Alma sin conciencia

This is a richly poetic film, a stark portrait of three con-men who make their living by swindling the poor out of what little money they have. The film moves back and forth between the scams they pull in the countryside and their lives in the city between jobs. The group's leader is Augusto, played expressively by the great Broderick Crawford. The other two con men are Roberto (Fabrizi), a lady chaser and risk-taker, and Picasso (Basehart), a family man and painter. Picasso's wife Iris is played by the great Giulietta Masina. Crawford (who won an Oscar for "All the King's Men," a film I need to see) is really excellent as Augusto, who begins addressing the matter of his conscience when by chance he runs into the daughter he has abandoned.

The party and dance scenes in the film's first half are really fantastic and crazy, full of men and women dancing to Nino Rota's music, crazy situations and fights arising, lots of drinking, lots of people looking at the camera (including a photographer who bounces up from the bottom of the frame, takes a picture, and kneels back down out of sight…that's typical Fellini there). For all of the fun that's present in this film, it takes some very moving and sad turns...and the amazing thing is how Fellini balances something funny and surreal to something truly heartbreaking (the film's final 15 minutes are stunningly touching).

Nino Rota's score is, as always, marvelous and really nails the feel and tone of the film. There are many themes, including a somber theme for Augusto's daughter, a really eccentric circus march theme, and lastly a terrific emotional theme that especially pulls into sharp effect in the film's closing moment. All of his themes are cleverly adapted in many variations bouncing between different styles of music- from mambo to wildly eccentric dance to rather Arabian to his typical circus-like music to just as often something very dramatic and emotional. This great score was released by CAM records just a couple years ago, it includes most of the music that's in the film, and is a great listen for Rota fans.

`Il Bidone' is the most ignored and overlooked film in Fellini's body of work, which is unfortunate. It's truly unforgettable how it depicts struggle, loneliness, and utmost guilt in the loveliest and most poignant ways imaginable.

Augusto (Oscarized america actor Broderick Crawford), Carlo (Richard Basehart who married the italian Valentina Cortese), and Roberto (Franco Fabrizi) are scam artists who often work together. The three Italian conmen pull capers in Rome tring to make a better life for themselves. Middle-age divorced Augusto is the oldest, most seasoned in the business, and the trio's spiritual leader. They either are immune to the notion that most of their victims are not wealthy, most distressed, most uneducated, most unfortunate, rural peasants or don't care that they make at most a few hundred thousand lira at a time in order to dupe and swindle them.

Another film of magical insight by Federico Fellini the master movie maker of 'La Dolce Vita'. A new dissection of Italian society in the mid-1950s, in similar style to 'I Vittellone' from the hand of a Fellini who already shows in this work his skills as a fierce observer of reality. Dark overtones permeate one of Fellini's best efforts

Sensitive and interesting film about a trio of swindlers led by a lonesome con-man must deal with their jobs and family pressures; packing drama, emotion, good feeling and Italian social habits. Fellini's drama, argued by some to be one of his finest works. The flick contains a highly symbolic internal logic, enjoyable imagery and attractive plot peppered with dramatic events. An enjoyable analysis of the lives of three people trapped in scams and corruption in order to get better their lives and eventually getting redemption. Their discontent leads them to carry out different activities, not all of them worthy of admiration. Fellini made a scathing and thoughtful portrait of manners on some swindlers around Rome in the 1950s. The roles are multi-dimensional and the storyline has brilliant insights into maturity, family, remorse and loneliness. Here Fellini demonstrates a real sensibility to the underprivileged of the world and his belief in a certain redemption. Almas sin conciencia (1955) is both a stand-alone movie and the centerpiece of Federico Fellini's unofficial "trilogy of loneliness," preceded by La strada (1954) and followed by Le notti di Cabiria (1957). All three are key works marking the last great moments of Italian neorealism. Good cast bring up the level of this movie. Along with two American actors: Broderick Crawford, Richard Basehart giving nice acting, there are good Italian actors and comedians who will eventually develop fruitful film careers, such as: Franco Fabrizi, Riccardo Garrone and feature film debut of Lorella De Luca, and, of course, Fellini's, Giulietta Masina.

