Cannes Film Festival: 20 Best Palme D'Or Winners Ever
5. La Dolce Vita (1960)
Regarded as one of the most important and influential directors of all time, Federico Fellini made numerous classics in his lifetime, including 8 1/2, La Strada and perhaps his most acclaimed work, La Dolce Vita.
In the romantic, enveloping drama, Marcello Mastroianni stars as Marcello Rubini, a tabloid journalist who spends seven days and nights in Rome, where he acts on his lustful instincts, struggles to commit himself to his suffering fiancee (Yvonne Furneaux), and pursues a series of stories about celebrities in the area.
Noted for its episodic structure and masterful tone changes, La Dolce Vita is at its core an unrivalled character study of a desperate man stuck in a rut and unable to commit to the life he really wants, and tells Marcello's story with uncompromising intensity, romance and sadness.
It's a challenging watch, but one that will keep you deeply invested for the entirety of its three-hour runtime.