The middle chapter in Federico Fellini’s “Trilogy of Loneliness” between La Strada and Nights of Cabiria, Il Bidone is a simple yet powerful tale that follows a trio of con artists (Broderick Crawford, Richard Basehart, Franco Fabrizi) and their personal and professional pressures as they go from town to town preying on the poor. But when one of the swindlers runs into his own daughter, it triggers a crisis of conscience with tragic results. Giulietta Masina, Fellini’s wife and collaborator, co-stars.
“It contains some very strong Fellini phases and accumulations of moods that make it well worth seeing.” – Bosley Crowther, The New York Times
