I Vitelloni saw Fellini move towards a more personal style of filmmaking after the critical and commercial failure of The White Sheik. A group of five provincial young men live lives of indolence as they talk about their plans for the future. Fausto (Franco Fabrizi), their de facto leader, is an incorrigible philanderer, cheating repeatedly on his pregnant wife. Riccardo (Riccardo Fellini) and Leopoldo (Leopoldo Trieste) harbor artistic aspirations, though neither has the discipline necessary to follow through. Alberto (Alberto Sordi) is quietly content being supported by his mother and sister, while only Moraldo (Franco Interlenghi) seems to realise how limited his life has become. Winner of the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival, the film set the stage for Fellini’s subsequent successes.    

Screening as part of the Federico Fellini retrospective, April 4th to 30th.