Il bidone (1955)

Director:

Federico Fellini

Writers:

Federico Fellini
Ennio Flaiano
(more)

Release Date:

October 1962 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Aging small-time con man Augusto, who swindles peasants, works with two younger men: Roberto, who wants to become the Italian Johnny Ray...

Plot Keywords:

Peasant | Imposture | Caper Comedy | Drug Dealer | Middle Age

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Broderick Crawford	...	Augusto
Giulietta Masina	...	Iris
Richard Basehart	...	Picasso
Franco Fabrizi	...	Roberto
Sue Ellen Blake	...	Anna
Irene Cefaro	...	Marisa
Alberto De Amicis	...	Rinaldo
Lorella De Luca	...	Patrizia
Giacomo Gabrielli	...	Il Baron Vargas
Riccardo Garrone	...	Riccardo
Paul Grenter
Emilio Manfredi
Lucetta Muratori
Mario Passante
Sara Simoni
Xenia Valderi	...	Luciana
Mara Werlen	...	Maggie
Maria Zanoli	...	Stella Florina
Ettore Bevilacqua	...	Swindled Man
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ada Colangeli	...	Bit part (uncredited)
Yami Kamadeva	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Federico Fellini

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Federico Fellini
Ennio Flaiano
Tullio Pinelli

Produced by
Mario Derecchi	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Nino Rota

Cinematography by
Otello Martelli

Film Editing by
Mario Serandrei
Giuseppe Vari

Production Design by
Dario Cecchi

Set Decoration by
Massimiliano Capriccioli

Costume Design by
Dario Cecchi

Makeup Department
Rocchetti	....	hair stylist (as Fiamma Rocchetti)
Eligio Trani	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Giuseppe Colizzi	....	production manager
Antonio Negri	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Dominique Delouche	....	assistant director
Paolo Nuzzi	....	assistant director
Moraldo Rossi	....	assistant director
Narciso Vicario	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Giovanni Rossi	....	sound editor

Camera and Electrical Department
Roberto Gerardi	....	camera operator
G.B. Poletto	....	still photographer
Arturo Zavattini	....	assistant camera

Editorial Department
Nada Delle Piane	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Franco Ferrara	....	conductor

Other crew
Manolo Bolognini	....	production secretary
Ezio Rodi	....	production staff
Brunello Rondi	....	advisor
Manolo Bolognini	....	script supervisor (uncredited)
Renato Cominetti	....	voice dubbing (uncredited)
Arnoldo Foà	....	voice dubbing: Broderick Crawford (uncredited)
Nino Manfredi	....	voice dubbing: Alberto De Amicis (uncredited)
Enrico Maria Salerno	....	voice dubbing: Richard Basehart (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Titanus
• Société Générale de Cinématographie (S.G.C.)

Distributors

• Titanus Distribuzione (1955) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Medusa Home Entertainment (2004) (Italy) (DVD) (restored)
• Amaya Films (????) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Astor Pictures Corporation (1963) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Pathé Consortium Cinéma (1956) (France) (theatrical)
• Altomedia. Co. Ltd. (????) (Korea) (DVD)
• Connoisseur Video Collection (1989) (USA) (VHS) (subtitled)
• Emerald (2007) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Homescreen (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Sagres Filmes (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• Versátil Home Vídeo (2004) (Brazil) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"Il bidone" - France (imdb display title), International (imdb display title), UK (imdb display title), USA (imdb display title)
"Die Schwindler" - Austria, West Germany
"A Trapaça" - Brazil
"Almas sin conciencia" - Spain (alternative title)
"El cuentero" - Argentina
"Fellinis Gauner" - West Germany
"Huijarit" - Finland
"Kalpazanlar çetesi" - Turkey (Turkish title)
"Krapyl" - Denmark (imdb display title)
"Niebieski ptak" - Poland
"O Conto do Vigário" - Portugal
"Skies tou ypokosmou" - Greece (transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title)
"Skurken" - Sweden
"Sti skia tou ypokosmou" - Greece (reissue title)
"Szélhámosok" - Hungary (imdb display title)
"Taglitebi" - Georgia (imdb display title)

Runtime:

Argentina:100 min | Spain:95 min | USA:92 min | 112 min (original version)

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

Italian

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:M | Singapore:PG | Australia:G (DVD rating) | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Acquedotto dell'Acqua Felice, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Titanus

Trivia:

Film debut of Lorella De Luca.

Movie Connections:

References Black Tuesday (1954)

Amazing beauty. Broderick Crawford will make you cry

Il Bidone is the story of an old and tired con man, who one day, when it's too late, finds himself transformed after he's gone through a redemption of sorts. One of Fellini's least seen films, and unfortunately for viewers in the US, a cut version has been the only one available since its initial release. Even still, it's an amazing film. As I remember it was Truffault who said of Il Bidone, 'I could watch Broderick Crawford die for hours!' And he was very right. Crawford tended to be such a hack in the vast majority of his work for films and TV, but Fellini got an extraordinary performance out of him. Makes you wonder if he was capable of things like this all the time - if so - what a sad loss for us. He was a really bad alcoholic and Fellini kept having to change the script, but later in life said it turned out better that way. If you cry while watching La Strada and Le Notti di Cabiria, Il Bidone will make you cry much more. A forgotten and neglected classic. Proof again of Fellini's astonishing love and compassion for all humanity.