Italian maestro Federico Fellini's first international success is a nakedly autobiographical film that bears many of the formal and thematic concerns that recur throughout his work. Set in the director's hometown of Rimini, I Vitelloni follows the lives of five young vitelloni, or layabouts, who while away their listless days .. Read more
| Starring | Franco Interlenghi, Alberto Sordi, Franco Fabrizi, Leopoldo Trieste |
|---|---|
| Director | Federico Fellini |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
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Italian maestro Federico Fellini's first international success is a nakedly autobiographical film that bears many of the formal and thematic concerns that recur throughout his work. Set in the director's hometown of Rimini, I Vitelloni follows the lives of five young vitelloni, or layabouts, who while away their listless days in their small seaside village. Fausto (Franco Fabrizi), the leader of the pack, marries his sweetheart, but finds himself constantly distracted by other women. Meanwhile, would-be playwright Leopoldo (Leopoldo Trieste) continues work on his dreary plays, dreaming of staging them one day. Clownish Alberto (Alberto Sordi) still lives at home with his mother and sister, Olga (Claude Farell), while boasting of preserving the family honor by watching over her. While the movie seems to pay little attention to Riccardo (Riccardo Fellini) and Moraldo (Franco Interlenghi), the latter eventually emerges as its key character, plainly serving as Fellini's alter ego. Stuck in adolescence, the five friends stumble into various misadventures, as they seek to spice up their uneventful provincial lives. Ultimately, one of them breaks free from their self-imposed paralysis and moves on, leading to one of the most poignant farewell sequences in film history. A hit in Italy upon its release, I Vitelloni secured Fellini's reputation as an up-and-coming talent, while also introducing its title into Italian vernacular.~ Elbert Ventura, All Movie Guide
| Starring | Franco Interlenghi, Alberto Sordi, Franco Fabrizi, Leopoldo Trieste, Riccardo Fellini, Elenora Ruffo |
|---|---|
| Director | Federico Fellini |
| Studio | NOUVEAUX PICTURES |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 43 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama, World Cinema |
| Language | DVD: Italian |
| Subtitles | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 15 Aug 2005 Production year: 1953 |
| Format | DVD |
Federico Fellini was trying to greenlight La Strada when he devised this telling portrait of the reckless vitelloni (literally overgrown calves) he'd known during his youth in Rimini. Sketched with satirical insight, this tale focuses on five wild boys who are gradually forced to confront their worthlessness and bleak futures. At the centre of the action is a carnival, in which the buddies' costumes, masks and grotesque pranks are symbolically linked to the alienation and sexual frustration rife in early 1950s Italy. Fellini claimed that in these themes, coupled with the national tendency towards farcical anarchy and psychological anguish, one could see how Fascism had taken such a grip in the 1930s.
Interesting in its realistic detail, this sharply observed slice of life is long enough for its basic purposelessness to become apparent.
Fellini's story of small time life in a small village in Northern Italy. Natural stories and characters give a real sense of the mindset not just of the people, but the town as it and its people undergo change. Direction and acting are excellent even if some of the characters are a bit annoying. The most accessible of his films that I've seen.
This is an evocative picture of the boredom of small-town life in 1950s Italy. Great, natural performances and some wonderful cinematography make this one of Fellini's best films for me.