The motion picture was masterfully directed by Federico Fellini and with magnificent interpretations all around. Fellini who inspired the word "Felliniesque" was one of the best Italian filmmakers/writers . He frequently cast Marcello Mastroianni and Giulietta Masina and Score by Nino Rota. His best works include dreams like imagery and nostalgia. He made Italian classics , such as : ¨8 and 1/2¨, ¨Roma¨, ¨Satyricon¨, ¨I Vitellone¨ , ¨La Dolce Vita¨ , ¨The clowns¨, ¨Casanova¨, ¨And the ship sails on¨, "City of Women" , "Orchestra Rehearsal" and directed his wife Giulietta in various films such as : ¨The white sheik¨ , ¨Il Bidone¨, ¨Juliet of the Spirits¨, "The Nights of Cabiria" ¨Ginger and Fred¨, ¨La Strada¨(1954) that won the first ever Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and N. Y. Critics Award to Foreign Film; in addition, including some auto-biographic elements, especially in ¨Amarcord¨ (1973) , though he denied his film to be autobiographical, but agreed that there are similarities with his own adolescence. ¨Il bidone (1955)¨ rating: 7/10. Essential and indispensable seeing for cinema classics fans and Fellini enthusiasts.

The middle chapter in Fellini's "trilogy of loneliness", made by a master between "La Strada" (1954), and "Nights of Cabiria," (1957), "Il Bidone" (1955) is less known, for long time simply forgotten (and I can't imagine why) but powerful, humorous, heartbreaking, and poignant film. Broderick Crawford, Academy Award winner for playing Willie Stark, a corrupt politician and a charismatic man in "All the King's Men" (1949), gives a compelling performance as Augusto, an aging con man, a leader of a trio of small time crooks who take advantage of poor and uneducated Italians in both country side and poor quarters of Rome. Augusto realizes at the age of 48 that his life of selfishness, greed, and wrongdoings only made his existence meaningless. Once in his life, he decided to con the con men in order to help his daughter whom he rarely sees but deeply loves with fulfilling her dreams of better life but a swindle gone wrong leads Augusto to the final scene of pain, both physical and mental, to loneliness and desperation. It is very much like "Nights of Cabiria" final scene but without eternal hope of Cabiria's smile…

Technically, "Il Bidone" is a very strong film with memorable performances, including the smaller cameos. Fellini's directing is as satisfying as always and many scenes remind of his future triumphs (New Year party is a stunning sequence and brings to mind "La Dolce Vita", 1960 ). Nino Rota's music and Otello Martinelli's cinematography add to many pleasures of the film, one of them is Giulietta Masina who plays supporting role of Iris, the wife of Picasso (Richard Basehart), the younger con artist with a dream to become an Artist. Both, Masina and Basehart starred in Fellini's first chapter of "trilogy of loneliness", "La Strada" (1954).

This movie follows the exploits of Augusto and his team of unscrupulous crooks, they cheat and swindle the poorest, and most helpless, of the Italian countryside stealing what little savings these people have for promises of immense riches. They then return to Rome where everyone seems to be trying to work the other, each character and minor character tries to outwit the other. There are a few very subtly funny hustling scenes that are offset by the tragic everyday life of Augusto. He is no longer a young hustler, but a middle aged crook with nothing to look forward to. That is, until he sees his young, and estranged daughter Patrizia, and he sees her as a way to make his life more meaningful, or maybe, less lonely. (POSSIBLE SPOILERS) And she only needs a small sum of money to help her get on her feet, so Augusto, the working man he is, tries to help her. The viewer gets the feeling that it might actually be one last bidone, or big swindle, and for once he has a legitimate reason. But, in the life of Augusto nothing can be as easy as that. Augusto's character is forlorn and sad, but, if I might add, if the last scene does not leave a lump in your throat you are a stronger man than I.

A trio of con-men lead by a lonesome swindler must deal with their job and family pressures.

Bosley Crowther called it "a cheap crime thriller." He added, "For this film, which is often mentioned in estimations of the master's works, is notable as a false step in his movement toward the development of a type of story material ... But it contains some very strong Fellini phases and accumulations of moods that make it well worth seeing. And it is generally well played ... Broderick Crawford's performance as the swindler is heavy and sodden, with a particular flair for postured histrionics in the swindle scenes." I suspect that opinions have changed since Crowther's day and people are generally more positive. It may be a "cheap crime thriller", but I happened to really enjoy that aspect -- the three cons who are so depraved they will even pretend to be the Church to rob from the poor. And then we get the beautiful contrast of their home lives. These are not three evil bachelors, but men who have wives and children. Does that make their crime worse?