The White Sheik
1952, Adventure/Comedy, 1h 23m
14 Reviews 2,500+ RatingsYou might also like
The White Sheik Photos
Movie Info
Cast & Crew
Fernando Rivoli
Wanda Giardino Cavalli
Ivan Cavalli
Furio
Cabiria
Felga
Critic Reviews for The White Sheik
All Critics (14) | Top Critics (3) | Fresh (14)
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Possibly [Federico Fellini's] sweetest, mildest, lightest, and most charming screwball comedy.
January 21, 2020 | Full Review… -
Inventively comic with melancholy notes around the edges, "The White Sheik" has, in common with all Fellini's films, more going on than you may at first anticipate.
January 17, 2020 | Full Review… -
A funny, sardonic, and clever satire on popular heroes and ordinary people's illusions.
July 31, 2007 | Full Review… -
The White Sheik is definitely worth seeing. It's not classic Fellini but it shows you how he arrived there and arrive there he did with a vengeance.
January 17, 2020 | Full Review… -
Fellini's solo directing debut, a charming fable about a newlywed couple, shows themes and characters that will reappear in his future work, not to mention the significance of wife actress Masina.
February 5, 2012 | Rating: A- | Full Review… -
Warm Flaubertian satire
October 28, 2009 | Full Review…
Audience Reviews for The White Sheik
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Jul 06, 2017A rather straightforward comedy by Fellini standards, but one bolstered by expressive performances and with no shortage of thematic depth.Isaac H Super Reviewer
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Mar 15, 2015Fellini's first solo effort is this lovely gem that already showcased his talent for combining a neorealist structure with delightful touches of farce and fantasy, especially in those hilarious moments when Leopoldo Trieste is desperate to find his missing wife.Carlos M Super Reviewer
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Sep 12, 2013From Th Criterion Collection, Spine Number 189. THE WHITE SHEIK is a low-budget film set in early 1950s Rome. It concerns a newly-wed couple Ivan (Leopoldo Trieste) and Wanda (Brunella Bovo) who arrive in the city for their honeymoon. Ivan has the arrangements all planned - they will meet his uncle and aunt, see the Pope, visit the sights and enjoy a quiet evening in. However things start to go off the rails when Wanda decides to look for her hero the White Sheik (Alberto Sordi), star of a series of comic-books and films. Her enthusiasm leads her astray from the hotel and into a series of adventures involving her being transported to the film-set, being taken on a boat with the Sheik, lost in the wilderness and taken back to Rome in a strongman's automobile. Ivan tries to look for her, but ends up in a series of adventures of his own as he desperately tries to convince his relatives that everything is perfectly serene in his marital life. Fellini's film rebounds from misadventure to misadventure; it is in fact extremely funny, with wonderful performances from the three leading actors, all of whom understand the importance of gesture and facial expression. Fellini spent his early years working with clowns; it's clear that this experience informs the film. THE WHITE SHEIK has a relatively short running-time - just over 80 minutes - but it is well worth watching. 3 3/4 Stars 9-12-13Bruce B Super Reviewer
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Sep 16, 2012Fellini has such a reputation that it might be difficult to even consider watching his work: "maybe I won't understand it ..." Well there's no reason to fear in this, his first, a light romantic comedy. A young couple's honeymoon is put on hold when the naive wife first stops to pay her respects to the Italian equivalent of a television soap opera star. Its fun, and Rome herself is the backdrop.Kevin M. W Super Reviewer
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