I Vitelloni (1953) Queer Film A-

Federico Fellini’s I Vitelloni follows five young men in their early twenties—Moraldo (Franco Interlenghi), Alberto (Alberto Sordi), Fausto (Franco Fabrizi), Leopoldo (Leopoldo Trieste), and Riccardo (Riccardo Fellini, the director’s brother)—as they drift aimlessly through life in a provincial seaside town, suspended somewhere between adolescence and adulthood.

This was Fellini’s third feature as a director, made after his screenwriting collaborations with Rossellini and just before his international breakthrough with La Strada. The film blends neorealist observation with a wistful, autobiographical tone, all buoyed by a lush Nino Rota score. Like Fellini’s later memory films, it evokes a vivid sense of place—clearly inspired by his Rimini childhood, even though it wasn’t shot there.

One of the film’s most striking moments involves an aging stage actor (Achille Majeroni) who makes a tentative advance on Leopoldo during a stormy night by the beach. Often cited as one of the earliest depictions of a gay character in Italian cinema, the scene is subtle but historically significant, especially within the constraints of early‑1950s Italian filmmaking.

Franco Fabrizi takes acting honors as the newly married and shockingly unfaithful Fausto; Alberto Sordi contributes a memorable pre–Some Like It Hot tango in drag; and Franco Interlenghi’s brooding Moraldo—serving as the film’s moral center and narrator—leaves a lasting impression.

The title I Vitelloni comes from a regional Italian slang term meaning “overgrown calves,” used metaphorically to describe idle, immature young men who refuse to grow up. Fellini knew the Romagnol expression from his youth, and it perfectly captures the film’s blend of affection and exasperation toward its drifting protagonists.

I Vitelloni went on to become one of Fellini’s most influential works. Its portrait of restless young men shaped later films such as Scorsese’s Mean Streets (1973), George Lucas’s American Graffiti (1973), Philip Kaufman’s The Wanderers (1979), and Joel Schumacher’s St. Elmo’s Fire (1985). Barry Levinson’s Diner (1982) shares its spirit as well, though Levinson has said he hadn’t seen Fellini’s film before making it.

In 1963, Stanley Kubrick even listed I Vitelloni among his ten favorite films — a testament to its lasting impact.

Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

Cinematography: Otello Martelli

Janus Films

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