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The White Sheik Photos

View All Photos (11)

Movie Info

In Italy, small-town newlyweds Wanda (Brunella Bovo) and Ivan Cavalli (Leopoldo Trieste) embark on their honeymoon in the big city of Rome. Ivan dutifully wants to keep appointments with family and church, but Wanda is only interested in meeting her favorite photo-strip star known as "The White Sheik" (Alberto Sordi). While Wanda impetuously sneaks away to locate the object of her affections, disconsolate Ivan tries his hardest to keep up appearances with the couple's relatives.

Genre:

adventure, comedy
Original Language:

Italian
Director:

Federico Fellini
Writer:

Michelangelo Antonioni, Federico Fellini
Release Date (Streaming):

Apr 29, 2003
Box Office (Gross USA):

$50.8K
Runtime:

1h 23m

Cast & Crew

Alberto Sordi
Fernando Rivoli

Brunella Bovo
Wanda Giardino Cavalli

Leopoldo Trieste
Ivan Cavalli

Enzo Maggio
Furio

Giulietta Masina
Cabiria

Lilia Landi
Felga

Show all Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews for The White Sheik

All Critics (14) | Top Critics (3) | Fresh (14)

Possibly [Federico Fellini's] sweetest, mildest, lightest, and most charming screwball comedy.

January 21, 2020 | Full Review…

Amy Nicholson
FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)
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…

Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
A funny, sardonic, and clever satire on popular heroes and ordinary people's illusions.

July 31, 2007 | Full Review…

Don Druker
Chicago Reader
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…

Neely Swanson
Easy Reader (California)
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…

Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Warm Flaubertian satire

October 28, 2009 | Full Review…

Fernando F. Croce
CinePassion
Clever lighthearted spoof on movie stars.

December 22, 2006 | Rating: B | Full Review…

Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews
Not one of Fellini's masterworks (and uncharacteristically farcical), but it is a must-see for those interested in the director's oeuvre and an entertaining piece on its own.

August 29, 2006 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…

TV Guide
Fellini would make much better films but this isn't a bad debut.

January 13, 2004 | Full Review…

Film4
Federico Fellini's first film, a charming caper that follows a pair of tormented honeymooners through their slapstick adventures in Rome, has put to rest my ungrounded fear of Fellini.

October 16, 2003 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Marcy Dermansky
About.com
Fellini's most purely pleasurable movie.

August 4, 2003 | Rating: 5/5

Jeffrey M. Anderson
San Francisco Examiner
Probably shouldn't be your first stop into the wonderfully weird world of Fellini, but his fans should absolutely find something to savour in this enjoyable little farce.

July 23, 2003 | Rating: 80/100

Scott Weinberg
Apollo Guide

View All Critic Reviews (14)

Audience Reviews for The White Sheik

Jul 06, 2017

A rather straightforward comedy by Fellini standards, but one bolstered by expressive performances and with no shortage of thematic depth.

Isaac H Super Reviewer
Mar 15, 2015

Fellini'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
Sep 12, 2013

From 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 9-12-13

Bruce B Super Reviewer
Sep 16, 2012

Fellini 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