This is one of the most autobiographical films by the great Italian director, and the story of five young Italian men at crucial turning points in their small town lives also mirrors important social changes in 1950s Italy. Coming after Fellini’s commercial failure with his previous film, “I Vitelloni” helped to restore his reputation and has been considered a pivotal work in the director’s artistic evolution. Fellini co-authored the script with his usual suspects, Tullio Pinelli and Ennio Flaiano, and received the Academy Award nomination for Best Writing in 1958.
‘I Vitelloni’ was an immediate commercial success and won the Silver Lion at Venice Film festival.