I Vitelloni (1953)

A character study of five young men at crucial turning points in their lives in a small town in Italy.

Director:

Federico Fellini

Writers:

Federico Fellini (story), Ennio Flaiano (story) (as Ennio Flajano)

Stars:

Alberto Sordi, Franco Fabrizi, Franco Interlenghi

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Franco Interlenghi	...	Moraldo Rubini
Alberto Sordi	...	Alberto
Franco Fabrizi	...	Fausto Moretti
Leopoldo Trieste	...	Leopoldo Vannucci
Riccardo Fellini	...	Riccardo
Leonora Ruffo	...	Sandra Rubini (as Eleonora Ruffo)
Jean Brochard	...	Francesco Moretti
Claude Farell	...	Olga
Carlo Romano	...	Michele Curti
Enrico Viarisio	...	Signor Rubini
Paola Borboni	...	Signora Rubini
Lída Baarová	...	Giulia Curti (as Lida Baarowa)
Arlette Sauvage	...	La sconosciuta del cinema
Vira Silenti	...	Gisella
Maja Niles	...	Caterina (as Maja Nipora)

Storyline

Fausto Moretti, having seduced Sandra Rubini, the sister of his friend and companion Moraldo Rubini, is forced to marry her. After their honeymoon, he takes a job as a salesman of religious objects in a small shop. He isn't changed by his marriage and still looks for women, with his friends, when and where they can find them. He even tries to seduce the wife of his boss and is fired. After each episode, Sandra forgives him. He and his friends of similar temperament are content to be idle, chase girls and leave the work and job-hunting to others. After spending the night away from home with a girl, Sandra cannot forgive anymore and runs off with their child. Fausto and his friends search all over for them, fearing the worst.

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Plot Keywords:

train station | card game | crossdressing | goodbye | fired | 

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Taglines:

"We are the hollow men in this last of meeting places we grope together and avoid speech. Gathered on this beach of the torrid river." - used by permission from THE HOLLOW MEN by T.S. Eliot

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

7 November 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

I Vitelloni

Filming Locations:

Piazza delle Erbe, Viterbo, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,790, 14 November 2003

Gross USA:

$97,944

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cité Films, Peg-Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The best English translation of "i vitelloni" would be "the slackers".

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Goofs

When Sandra is called up to receive the 'Miss Mermaid' sash, she is on the left of the screen, to the right of the compere. As the actress comes up to present the sash, Sandra is seen standing on the compere's left. But when the actress presents the sash, Sandra is back on the left, to the right of the compere.

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Quotes

Fausto Moretti: Listen, they're playing the Sioux Mambo.

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Connections

Referenced in Alex in Wonderland (1970)

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Soundtracks

Io Cerco la Titina
(uncredited)
Traditional
Heard during the carnival

User Reviews

Pass the Popcorn review

I Vitelloni is one of the lesser known movies by the world famous Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini. And even though it's not well-known, apparently it is Stanley Kubrick's favourite movie of all time, and is also praised by Martin Scorsese and George Lucas. Also, in my opinion, it should definitely be seen by movie- and Fellini-lovers alike, along with the famed 8 1/2 and La Dolce Vita – and especially if you're not very fond of Fellini's excursus in pure comedy, like in Lo Sceicco Bianco. I Vitelloni is a classic Fellini drama: there are a few good laughs, but melancholia is a constant and the ending is not exactly a happy one.

I Vitelloni follows five friends – Moraldo (Franco Interlenghi), Alberto (Alberto Sordi), Fausto (Franco Fabrizi), Leopoldo (Leopoldo Trieste) and Riccardo (Riccardo Fellini) – who are in their thirties but haven't done anything with their lives and don't even have jobs, so they spend their days and nights fooling around and wasting time. When Fausto is forced to marry Sandra (Leonora Ruffo), because he impregnated her, the others – and especially Alberto – start questioning their existence and their future, while going on with their everyday lives: Leopoldo tries to write a good play, Alberto gets drunk and depressed, Fausto cheats on his wife and Moraldo, the quiet one, observes and narrates the story for the audience.

"Vitelloni" is a term that was used among young people living in Pescara – the city where Ennio Flaiano, one of the screenwriters, was born – to indicate other young people who spent their days doing nothing, mostly because it was very difficult to find a job in the post-WWII period (which is when the movie is set, too). It was also a very risky investment: Fellini's previous film, The While Sheik, had flopped, and he decided to cast Alberto Sordi, whom the audience didn't like. Still, the movie was well received and won some important Italian prizes, and it was Fellini's first movie with international distribution. All of this, I think, was well deserved. I Vitelloni focuses mainly on atmosphere: it starts happily, at the end of the summer. However, the main characters soon start complaining, because there's nothing to do in their small town during the winter, and their negativity projects outside, on Fausto, who is forced into a marriage he doesn't want. Also, everyone talks and thinks about leaving, but nobody does.

The thematic and the atmosphere give a constant feeling of melancholia, and every fun activity of the vitelloni is interrupted by something bad: for example, Alberto chases a dog on the beach and discovers that his sister is seeing someone he doesn't like, again. All the actors are very good and likable in their roles, but I think Sordi really stands out, as he manages to portray a seemingly carefree man who acts like a fool most of the time, but is actually very sensitive and troubled. It is also great seeing the contrast between the young and the old: the vitelloni don't want to become serious adults, because all the adults in the movie are negative and lead boring lives. Ultimately, the vitelloni find it hard to abandon the gang, after so much time they've spent together. All in all, this is a great movie about serious growing up that will make you remember the days of youth and untroubled fun, and while nostalgic, you'll also clearly realise why it's so important to, eventually, leave all of that behind.

Rating: 8/10 Read more at http://passpopcorn.com/