is about this period, and it makes for such an enjoyable read, I didn’t want to stop.

The topic is hella niche, but if you have any interest in the 1950s high life in Rome, in celebrity culture, fashion, and/or Italian cinema (granted, I had only seen La Dolce Vita, Rome: Open City and Roman Holiday prior to reading this), I cannot recommend this book enough. 💖💖💖

[Andi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable and well-researched non-fiction on the post-war rise of Italy and Rome specifically as a cultural epicenter of film, fashion and celebrity culture that culminated in Fellini‘s ‚La Dolce Vita‘ - a film that captured the decade so well.

In sharp and insightful chapters Shawn Levy introduces key players like Fellini, Sophia Loren, Emilio Pucci, Anita Ekberg as well as the young photogrpahers of Roman streets who would soon become known as Paparazzi. Even though the topic remains light and sometimes a deeper historical context could have been interesting the book explains well enough the importance, allure and impact of the roaring 50s in Rome on the movie landscape and beyond.

[Bevan Houston · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is always tough to separate one's opinion of a history book from your opinion of the value of the subject (this is why there is an Abraham Lincoln book published every day of the year). I think the post-WW2 cultural renaissance out of Rome is fascinating on many, many levels. I would gladly read another book that tried to explore the rise of Italian fashion & film from the (literal) ashes of war-torn Italy. This book was good... but not great. Nothing jumped off the page to me as particularly insightful. It is just such an interesting slice of history, even an average effort is worth the time.

[mabuse cast · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good non-fiction overview of Italian film, culture, fashion, and famous figures in the immediate post world war 2 years! I will say the parts of this book about the fashion scene in Italy wasn't really of that much interest to me personally but everything else the book covered was very interesting and well written!

The parts of this book covering Fellini and company were really well done and I loved the lengthy section that is devoted to the making of the Fellini movie "La dolce vita" (1960)!

[Malcolm Frawley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have enjoyed Levy's books on the swinging 60s (Ready, Steady, Go), the Rat Pack (Rat Pack Confidential) & his biog of Paul Newman. This is a bit more niche. The creation, in postwar Rome, of a culture that focussed on film & fashion & which, inadvertently, was responsible for the birth of the paparazzi. It's interesting, especially learning more about Fellini's evolution as one of Italy's greatest film makers, & certainly contained a lot I didn't previously know. Even about the demise, & descendants, of wartime dictator, Mussolini. Not for every taste but rewarding.

[Sasha Predojevic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I thought it was very well paced and kept the reader engaged throughout the whole book. It was so interesting to learn about what was going on in Rome and the influence it has had on the world. The author wrote it in a way that you could forget you were reading a non fiction book but like a wild, fictitious, story that turns out really happened. A perfect summer read that’s light, fresh, and fun.

[Mickey McIntosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the second World War, Rome was able to rise out of the ashes and become one of the places to be in the 1950s. This book takes a look at how fashion, culture, society and films from Rome influenced the world. Great book, and makes you feel like you're in Rome during this time. Also, if you're a foreign film buff, you'll want to check out every film that's mentioned in this book. Also recommend for those who are into post WWII history and culture.

[Studvet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Competently written, detailedly informative of an era of stars that have nearly disappeared. Would appeal mostly to a certain generation, but to those familiar with the films and stories of this era it colours in and informs the detail of an almost magical time when stars were stars and much larger than life.

[Adrienne Maiolo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting insights to 1950s Rome. The history of Cinecittà is certainly colourful.

But at times it was hard to read - I kept putting it down - due to what felt like humour towards escapades with decidedly misogynistic undertones. Also listing celebrities or aristocracy who were known to frequent Rome for nearly half a page does not make for engaging reading.

[Tom De Ville · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mostly light, frothy look at the extraordinary cultural explosion of fashion and cinema that developed in Rome in the 1950s.

It's an enjoyable read, but I would have liked it to have dug deeper.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got a little bit repetitive. Bit too much felt like padding towards the end.

[Mimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting cultural history of Rome in the 50's-70's, heyday of paparazzi, films, fashion.
a 3.4

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a little too long. I think Levy could’ve wrapped it up in 320-350 pages. With that said, it was well written, informative and funny.