I Vitelloni poster & wallpaper

Alberto Sordi, Carlo Romano, Claude Farell

Five men in their mid-to-late 20s (overgrown calves) drink, womanize and idle in their Italian seaside hometown. While some of them dream of leaving, only one finally does.

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22 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 44 min.

Directed by: Federico Fellini

Release Date: September 17, 1953

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DVD Release Date: August 24, 2004

Stats: 208 reviews

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Franco Fabrizi as Fausto Fausto and his father Franco Interlenghi as Moraldo Moraldo and Guido wedding Fausto and Sandrina Jean Brochard as Fausto's father Alberto and Olga Claude Farell as Olga Leopoldo Trieste as Leopoldo Carnevale Carnevale Signor Rubini and Sandra Carnevale Lída Baarová as Mrs. Curti Moraldo and Alberto Carnevale Leonora Ruffo as Sandra
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Flixster Reviews (208)

  • kenstachnik
    April 29, 2009
    kenstachnik
    Scorsese is obviously a fan of this Italian Neo-Realism classic. It's not my favorite, but it's definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of the genre.
  • rubystevens
    April 21, 2009
    rubystevens
    my new favorite fellini. i'm not a huge fan of his later works but mean streets is all over this. hell, the very first scene was lifted for goodfellas. tho mainly a masterpiece of neorealism, fellini's later style is evident in the carnival scene among other whimsical touches ...( read more)and his signature dreamlike atmosphere is pervasive, albeit in the form of memory. that he can make us care so much about this group of pathetic slackers is amazing to me. i had to watch it again right away. so even if ur not a fan, u might want to give it a chance. hilarious and heartbreaking
  • pier007
    June 25, 2007
    pier007
    Fellini narrates his sometimes pleasent, sometimes hard youth with his peculiar friends. An overlook jewel that inspired many other, like Barry Levinson's Diner or George Lucas' American Graffiti.
  • binky013
    March 10, 2007
    binky013
    The perpetually unemployed? The eternal students? The men who didn't want to grow up? So what is the best translation for this title? The guys who wanted to drink, smoke, and shoot pool forever?

    This is still what I would call early Fellini. Ostensibly autobiographical,

    ...( read more)this is defintiely a slice-of-life movie shot in a realistic style. With Moraldo posed as Fellini, however, we are given a kind of dark fairytale of men moving quickly into middle-age who have lived the "dream" of never having to grow up, to accept responsibility, or to make something of their lives. And Peter Pan it is not; in a way it is almost tragic. If we waste too much of our lives, we obviously have less time to "make our mark." Moraldo-Fellini finally chooses to step off the merry-go-round and strike out to make his mark. A bittersweet meditation on the reasons why youth sometimes truly may be wasted on the young.
  • zeravenyoej
    February 19, 2009
    zeravenyoej
    I can definitely see how this influenced George Lucas, and I wouldn't be surprised if it also inspired The Last Picture Show. Apparently Martin Scorsese and Stanley Kubrick were big fans as well.
  • ElCochran90
    November 14, 2009
    ElCochran90
    "There are so many young men around here. Where are the young women?"

    I Vitelloni (1953)


    Director: Federico Fellini
    Country: Italy / France
    Genre: Drama
    Length: 104 minutes

    ...( read more)cket.com/albums/ww125/ElCochran90/Decorated%20images/?action=view¤t=IVitelloni.jpg" target="_blank">Photobucket

    I Vitelloni is one of the most joyous and provocative celebrations of the most relevant event of our very lives: life itself. Federico Fellini begins his influential and unparalleled filmography with definitely one of his most multi-talented and elaborate masterpieces. It may have been a good technique for Fellini to resort to an autobiographical portrait rather than a completely original story precisely because he always stated that he wanted cinematic audiences to see life like his eyes did. With I Vitelloni, Fellini goes nostalgic, and in the process established most of the important bases that would determine the characteristics that latter films of the same genre had, not to mention it was an extremely obvious and strong influence for Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets (1973).

    The plot is the simplest that could be find in a Fellini film. I Vitelloni focuses on the lives of five men during their mid 20s while go to parties, conquer women, face new family and relationship responsabilities and start to dream about their respective, uncertain futures. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen in 1954, unfairly losing the Oscar against George Wells' Designing Woman (1957). Federico Fellini was also nominated for the Golden Lion and won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival of 1953.

    An extraordinary early talent, true signs of the brilliance of a master, is shown throughout I Vitelloni, mostly because of wonderful narrative structure powered by one of the most fully-developed and complete screenplays of Italian cinema. Before resorting to the Italian Neorealism, Fellini makes clear statemenets about how life should be perceived and felt through the human adventures of a group of friends who start to unravel the mysteries and some of the meanings of their respective lives through a troublesome, yet occasionally fun existence. It has not a focus on existentialist ideals. Instead, Fellini contrasts very different personalities, finishes to construct them through their relatives and acquaintances, and offers a very nostalgic and moving conclusion.

