I Vitelloni [DVD] [1953]

The film seems like an anachronism when compared to some of it's director's later projects, with 'I Vitelloni' making the most of it's static, almost-documentary-like camera perspectives and lingering scenes of quiet conversation... a world away from the carnival grotesques in films like Satyricon or Casanova. There are a few hints of the style that would develop, particularly in the use of composition, character, and overall theme, but for the most part, this is Fellini finding his feet. The depiction of the old seaside town here bares no relation to the gaudy Technicolor fabrication of Amarcord, though it's certainly as lovingly rendered; with Fellini offering empathy and compassion to his characters who, like Mastroianni in his more celebrated films, mostly come across as lazy, feckless, arrogant and chauvinistic. Despite these character flaws however, Fellini is still able to make us understand these characters and feel compassion towards them. By involving us, as an audience, within their everyday lives, conversations, relationships and deepest desires, we feel almost initiated within the group and ultimately end up captivated by their lazy, directionless charm.

The film is greatly entertaining, capturing the spirit of its characters and striking something of a chord within any of us who have ever felt as if life and youth was slowly passing us by. It's by no means a self-pitying film, despite the bitterness and sense of defeat so prevalent in the majority of the characters, there's still a great deal of warmth and humour to them... It's a bittersweet film then, in some respects; giving is the ultimate depiction of vibrant small-town youth slowly metamorphosing into the kind of cantankerous old characters found in every small town across the world. In that respect it has obvious parallels with films like Diner, The Big Chill, Days Of Being Wild, Mean Streets and Spetters, which present a similar depiction of aimless adulthood advancing on a wasted youth (...whilst the depiction of the town and the sentiments of the characters remind me of the Morrissey song, Everyday Is Like Sunday, with the main location here seeming very much like "the coastal town that they forgot to close down!!").

'I Vitelloni' is an intoxicating film... one best watched during a rainy afternoon when you can best empathise with the characters and their aimless decent into the darker side of life. The creation of the characters is perfectly observed, whilst the depiction of the town gives us an evocation of a certain time, place, atmosphere and overall sense of emotion. The direction is strong and shows us a glimmer of the style that would go towards creating iconic films like La Dolce Vita and 8 ½, which means that this could very easily be the best place to start for those new to the films of Federico Fellini.