Il Bidone (1955) Reviews

Blockbuster's synopsis seems to be describing some other film. This is a morality play about what happens to a man's soul when he makes his living as a con artist. What he stands to lose is far greater than what he gains, and, for a conflicted conscience, redemption may be something only wished for. As in other Fellini films, some of the scenes seem extraneous and slow the pace, but the narrative is nicely rolled out, and, mercifully, we are completely spared Fellini's infamous and irritating dream/circus/fantasy sequences. For Giulieta Masina fans, this film is a treat. While Fellini seems to have held a very poor opinion of mankind, he always cast his wife in the roles of reputable characers. (Even Cabiria, the prostitute, had a good heart.) This is one of the more intriguing and realistic of Fellini's works, although it tends toward the morose; so be forewarned.
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