The White Sheik

The White Sheik
Italian release poster This file may be deleted at any time.
Directed by	Federico Fellini
Written by	Michelangelo Antonioni Federico Fellini Ennio Flaiano Tullio Pinelli
Produced by	Luigi Rovere
Starring	Alberto Sordi Brunella Bovo Leopoldo Trieste Giulietta Masina Lilia Landi
Release dates	6 September, 1952 (premiere at VFF) September 20, 1952 25 April, 1956
Running time	83 mins
Language	Italian

The White Sheik (Italian: Lo sceicco bianco) is a 1952 film by Federico Fellini. It tells the story of a honeymooning couple in Rome: the bride is obsessed with "The White Sheik", the hero of a soap opera photo strip and sneaks off to find him.

The White Sheik was Fellini's first solo effort as a director. He had previously co-directed Variety Lights with Alberto Lattuada. Initially, it failed with both critics and moviegoers and was a commercial flop.

Originally the treatment for The White Sheik was written by Michelangelo Antonioni. Carlo Ponti commissioned Fellini and Tullio Pinelli to develop the treatment. It was satirical in nature, targeting the trashy fotoromanzi comic strips that were extremely popular in Italy when the film was made.

The male lead, Leopoldo Trieste, reluctantly auditioned for Fellini. Up until that point Trieste was a playwright and did not consider himself an actor. During the audition Fellini asked him to compose a sonnet that the lead character would have written to his wife. The poem which begins "She is graceful, sweet and teeny..." was included in the film.

Brunella Bovo played the role of Wanda in The White Shiek.

Appearing briefly as the prostitute Cabiria, Giulietta Masina would later return to this role in Nights of Cabiria. This short scene inspired Fellini to write the screenplay, and also convinced producers that Guilietta was ready for the leading role.

Nino Rota scored the film.

External links

• The White Sheik at IMDb
• Criterion Collection essay by Jonathan Rosenbaum