I Vitelloni (1953)

 Federico Fellini's "I Vitelloni"

There's something about the work of Federico Fellini that seems almost untouchable. There's a certain magic that permeates the fabric of the film screen. The same rule applies to his second feature length film, 1953's "I Vitelloni." The film won the Venice Film Festival Silver Lion in 1953 and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Screenplay in 1958. It was Fellini's second film, but was the first commercial and critical success of his career.

The film portrays the daily lives of five young men in a small Italian town. The film is mostly without plot, but mundanely inhabits the lives of these men who seem to be in a state of arrested development. To best understand the film, you would first need to understand the film's title. When the first was first shopped around, many distributors wanted to change the title of the film, as it was generally incomprehensible. However, Fellini adamantly refused, as the title of the film was integral to its thematic point. The word "vitelloni" refers to 'veal or calf,' however it is used in a slang way to mean 'callow youths.' Co-screenwriter Ennio Flaiano offered a fuller meaning of the word: "The term 'vitelloni' was used in my day to define a young man from a modest family, perhaps a student - but one who had either already gone beyond the programmed schedule for his coursework, or one who did nothing all the time... I believe the term is a corruption of the word 'vudellone,' the large intestine, or a person who eats a lot. It was a way of describing the family son who only ate but never 'produced' - like an intestine, waiting to be filled." According to Fellini, he chose the film's title after "being called a 'vitelloni' by an ederly woman expressing disapproval of one of [his] pranks." The film's characters all exhibit the title's intention. The characters are stuck in their small town, all itching for something better, all unsure of what to do with their lives, and all doing things to escape the mundanity and desolation of their daily rituals. Their hollow existence is often interrupted by more exciting events that provide a temporary respite, like the carnival or a variety show. 

In order to capture this thematic point, Fellini worked with several cinematographers over a six-month period to develop a predominant camera style based on slow tracking shots that "match the listless, purposeless lives" of his characters. With editor Rolando Benedetti, Fellini established a rhythm in which short sequences were separated by abrupt cuts while longer sequences used dissolves. The numerous brief and disparate episodes "governed by their own internal logic" were thus held together by a particular editing pattern. These visual styles allow for the viewer to fall into the lives of these characters as they drift their way through life and find ways to satiate the intense mundanity. 

The entire film rests on the atmosphere that Fellini creates. The film is plotless, but so is the lives of these characters. They begin to get so restless, they create drama for themselves and thereby, the film's drama as well. There's a melancholy in every moment. There's an itch for something different, something beyond what's already right in front of you. None of the characters live by themselves. Although they are all either in their late 20s or early 30s, they all live with their parents or other family members. They don't have jobs and if they do, they don't keep them very long. As film critic Genevieve Agel notes of Fellini's inherent visual symbolisms of this destitution: "Fellini films a deserted piazza at nighttime. It symbolizes solitude, the emptiness that follows communal joy, the bleak torpor that succeeds the swarming crowd; there are always papers lying around like so many reminders of what the day and life have left behind."

The film's resonance was powerful for many post-war audience members. The film mirrored important societal changes in 1950s Italy and global provincial life all together. The film's poetic atmosphere and thematic impact gave Fellini an artistic merit to continue making his magical films. It was a film that would also inspire great works to come later: Martin Scorsese's "Mean Streets," George Lucas' "American Graffiti," and Joel Schumacher's "St. Elmo's Fire." Above all, "I Vitelloni" is a standout film in its own right, and one of the first great works of a master filmmaker.