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Federico Fellini
Director -
Manolo Bolognini
Production Secretary -
Antonio Negri
Production Supervisor -
Dario Cecchi
Production Design -
Tullio Pinelli
Story -
Silvio Clementelli
Producer -
Arturo Zavattini
Assistant Camera -
Moraldo Rossi
First Assistant Director
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CinemaSerf 11/14/2022 10:46:22 AM
I had no idea, until recently, that Broderick Crawford had ever done this film and he's really quite good. He ("Augusto") leads a trio of grifters who take the low hanging fruit. They have no scruples about robbing the vulnerable, ordinary folks - and are quite imaginative when it comes to their scams. Set against a backdrop of a still recovering post-war Italy, there is an effective cynicism about the way the plot and the characters develop. Crawford works well with sidekick Richard Basehart's "Carlo" but his is the stand out role. The rest of the film does run a little to typical crime-noir stereotype, but the photography that marries the bleak with the beautiful, and a superb score from the always reliable Nino Rota give this more of a grandeur. I wasn't mad on the ending - it was just too easy, too predictable and somehow underwhelmed Crawford's otherwise really quite nuanced performance. It tugs well at our heart-strings at times whilst offering a soupçon of humour and is a film that demonstrated a talent in the star I wasn't expecting.
Richard Basehart
PicassoBroderick Crawford
AugustoRiccardo Garrone
RiccardoGiacomo Gabrielli
Baron VargasGiulietta Masina
IrisXenia Valderi
LucianaGianni Di Segni
Party Guest (uncredited)Mario Passante
Conman