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The Swindle (1955)

Name: The Swindle
Genre: Crime, Drama
Released: 1955-10-07
Duration: 114 min
Rating: 7.3
Cast: Broderick Crawford, Giulietta Masina, Richard Basehart, Franco Fabrizi, Sue Ellen Blake

The Swindle (1955), directed by Federico Fellini, starring Broderick Crawford and Giulietta Masina.

10/07/1955 BR Crime and Drama 1h 54m

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SOME PEOPLE DON’T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT YOUR DAUGHTERS' WELFARE!

Synopsis

Aging small-time conman Augusto works with two younger men: Roberto, who desires to become the Italian Johnny Ray, and Carlo, nicknamed Picasso. Through a series of mishaps and personal entanglements, things go badly for Augusto.

Otello MartelliCinematography
Federico FelliniDirector, Story, Screenplay
Giuseppe VariEditing
Mario SerandreiEditing

About the film

Il bidone [il biˈdoːne], a.k.a. The Swindle, is a 1955 Italian drama film directed by Federico Fellini starring Broderick Crawford, Richard Basehart and Giulietta Masina.

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Il bidone [il biˈdoːne], a.k.a. The Swindle, is a 1955 Italian drama film directed by Federico Fellini starring Broderick Crawford, Richard Basehart and Giulietta Masina.

Plot

In the country outside Rome, a group of swindlers dress up as clerics and con poor farmers out of their savings. Another scam in a shanty town is to pretend they are officials taking deposits for apartments. The proceeds are spent on flashy cars, champagne and nightclubs.

One member of the gang, Carlo – nicknamed Picasso in being an aspiring artist – pretends to his faithful wife Iris that he is a traveling salesman, but she gradually stops believing him. His conscience is pricked and he decides to quit. Another member is Roberto, who finds scamming poor people diverting and has fun spending the loot and going to parties, where he attempts to steal some jewels.The head of the gang, Augusto, meets his teenage daughter Patrizia who he has not seen for years, and his conscience is also awakened. However he is recognized in a cinema with her, arrested and jailed.

When released he joins a new gang along with a sleazy man, Vargas, known as "The Baron". They repeat the clergy scam among peasants. After swindling a large sum out of a farming family in the windy Apennine Mountains, he talks, pretending to be a priest, to their sick teenage daughter. Her plight touches him, and when the gang come to share out the gains he says he gave it all back. A row develops and he is battered to the ground by Vargas and his cronies. Stripping him, the crooks find he has concealed the takings in his clothes. On a barren and rocky hillside, they leave him to a slow death. The next morning Augusto hears a group of peasant women with children passing close by, singing and whistling. His last words are "wait for me" before he dies.

Cast

Broderick Crawford as Augusto Rocco

Giulietta Masina as Iris

Richard Basehart as Carlo

Franco Fabrizi as Roberto Giorgio

Sue Ellen Blake as Anna

Irene Cefaro as Marisa

Alberto De Amicis as Rinaldo

Lorella De Luca as Patrizia

Giacomo Gabrielli as Il Baron Vargas

Riccardo Garrone as Riccardo

Xenia Valderi as Luciana

Production

Fellini had intended Humphrey Bogart for the role of Augusto, but, learning of Bogart being ill with cancer, finally chose Broderick Crawford for the part.

Reception

On the occasion of its nine-year delayed US premiere, critic Bosley Crowther gave the film a mixed review, calling it "a cheap crime thriller". He added, "For this film, which is often mentioned in estimations of the master's works, is notable as a false step in his movement toward the development of a type of story material ... But it contains some very strong Fellini phases and accumulations of moods that make it well worth seeing. And it is generally well played ... Broderick Crawford's performance as the swindler is heavy and sodden, with a particular flair for postured histrionics in the swindle scenes."

References

External links

The Swindle at IMDb

The Swindle (1955) at AllMovie

Il bidone at Rotten Tomatoes

Il bidone at the TCM Movie Database (archived)

Il bidone at The Criterion Collection

Text from Il bidone on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Il_bidone

Trivia

It premiered on October 7, 1955, a Friday.
It runs 1h54 — a typical feature length.
Its original title is "Il bidone".
As of September 20, 2026, it is available in Brazil by subscription on Looke, Arte Amazon Channel.
This film's quiz has 13 questions — enough to play more than once without repeats.

Production

StudiosTitanus, Société Générale de Cinématographie (S.G.C.)
CountriesFrance, Italy
LanguagesItalian
StatusReleased

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Set in

Rome

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Crew

Otello Martelli Cinematography
Federico Fellini Director
Giuseppe Vari Editing
Mario Serandrei Editing
Charles Delac Producer
Goffredo Lombardo Producer
Mario Derecchi Producer
Silvio Clementelli Producer
Nino Rota Original music
Ennio Flaiano Screenplay
Ennio Flaiano Story
Federico Fellini Story
Federico Fellini Screenplay
Tullio Pinelli Story
Tullio Pinelli Screenplay

Questions about this film

What is The Swindle about?

The Swindle: Aging small-time conman Augusto works with two younger men: Roberto, who desires to become the Italian Johnny Ray, and Carlo, nicknamed Picasso. Through a series of mishaps and personal entanglements, things go badly for Augusto.

Who directed The Swindle?

The Swindle was directed by Federico Fellini in 1955.

Who stars in The Swindle?

The cast of The Swindle includes Broderick Crawford, Giulietta Masina, Richard Basehart, Franco Fabrizi and Sue Ellen Blake.

How long is The Swindle?

The Swindle runs for 114 minutes, or 1h54.

Where can I watch The Swindle?

The Swindle is available on Looke and Arte Amazon Channel. Availability changes often: the list on this page is the most recent we received.