北イタリアの小都市を舞台に、無為な日々を送る5人の若者たちの青春。巨匠フェリーニが故郷の町をモデルに描き、その映画世界の原型ともいえる初期の名作。ベネチア映画祭銀獅子賞受賞。北イタリアのある町に生まれ育ち、生きる目的もなく自立もできずにいる5人の青年。妊娠させた娘と結婚しても女遊びをやめられないファウスト、姉から小遣いをせびり取るアルベルト、いちばん年下で内向的なモラルド、劇作家志望のレオポルド、そして歌の上手なリッカルド。日々なすすべもなく仲間と時を過ごすだけの生活に嫌気がさしたモラルドは、ある日、一人列車に乗って町から去って行く…。
監督: Federico Fellini
脚本: Federico Fellini / Ennio Flaiano / Tullio Pinelli
音楽: Nino Rota
制作: Lorenzo Pegoraro / Mario De Vecchi / Jacques Bar
撮影監督: Luciano Trasatti / Carlo Carlini
制作会社: Peg-Films / Cité Films
I will admit that I still struggle to quite understand the awe Fellini seems to generate amongst fans. His films are beautifully shot but usually involve the most shallow of individuals faffing around in a vacuous world of privilege and emptiness. This one is much the same - "Fausto" (Franco Fabrizi) is a bit of a playboy who is stuck in an unhappy marriage with the sister of his friend "Moraldo" (Franco Interlenghi). He still plays away from home, and she usually forgives him until at last she has had enough and absconds with their child. He and his friend set off to find her... Perhaps he has grown up, and he does really care? I didn't really know, nor care myself. The characters are womanising, drunken, louts - good looking, I suppose - but their arrogance towards those less fortunate is irritating; their attitudes towards women - an approach I find common in Fellini films - almost prehistoric. It does have some moments of comedy and is a joy to watch from any aesthetic perspective. Good, but not great....
