I Vitelloni (1953)

Directed by: Federico Fellini | 102 minutes | drama | Actors: Franco Interlenghi, Franco Fabrizi, Alberto Sordi, Leopoldo Trieste, Raccardo Fellini, Eleonora Ruffo

‘I Vitelloni’ tells the story of five friends in the early 1950s. They live in a village on the Adriatic coast in Italy, a village where there is not much to do. Unemployment is high and the boys are bored. You can perhaps compare them with today’s loiterers, although these men are a bit older. They hang around all day and often into the night looking for distraction. The film gives a beautiful picture of the time. It starts with a beauty pageant where pregnant Sandra (Eleonora Ruffo) wins. When it comes out that she is pregnant, there is no other option but to marry the father. That’s the womanizer of the group of friends, Fausto (Franco Fabrizi).

The boys all have their own dream of a glittering career. One wants to be a singer, the other a playwright, but they all realize that to do that they have to leave their stuffy village. Despite the hopelessness of existence, Fellini has put a lot of humor into the film. In a masterly way he makes you laugh at many absurd situations, very subtly. For example, Sandra is asked for a response if the beauty pageant just won but if she says “I….” she has already been thanked for her response.

‘I Vitelloni’ is partly autobiographical. Fellini grew up in Rimini and seized the opportunity to leave this small village at the time. Moraldo (Franco Interlenghi) plays his part, the more contemplative, calm boy does not bleat pompous texts and has no great ideals. But he will be the only one to face the adventure. ‘I Vitelloni’ means the big calves. The young men are oversized calves who yearn for meaning and love in their existence. The fact that the film is in black and white does not disturb in any way, the story is about everyday life and is still topical in many areas. It is striking and funny to see that smoking was still everywhere in those days. We are really not used to that anymore.

The film received an Oscar nomination for best screenplay in 1958, before it had won major awards at other film festivals. Even without being a specific Fellini fan, ‘I Vitelloni’ is a must.