I Vitelloni

A real charmer from Fellini. The story of five young men who have grown up, and seem to be stuck in, a small seaside town. Fausto, having seduced the sister of his friend Moraldo, is forced to marry her. He takes a job at a small shop selling religious artefacts, but the couple, with a baby on the way, have to stay with Sandra’s parents until they can afford a place of their own. Marriage does not change Fausto’s womanising ways and he is still forever chasing women, including his boss’s wife, which gets him fired. His friends are of similar temperament, content to be idle, chase women and leave the job hunting to others. The film is funny, the story told with great humanity. Some early beginnings of the imagery that would come to feature so strongly in Fellini’s later movies (life as a circus, humans as performers) is present in the carnival scenes. The film is said to be partly autobiographical of Fellini’s early life in Rimini. A lovely movie, genuinely touching in parts and a joy to watch. I saw this as part of the Art Gallery of NSW’s current Picasso Goes To The Movies series, an excellent program to coincide with a major Picasso exhibition. Next week: La Strada!