Lo sceicco bianco (1952)

Director:

Federico Fellini

Writers:

Michelangelo Antonioni (story) &
Federico Fellini (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

25 April 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Plot:

The first two days of a marriage. Ivan, a punctilious clerk brings his virginal bride to Rome for a honeymoon...

Plot Keywords:

Honeymoon | Boat | Attempted Suicide | Runaway | Family Honor

Cast

Alberto Sordi	...	Fernando Rivoli - il sceicco bianco
Brunella Bovo	...	Wanda Giardino Cavalli
Leopoldo Trieste	...	Ivan Cavalli
Giulietta Masina	...	Cabiria - La prostituta
Lilia Landi	...	Felga - La zingara del fotoromanzo
Ernesto Almirante	...	Dottore Fortuna - il regista del fotoromanzo
Fanny Marchiò	...	Marilena Alba Vellardi
Gina Mascetti	...	Aida Rivoli - La moglie di Fernando
Jole Silvani
Enzo Maggio	...	Furio
Anna Primula
Mimo Billi	...	Man on the beach
Armando Libianchi
Ugo Attanasio	...	Uncle of Ivan
Giulio Moreschi
Elettra Zago
Piero Antonucci
Aroldino the Comedian	...	Cugino Aroldino (as Aroldino)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ettore Maria Margadonna	...	Il zio di Ivan
Antonio Acqua	...	Police Officer (uncredited)
Lalla Ambraziejus	...	(uncredited)
Silvia De Vietri	...	(uncredited)
Rino Leandri	...	(uncredited)
Guglielmo Leoncini	...	(uncredited)
Carlo Mazzone	...	(uncredited)
Giorgio Salvioni	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Federico Fellini

Writing credits
Michelangelo Antonioni		(story) (as M. Antonioni) &
Federico Fellini		(story) (as F. Fellini) &
Tullio Pinelli		(story) (as T. Pinelli)
Federico Fellini		(screenplay) &
Tullio Pinelli		(screenplay) &
Ennio Flaiano		(screenplay)

Produced by
Luigi Rovere	....	producer

Original Music by
Nino Rota

Cinematography by
Arturo Gallea
Leonida Barboni		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
Rolando Benedetti

Art Direction by
Raffaello Tolfo

Makeup Department
Franco Titi	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Eliseo Boschi	....	production team
Antonio Greco	....	production supervisor
Enzo Provenzale	....	production manager
Vincenzo Taito	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Stefano Ubezio	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Armando Grilli	....	sound
Walfrido Traversari	....	sound (as Walfredo Traversari)

Camera and Electrical Department
Antonio Belviso	....	camera operator
Osvaldo Civirani	....	still photographer

Editorial Department
Moraldo Rossi	....	editing secretary

Music Department
Fernando Previtali	....	conductor

Other crew
Renato Panetuzzi	....	production secretary

Production Companies

• OFI
• P.D.C.

Distributors

• P.D.C. (1952) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Janus Films (1956) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Cinematheque (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• Xenon Pictures (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• Home Vision Entertainment (HVE) (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Versátil Home Vídeo (2003) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"The White Sheik" - USA
"A fehér sejk" - Hungary
"Abismo de um Sonho" - Brazil
"Bialy szejk" - Poland
"Courrier du coeur" - France
"De witte cheik" - Belgium (Flemish title)
"Den hvide sheik" - Denmark (imdb display title)
"Der weiße Scheich" - East Germany
"Die bittere Liebe" - West Germany
"El jeque blanco" - Spain
"El sheik" - Argentina
"Le scheik blanc" - Belgium (French title)
"Le sheik blanc" - France
"O Sheik Branco" - Portugal
"O lefkos seihis" - Greece (transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title)
"Tetri Sheikhi" - Georgia (imdb display title)
"Valkoinen sheikki" - Finland

Runtime:

86 min | Argentina:92 min | USA:83 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

UK:U | Singapore:PG | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

FERT Studios, Turin, Piedmont, Italy

Company:

OFI

Quotes:

Marilena Alba Vellardi:Real life is the life of dreams.
Wanda Giardino Cavalli:I'm always dreaming.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Magic of Fellini (2002) (TV)

A very "un-Fellini" sort of film

This was the first film Fellini directed on his own and it was among his best but most under-appreciated films. While it does not have the usual "Fellini look" (with odd looking supporting characters, unusual stories or unique style), the film is a definite winner--featuring a very cute story and some winning performances. Plus, like most of Fellini's films, the plot is pretty weird--and that I truly appreciate.

A young man and woman are married and come to Rome for their honeymoon. The very organized husband seems to have planned every last detail of the trip--scheduling almost every second of every day and allowing them no time alone or to even consummate their marriage. Instead of trying to get this seemingly inflexible man to bend, the young bride hopes to just slip away from the hotel VERY briefly to go meet her idol, the "White Sheik". Unbeknownst to the hubby, she is an avid reader of an adventure magazine that feature this fictional character--complete with photos and stories about his larger than life adventures and romance. And, she'd been writing him for some time and her only real desire in Rome was to spend just a brief moment with him. However, when she arrives at the office that publishes the magazine, the actor portraying him in the stories isn't there. But, the folks see she's a real fan and want to help her, so they tell her to get in the truck and go with the camera crew to the shoot. She only has a moment, but agrees--after all, he is her idol.

Well, one thing after another goes wrong and her brief excursion lasts more than a day! In the meantime, the new husband is panic-stricken but doesn't want to tell his uncle or his family--he's too embarrassed to tell them he's misplaced his wife! And, for the next day or so, he makes one excuse after another to explain why she isn't there to go on their fully packed itinerary! The story is very cute and charming,...plus it provides a few laughs. In many ways, it reminds me of the later film THE PURPLE ROSE OF CAIRO (where Mia Farrow is a devoted fan of a movie serial star and sees the same film again and again), but it is both more charming and ultimately has a better and more upbeat ending.

PS--I know this may make me sound like I am not "with it", but I really do prefer most of Fellini's earlier films and hate the "über strange" films from later in his career (such as SATYRICON). This is a wonderful film that is sure to please everyone--even those who don't think they like the films of Fellini.