Il bidone (1955)

Aging small-time con man Augusto, who swindles peasants, works with two younger men: Roberto, who wants to become the Italian Johnny Ray, and Bruno, nicknamed Picasso, who has a wife and ... See full summary »

Director:

Federico Fellini

Writers:

Federico Fellini, Ennio Flaiano,

Stars:

Broderick Crawford, Giulietta Masina, Richard Basehart

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Broderick Crawford	...	Augusto
Giulietta Masina	...	Iris
Richard Basehart	...	Picasso
Franco Fabrizi	...	Roberto
Sue Ellen Blake	...	Anna
Irene Cefaro	...	Marisa
Alberto De Amicis	...	Rinaldo
Lorella De Luca	...	Patrizia
Giacomo Gabrielli	...	Il Baron Vargas
Riccardo Garrone	...	Riccardo
Paul Grenter
Emilio Manfredi
Lucetta Muratori
Mario Passante
Sara Simoni

Storyline

Aging small-time con man Augusto, who swindles peasants, works with two younger men: Roberto, who wants to become the Italian Johnny Ray, and Bruno, nicknamed Picasso, who has a wife and daughter and wants to paint. Augusto avoids the personal entanglements, spending money at clubs seeking the good life. His attitude changes when he runs into his own daughter, whom he rarely sees, and realizes she's now a young woman and in need of his help to continue her studies. His usual partners are away, so he goes in with others to run a swindle, and they aren't forgiving when he claims he's given the money back to their mark. They leave him beaten, robbed, and alone.

---

Plot Keywords:

peasant | imposture | caper comedy | drug dealer | middle age | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

---

Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

October 1962 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Schwindler

Filming Locations:

Acquedotto dell'Acqua Felice, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Titanus, Société Générale de Cinématographie (S.G.C.)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min 112 min (original)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Finnish censorship visa register # 045946 delivered in 1960.

---

Connections

Referenced in Cinecittà: La casa di F. Fellini (2004)

User Reviews

Fellini in a narration of the cruelty

The story takes place in Rome and surrounding area in 1953. Augusto (Broderick Crawford), Roberto (Franco Fabrizi), Carlo "Picaso" ((Richard Basehart) and the Baron Vargas (Giacomo Gabrielli) form a band of robbers. Augusto is the protagonist of its execution, he has 48 years and he feels trapped by the age and loneliness. Roberto want to emulate Johnny Ray and looking for fun and enjoy life. Carlo is married to Iris (Giulietta Masina), is a painter frustrated and steals to sustain the family. What the principle of the film begins as a comedy soon becomes drama to observe the plight of the victims of the scams, the expressions that show. As the film, we believe that all of this is doing reflect the characters, but not the case that, there seems to be awareness in the characters. The scene in which Augusto is identified by one of their victims in the cinema before his daughter and the conversation that maintains with a girl with poliomyelitis, are insurmountable. The great music of Nino Rota, and the good photography in black and white prepare a film with more crudely morality. of Federico Fellini