Il bidone

Fellini picture that doesn't get the same amount of attention as his best films of 8 and a Half(1963), La Strada(1954), or La Dolce Vita(1960). One of the final Neo realism films the director did before turning his attention to films that were filled with colorful characterizations. Precusor to The Sting(1973) except this movie is not a comedy. About a conman who wants to reform after meeting his daughter for the first time in a long time. Broderick Crawford puts forth a sympathetic performance as the Veteren conman, Augusto. Its probably the best performance in the actor's long career. Il Bidone/The Swindle(1955) is the middle and least known film of the Loneliness trilogy which includes La Strada(1954) and Nights of Cabiria(1957). All three of these movies reveal that the characters are naive about life around them. Getting a little regconition from some people because of its release on Home Video for the first time. The final frame of the picture reminds me of a scene from Don't Torture a Duckling(1972).

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.

Federico Fellini followed "La Strada" with this film. A forgotten classic that on second viewing still has the same impact when we saw it at a retrospective of the master's work some time back. Fellini was instrumental in creating this magnificent movie about con men that operated in Italy in the years that followed the end of WWII. Fellini worked on the screen play with his collaborators, Tullio Pinelli and Ennio Flaiano; they gave life to all these swindlers and made them human. Nino Rota's music and Otello Martinelli's cinematography compliment the film and make it even better.

Fellini was a director that got a lot from his actors, as he shows in "Il Bidone". Working with Broderick Crawford, and again with Richard Basehart, he was able to have both men give excellent performances, especially Mr. Crawford, who looks as though he is nothing but Italian because he convinces us he is the hard man he is portraying.

The three friends, Augusto, Picasso, and Roberto, go from one scheme to the next, never thinking about who are they stealing from. The best caper occurs at the beginning of the film as the trio arrives at the farm of the two older women with the promise of riches hidden in their land. Mr. Crawford's bishop is perfect. So is the assistant priest of Richard Basehart. Franco Fabrizi is the driver. The solution for getting the money away from the poor women is something not to be believed.

Augusto's life is an empty one. He goes from one job to another trying to outsmart his victims. It's not until Augusto meets his daughter Patrizia by chance, that he begins to feel what might be some remorse for his actions as he notices his beautiful daughter now grown and on her way to making something out of her life. His conscience begins to bother him because he realizes the evil of his ways.

The other best sequence in the film involves the party at Vargas' house where the swindlers have been invited to celebrate the arrival of the new year. We watch as Iris, Picasso's wife, realizes what her husband and the others are really up to. Roberto, the ladies' man, steals the gold cigarette case, not realizing that he is at the home of another con man and his actions will not go unnoticed, but even the embarrassment he goes through in front of the guests will make him give up his life.

"Il Bidone" is a fine example of the Italian cinema of those years as it shows an artist of the caliber of Federico Fellini in top form. The film will delight people that haven't been exposed to that part of Mr. Fellini's career seldom seen these days.

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.