''Il bidone'' (, "The Drum ontainer/nowiki>"; also known as ''The Swindle'' or ''The Swindlers'') is a 1955

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

film directed by Federico Fellini from his own screenplay co-written with

Ennio Flaiano Ennio Flaiano (5 March 1910 – 20 November 1972) was an Italian screenwriter, playwright, novelist, journalist, and drama critic. Best known for his work with Federico Fellini, Flaiano co-wrote ten screenplays with the Italian director, including ...

and

Tullio Pinelli Tullio Pinelli (24 June 1908 – 7 March 2009) was an Italian screenwriter known for his work on the Federico Fellini films ''I Vitelloni'', ''La Strada'', '' La Dolce Vita'' and '' 8½''. Biography Born in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, Pinelli beg ...

. It features Broderick Crawford,

Richard Basehart John Richard Basehart (August 31, 1914 – September 17, 1984) was an American actor. He starred as Admiral Harriman Nelson in the television science-fiction drama '' Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' (1964–68). He also portrayed Wilton Knig ...

and

Giulietta Masina Giulia Anna "Giulietta" Masina (22 February 1921 – 23 March 1994) was an Italian film actress best known for her performances as Gelsomina in ''La Strada'' (1954) and Cabiria in ''Nights of Cabiria'' (1957), for which she won the Cannes Film F ...

. Released one year after the director's internationally successful ''

La Strada ''La strada'' () is a 1954 Italian drama film directed by Federico Fellini and co-written by Fellini, Tullio Pinelli and Ennio Flaiano. The film tells the story of Gelsomina, a simple-minded young woman ( Giulietta Masina) bought from her mothe ...

'', ''Il bidone'' continues with many of the same socially conscious, neorealist-inspired themes while minimizing the

poetic realism Poetic realism was a film movement in France of the 1930s. More a tendency than a movement, poetic realism is not strongly unified like Soviet montage or French Impressionism but were individuals who created this lyrical style. Its leading filmm ...

and extravagant vitality, that is today known as " felliniesque", in favor of a more pointed political stance.

Plot

In the country outside Rome, a group of swindlers dress up as clerics and con poor farmers out of their savings. Another scam in a shanty town is to pretend they are officials taking deposits for apartments. The proceeds are spent on flashy cars, champagne and prostitutes. One member of the gang, Carlo - nicknamed Picasso in being an aspiring artist - pretends to his faithful wife Iris that he is a traveling salesman, but after a New Year's Eve party among criminals she stops believing him. His conscience is pricked and he decides to quit. Another member, Augusto, meets his teenage daughter Patrizia who he has not seen for years, and his conscience is also awakened. However he is recognized in a cinema with her, arrested and jailed. When released he forms a new gang to work the clergy scam among peasants. After swindling a large sum out of a farming family, he talks to their

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

-afflicted teenage daughter. Her plight touches him, and when the gang come to share out the gains he says he gave it all back. A row develops and he is battered to the ground. Stripping him, the crooks find he has concealed the takings in his clothes. On a snowy hillside, they leave him to a slow death.

Cast

* Broderick Crawford as Augusto Rocco *

as Iris *

as Carlo aka Picasso *

Franco Fabrizi Franco Fabrizi (; 15 February 1916 – 18 October 1995) was an Italian actor. Life and career Son of a barber and a cinema cashier, Franco Fabrizi started his career as a model and an actor in fotoromanzi. Fabrizi also starred on several revu ...

as Roberto Giorgio * Sue Ellen Blake as Anna * Irene Cefaro as Marisa * Alberto De Amicis as Rinaldo * Lorella De Luca as Patrizia * Giacomo Gabrielli as Il Baron Vargas * Riccardo Garrone as Riccardo

Reception

Critical response

Film critic

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

gave the film a mixed review, calling 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."Cowther, Bosley
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

,'' film review, November 20, 1964. Last accessed: January 26, 2008. The film also has a 100% rating on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes from 6 reviewers.

Awards

Nominations *

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...

: Golden Lion, Federico Fellini; 1955.

Influence

''Il bidone'' had a notable influence on Giuseppe Tornatore's 1995 film, '' L'uomo delle stelle'' — about a con man who defrauds Sicilian peasants with dreams of becoming movie stars in Rome.

References

External links

* * * * (Italian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bidone, Il 1955 films 1955 crime drama films Italian black-and-white films Films scored by Nino Rota Films directed by Federico Fellini Italian crime drama films 1950s Italian-language films English-language Italian films 1950s English-language films Titanus films Films about con artists Films with screenplays by Federico Fellini 1950s multilingual films Italian multilingual films 1950s Italian films