Variety Lights (1950)

Variety Lights (Luci del varietá)
Directed by Federico Fellini and Alberto Lattauda
Written by Federico Fellini, Alberto Lattaudo, and Tullio Pinelli
1950/Italy
Capitolium
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Checco Dal Monte: [to Lily] I’m an artist. So are you. You’ve got spunk, spunk! You’ll see. You and I together, always! I will be the performer. I don’t need anyone. I will form the company. I promise you.[/box]

OK, the Fellini years have started!  I’m a fan.  This one is the “1/2” in 8 1/2 as he co-directed with Lattauda but all his signature touches are here.  Comedy predominates.

Checco del Monte is the empresario of a third-rate variety show that plays small towns in Italy.  Even the small towns don’t think much of the acts and as the movie begins creditors are about to foreclose on the sets leaving the performers without wages.

The company travels together by train.  A beautiful young girl approaches Checco with a portfolio of photos and a story of winning beauty pagents and dance-offs.  She is Liliana and is completely star-struck.  Checco tries to woo her but she is having none of that.

When the troupe gets to their next town.  Liliana bails them out by paying a cart to haul their stuff.  She is still hanging around when the theater owner complains that Checco has not furnished all the dancers he promised.  Liliana figures she has a part in the show when she is counted among the dancers Checco did furnish.  All the cast members look down on her as a talentless amateur.  But when Liliana is accidentally caught on stage in her underwear the crowd goes wild and the show is held over for multiple performances while she morphs into its star.

Now Checco thinks Liliana will be his ticket to greater things.  He dumps his mistress of many years Melina Amour (Giulietta Masina) and takes Liliana to Rome to introduce her to his “contacts”.  These are pretty much non-existent and Checco spends a lot of his time discouraging the many men who vie for her attentions.  The girl has her eyes on the prize at all times, however, and soon has outgrown any need of help from her hapless “manager”.

This is a pleasant comedy.  The best parts, though,  are all the crazy supporting characters and their different acts.  Fellini already has a gift for picking out bizarre and totally perfect faces to fill his scenes.  I had a lot of fun watching this.

Clip

Clip – opening minutes – no subtitles but none really needed