    The performances did not need to be specifically exceptional, but they were. It barely shares some neorealism characteristics since the cast seems inexperienced, but few feature films have captured the real and effective magic of the dedicated work of inexperienced actors. Fellini is also capable of showing his writing talents, not to mention he had always worked with extremely talented screenwriters during his filmic career. I Vitelloni seems to belong to the vague category of films where "nothing seems to happen". Moreover, each event portrayed throughout has a very redeeming and even cathartic significance, and that is the primary source where most of the cinematic brilliance is irradiated. The parties, the arguments, the discussions, the differences of opinion, the alcoholism, the womanizing and the local ceremonies seem to instantly maximize the rather small physical size of the Italian seaside hometown. Their dreams suddenly seem to be closer than they think. Other times, their illusions are much more away than they are willing to accept, clearly shown through the group of friends walking and standing by the vast sea.

    I Vitelloni is as multiphacetic as the different faces that the personal existence of any individual may involve. The reasons of Fellini suffering a neorealist transformation since this film until the 60's, beginning with La Dolce Vita (1960), have remained unclear, yet they seem to be rather logical. It is a masterpiece of nostalgic proportions that can be interpreted as a modest prophecy of the simple magic that Amarcord (1973) would later share in the 70's. Its power, influence and heartwarming subject matter is a reminder of two main things. The first thing is that cinema is about expressing ideas regardless of the plot, the explicitness and the controversy. The second thing is that simplicity is the source of ultimate complexity. I Vitelloni, therefore, is the simplest form of complexity regarding the art of cinema. Nonetheless, it is a moving triumph.

    88/100
  • michaelcorleone
    September 27, 2009
    michaelcorleone
    This is an irrefutably influential film whose concept is visible in films as different as Diner and La Haine. Fellini portrays a group of perpetually aimless men whose narcissism clouds their ability to do something meaningful with their lives. The character examinations are rive...( read more)ting and powerful when taken exclusively, but I personally think a more prominent central focus would have given the film more resonance. The film is startlingly jovial when you take the subject matter into account, but I found the tonal decisions to be interesting rather than awkward. This is an important movie that is years and years ahead of its time, and it has made an impression on such acclaimed filmmakers as Martin Scorsese and George Lucas.
  • vanjaantonijevic
    July 24, 2009
    vanjaantonijevic
    http://content6.flixster.com/movie/10/55/10/10551088_tmb.jpg
  • elisakitty
    May 19, 2009
    elisakitty
    Stiamo parlando di un film di quasi 60 anni fa. Se ci penso non mi sembra quasi possibile che i Vitelloni è solamente il secondo film di Fellini e nonostante questo il messaggio che ne deriva è di grande attualità. Dalle vicende della vita dei giovani protagonisti, emergono le s...( read more)peranze ed i sogni di una generazione uscita da poco dal conflitto mondiale, in cui Fellini sicuramente mette molto della sua adolescenza. Un grande Fellini che racconta con dettagli ricchi e baroccheggianti la sua gioventù, scegliendo come setting non la Romagna ma Ostia e gli studi di una Cinecittà ai tempi d'oro. Il film lascia un retrogusto amaro, solo uno dei giovani riuscirà a staccarsi dalla circoscritta e un pò ottusa mentalità del piccolo paese per andare in città, ma questo non avviene con serenità piuttosto con fredda disperazione. Alberto Sordi nel magnifico ruolo di 'Alberto' forse il più dissennato dei cinque, ci regala scene esilaranti, ma con la sua scanzonatezza ci lascia riflettere sulle aspettative circa il nostro futuro e sul fatto che nella vita c'è la maggior parte delle persone che si accontenta e chi vuole di più.
  • lazywomanfromouterspace
    February 26, 2009
    lazywomanfromouterspace
    Love the narrative and the way how Fellini shows the traditions and the cultural values between family, friends and society.

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Critic Reviews

February 12, 2004
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

If you have warm memories of American Graffiti, Diner, Mean Streets or even TV's Seinfeld, you owe it to yourself to see the masterpiece that inspired them all. full review

December 12, 2003
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

A must-see for Fellini enthusiasts and a worthwhile investment for everyone else. full review

November 13, 2003
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

It shows all of Fellini's unrivaled virtues -- his lyrical sense of place, his abiding affection for even the most hapless of his characters, his effortless knack for limpid, bustling composition -- a... full review

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