Marcello Rubini
Marcello Mastroianni plays Marcello Rubini, an intelligent, casual, yet elegant Italian tabloid journalist who is the main character of La Dolce Vita. Rubini is an empty and deeply unhappy man who spends the entirety of the film searching for love and happiness.
Rubini grew up very distant from his father, who he rarely saw. Though he inherited his father's good looks, Rubini's relationship with his father continued to be strained with him even through adulthood. His father, in fact, seemingly wants nothing to do with his son, something that hurts Marcello very much.
To that end, because of his father's abandonment, Marcello has never believed in the concept of monogamy. In fact, he thinks the concept is inane and meaningless. Nevertheless, Marcello remained very interested in women.
Sylvia Rank
Swedish-American film star Anita Ekberg is Sylvia Rank, a Swedish-American film star. Sylvia is an intelligent, hard-working, and luxurious woman who loves her craft and enjoys talking. She also says that she loves her fiancée, Robert, but her actions say otherwise. She engages in an affair with Marcello Rubini, something which angers Robert and causes him to assault her and Marcello.
Maddalena
Anouk Aimée is Maddalena, another woman with whom Marcello Rubini has an affair (and has sex with a number of times over the course of the film). Maddalena is a beautiful and wealthy heiress who enjoys the finer things in life. Like many people, Maddalena is tired of living in and being in Rome and works very hard to get out.
Emma
Yvonne Furneaux is Emma, Marcello's fiancée. Emma is an intelligent and typically fun-loving, but fiercely jealous, woman who loves Marcello more than he seemingly loves her. On more than one occasion, Marcello promises Emma that he will never be with another woman again (at her instance). Alas, Marcello never lives up to his promises, leaving Emma despondent. And because of her despondency, Emma turns to drugs and overdoses.
