I encountered “I Vitelloni” in the ‘Turner Movie Classic Collection’ on HBO Max. I am admittedly always weary of watching older films as I sometimes have trouble staying focused due to the stark contrast in visuals compared to more contemporary films. Yes, CGI has wreaked havoc on my brain, but after watching and thoroughly enjoying Welle’s “Citizen Kane,” I have been trying to broaden my tastes to include more films before the 1970s. To my surprise, I more than enjoyed this film—I rank it as one of the best films I’ve ever seen.
Set in a fictional Italian coastal town, “ I Vitelloni” explores the unremarkable lives of five young friends and their aimless meandering through a romantic and often intimate lens. Although the dialogue is in Italian, the performances and cinematic choices in the construction of the scenes make the language less important as viewers are drawn in by the storytelling. There is a palpable relatability to the characters nearing a sense of familiarity. Scenes are often intimate and focus on the characters’ interactions and relationships with one another in a way that evokes a sense of immersion into their lives—a trait that makes Scorsese’s proclaimed influence by the film unsurprising. Federico Fellini, Ennio Flaiano, and Tullio Pinelli bring their screenplay to life in a way that showcases their ability to beautifully capture the essence of those everyday interactions that seem ordinary, but are compelling to most audiences without being overly sentimental.
Of Reveling Boys and Hard-Working Men
Like Scorsese’s films, “I Vitteloni” captures beauty and intrigue in the characters’ way of life. We observe the lives of five young men who form members of a friend group, each with a distinctive personality. The congelation of these men lies in their lack of direction as they scuttle through fading youth. Set during a time of social change in Italy and a shortage of jobs for men, there is a stark difference between this generation of young men and the women they interact with, as well as older generations of men.
This tension between generations manifests in Fausto—the group’s appointed “philosophical” compass, whose direction leads them further down a path of endless meandering. Fausto lacks ambition and a sense of responsibility. He is also an avid womanizer. His relationship with Sandra, the sister of his friend Moraldo and soon-to-be mother of his child, illustrates this dynamic as Sandra often speaks on his behalf to her parents to make up for Fausto’s general lack of reliability or maturity.
A scene from “I Vitteloni” (1953). (Photo: Peg-Films).
Fausto is also an annoyance to older men. His father is disgusted by his dishonorable behavior. He exclaims he will drag him to the alter after intercepting Fausto’s plans to abandon a pregnant Sandra. His father also states, “her father is an honorable man…a man who worked all his life, like me.” Sandra and Moraldo’s father also becomes vexed with Fausto after helping him secure employment at the shop his friend owns.
Clinging to Youth, Yet Embracing Change
Fausto advances on the shop owner’s wife, who tells her husband. He explains to Fausto the difference between men “like him” and Fausto, and the implications this difference has for his new marriage. He then fires Fausto, telling him to make up an excuse to save himself from embarrassment. Fausto enlists Morlado to steal from the shop owner as revenge, but both get caught, much to the humiliation of Morlado’s father. The scrutiny Fausto’s behavior elicits from several older men illustrates a generational contrast in attitudes. These older men are hard workers, not only to earn a living but also, to make their marriages last and provide for their families. This lack of direction, scruples, and need for “adventure” strikes them as a frivolous luxury.
The quiet Moraldo, Fausto’s best friend and Sandra’s older brother, partially narrates the film. Moraldo is nonconfrontational and instead seems to internalize most of the behavior around him. He grows increasingly agitated with Fausto’s ill behavior, especially as it becomes much more specified to Moraldo and his family, as Fausto continues to embarrass his sister and their father with his womanizing.
The Emptiness that Accompanies Revelry
One of my favorite scenes during the film is after staying out all night, Morlado takes a quiet moment to himself on a park bench only to meet a 13-year-old railroad employee. In their discussion, Moraldo is surprised the boy has a job, but the much younger boy seems even more surprised that Morlado does not. Moraldo asks him if he enjoys his work, to which the boy plainly responds it is ok and then cuts his chat short to tend to his responsibilities, leaving Moraldo in a state of quiet pondering. This moment is when Moraldo, who is miles more mature and thoughtful than his friends he commiserates with, realizes that this 13-year-old has more agency and independence than he or his friend. This begins his continuing awareness of his friends’ lack of ambition as the film continues.
A scene from “I Vitteloni” (1953). (Photo: Peg-Films).
The film is at its best when capturing a feeling of aimlessness by juxtaposing moments of heightened festivity with dismal, empty settings. After Sandra and Fausto marry in a beautifully ornate Catholic cathedral and head to their honeymoon, the remaining friends walk on an empty beach as the seasons change. There is a feeling of vast emptiness evoked by the endless sand and the barely differential line between the ocean and horizon as the wind sweeps through.
The Cold that Proceeds Change
My favorite scene in the film is the cold morning after a festival all the friends intend. Whereas they spent the night drinking, partying, and flirting with young women, we now see Moraldo assisting his drunk friend Alberto to walk home, the town empty and littered with trash from the previous night. The same cold, coastal wind blowing through evokes feelings of emptiness and a palpable drop in temperature as gratification dissipates.
As a young person who has spent many early mornings contemplating life after a night out, the ability to render this feeling in the film is impressive. I have also walked amongst a strip of nightclubs that were only hours ago lit up, lively, and festive, only to see them illuminated by the coming dawn as I walked to the bus stop. With litter strewn about the streets, the quietness lends to intrusive thoughts about one’s place in the world and exposes any deeper yearnings beyond cheap thrills.
A Timeless Film by Federico Fellini
A scene from “I Vitteloni” (1953). (Photo: Peg-Films).
“I Vitteloni” is a film that overcomes film bro pretentiousness by its genuinely enjoyable nature. Yes, it may stroke a few egos to say they sat through a black-and-white piece of cinema obscured by the years. A better talking point is how a film captures the stories of everyday life for a group of people without the appearance of any cataclysmic or overdramatic cinematic tropes utilized.
Maybe because I grew up Catholic and in a large cross-generational extended family, I relate to the themes and settings depicted by the film. I believe the most appealing aspect of this film is that so many people are on this journey currently. People stumble through youth with no guide on making it through and end up muddying things as they go. Their ability to mature, grow, and develop agency while others do not is a spectacle. This film captures a universal social phenomenon and renders it on-screen without ever feeling too schmaltzy, as other coming-of-age films proceeding it tend to be. These traits lend to its timelessness and, thus, relatability.
“I Vitteloni” is currently available to stream on HBO Max. It should also be available to rent from Apple TV and Amazon.
