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The Swindle ()

Il bidone (original title)
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A trio of con-men led by a lonesome swindler must deal with their job and family pressures.

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Cast verified as complete

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Augusto Rocco
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Iris
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Carlo
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Roberto Giorgio
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Susanna
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Marisa
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Rinaldo
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Patrizia
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Il Baron Vargas
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Riccardo
Paul Grenter
Emilio Manfredi
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Conman
Sara Simoni ...
Sorella di Stella
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Luciana
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Maggie
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Stella Florina
Ettore Bevilacqua ...
Swindled Man
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gino Buzzanca ...
Saro (uncredited)
Grazia Carini ...
Piccola parte (uncredited)
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Piccola parte (uncredited)
Ada Colangeli ...
Bit part (uncredited)
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Il biondo del cinema (uncredited)
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Piccola parte (uncredited)
Gianni Di Segni ...
Party Guest (uncredited)
Rosanna Fabrizi ...
Piccola parte (uncredited)
Yami Kamadeva ...
(uncredited)
Giuliana Manoni ...
Parte poi stralciata col montaggio (uncredited)
Tullio Tomadoni ...
Piccola parte (uncredited)
Amedeo Trilli ...
Piccola parte (uncredited)
Barbara Varenna ...
Piccola parte (uncredited)

Directed by

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Federico Fellini

Written by

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Federico Fellini ... (story by) &
Ennio Flaiano ... (story by) &
Tullio Pinelli ... (story by)
 
Federico Fellini ... (screenplay by) &
Tullio Pinelli ... (screenplay by)

Produced by

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Silvio Clementelli ... producer (uncredited)
Charles Delac ... producer (uncredited)
Mario Derecchi ... producer (uncredited)
Goffredo Lombardo ... producer (uncredited)

Music by

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Nino Rota

Cinematography by

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Otello Martelli

Editing by

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Mario Serandrei
Giuseppe Vari

Production Design by

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Dario Cecchi

Set Decoration by

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Massimiliano Capriccioli

Costume Design by

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Dario Cecchi

Makeup Department

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Rocchetti ... hair stylist (as Fiamma Rocchetti)
Eligio Trani ... makeup artist

Production Management

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Giuseppe Colizzi ... production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Dominique Delouche ... second assistant director
Paolo Nuzzi ... second assistant director
Moraldo Rossi ... first assistant director
Narciso Vicario ... second assistant director

Sound Department

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Giovanni Rossi ... sound editor

Camera and Electrical Department

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Roberto Gerardi ... camera operator
G.B. Poletto ... still photographer
Arturo Zavattini ... assistant camera

Music Department

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Franco Ferrara ... conductor

Script and Continuity Department

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Nada Dalle Piane ... script supervisor

Additional Crew

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Manolo Bolognini ... production secretary
Antonio Negri ... production assistant
Ezio Rodi ... administrative secretary
Brunello Rondi ... artistic collaborator
Mario Colli ... voice dubbing: Franco Fabrizi (uncredited)
Renato Cominetti ... voice dubbing (uncredited)
Lia Curci ... voice dubbing (uncredited)
Arnoldo Foà ... voice dubbing: Broderick Crawford (uncredited)
Fulvia Mammi ... voice dubbing: Sue Ellen Blake (uncredited)
Nino Manfredi ... voice dubbing: Alberto De Amicis (uncredited)
Enrico Maria Salerno ... voice dubbing: Richard Basehart (uncredited)
Rita Savagnone ... voice dubbing: Lorella De Luca (uncredited)
Yves Thos ... french poster designer (uncredited)
Aleardo Ward ... voice dubbing (uncredited)
Crew verified as complete

Production Companies

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Distributors

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Special Effects

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Other Companies

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  • Kodak (film stock)
  • RCA (sound recording system)
  • Titanus (music publishing company)

Storyline

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Plot Summary

Augusto, Carlo, and Roberto are scam artists who often work together. Middle-age divorced Augusto is the oldest, most seasoned in the business, and the trio's spiritual leader. They either are immune to the notion that most of their victims are not wealthy--most uneducated, rural peasants--or don't care that they make at most a few hundred thousand lira at a time. Each of the three is at a different stage of life, which makes Carlo and Augusto examine what they're doing more critically, each stemming from a specific incident. Roberto, the youngest, still lives solely for the here-and-now and will take any money willingly. Carlo would like to make a living as an artist, hence his nickname of Picasso, if only it would support him, his loyal wife Iris, and their adolescent daughter Silvania. Carlo has told Iris that his frequent absences is in his work as a traveling salesman with Augusto, but she can no longer bury her head in the sand about what he's doing upon a last-minute social evening out with his associates on New Year's Eve. Augusto's examination of his life begins upon a chance encounter with his young-adult daughter Patrizia, whom he had not seen in years and didn't even recognize. Augusto is torn between what his money can afford in getting Patrizia on her feet as she contemplates extending her expensive education, versus being a role model to her. Written by Huggo

Plot Keywords
Taglines Another film of magical insight by Federico Fellini the master movie maker of La Dolce Vita ! See more »
Genres
Parents Guide View content advisory »
Certification

Additional Details

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Also Known As
  • Le gang en soutane (France)
  • The Swindle (United States)
  • The Swindle (World-wide, English title)
  • Il Bidone (United Kingdom)
  • The Swindle (United Kingdom)
  • See more »
Runtime
  • 113 min
Country
Language
Color
Aspect Ratio
Sound Mix
Filming Locations

Did You Know?

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Trivia The Swindle (1955) is both a stand-alone movie and the centerpiece of Federico Fellini's unofficial "trilogy of loneliness," preceded by The Road (1954) and followed by Nights of Cabiria (1957). All three are key works marking the last great moments of Italian neorealism, which was waning as central figures like Roberto Rossellini and Vittorio De Sica moved on to different genres. In the 1950s, he still held the neorealist conviction that nothing is more dramatic than the lives of ordinary people transferred to the screen with a minimum of embellishment. See more »
Movie Connections Edited into La monnaie de l'absolu (1999). See more »
Quotes Augusto: We've gotta figure out something better. We can't go on like this.
Roberto: Who's saying we should? I'm not an idiot. This is just for fun, just to keep us going. I'm going to sing. When I save up some money, I'll take lessons. I've bought all the Johnnie Ray's records. He's really my style.
Augusto: You'll never take lessons.
Roberto: I'm not ending up like you!
See more »

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