Together with Amarcord and 8½, I Vitelloni may be Fellini’s most personal film. Starting from the very first scene to the very last, this is a semibiographical account of Fellini especially his childhood and adolescence. Its cinematic vibrance and pure screen verve is comparable to François Truffaut’s 1950s debut film The 400 Blows. But while Truffaut’s film was a nostalgic French reflection of Italian neorealist cinema, Fellini’s opus is something of a moving forward (or even away) from neorealism and a critical turning point for the distinctive Fellini-esque artistry in his later films.

The film follows five men as they spend their lives dreaming for escape and adventure. They drink. They womanize. They play. In a way, this is some sort of Fellini-esque ennui – rural and festive as opposed to Michelangelo Antonioni’s more urban and somber version (see L’Avventura or La Notte). These five men are at a crossroads in their lives. There is the womanizing Fausto, who is forced to have a shotgun wedding. There is Riccardo, the ambitious baritone. There is Alberto, the “child” of the group. There is Leopoldo, the fame-hungry writer. Finally there is Moraldo, who contemplates on his existence and moral conscience.

At the surface, I Vitelloni is a work of mere character sketches. It is more than that – it is a masterwork of piercing character study and sociopsychological commentary. As Fellini’s first breakout international success (it was nominated for the Screenplay Oscar and won the Venice Silver Lion), this film is a glimpse of Fellini’s psyche. These five men are in fact the different aspects of Fellini. Fellini the lover. Fellini the performer. Fellini the dreamer. Fellini the storyteller. Fellini the philosopher. Yes, these five characters come to life onscreen as they compassionately struggle to find meaning in their lives. All the while, Fellini also slowly finds his unique creative vision and artistic style with I Vitelloni.