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This early Federico Fellini 1952 movie, his first as writer and sole director (after jointly filming 1951’s Lights of Variety), is an extremely eye-catching and highly diverting triumph.

Newlyweds Wanda (Brunella Bova) and Ivan (Leopoldo Trieste) Cavalli have just arrived for their honeymoon in Rome from their village in the countryside. The thoroughly middle-class Ivan has every minute of their stay in Rome planned out. Most of it is to be spent with his uncle, who is an employee of the Vatican, and his family. The highlight will be an audience with the Pope.

Wanda heads upstairs while Ivan is on the phone and gets a dreamy look in her eyes when she looks over the city. Before we know it, she asks to take a hot bath then sneaks out of the hotel. She is headed to the studio where her idol Fernando Rivoli (Alberto Sordi), better known as the “white sheik”, works. She has written Rivoli several fan letters signed “Passionate Dolly” and he wrote back asking her to visit if she ever happened to be in Rome.

Director: Federico Fellini
Cast: Alberto Sordi, Giulietta Masina, Brunella Bovo, Leopoldo Trieste
Country: Italy
Genre: Comedy, Drama

The White Sheik (1952) Criterion Collection
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DVD9 | NTSC 4:3 | 01:26:28 | 6.82 Gb + 3% rec
Language: Italian
Subtitles: English

Extras:
• Video interviews with actors Brunella Bovo and Leopoldo Trieste, and Fellini friend Moraldo Rossi in a short film called "Remembrances" (31:15)

The White Sheik (1952) Studiocanal
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BD50 | 1080p AVC | 01:27:11 | 26.5 Gb + 3% rec
Language: Italian, German, French
Subtitles: English, German, French

Extras:
• Fellini's The White Sheik and Other Stories - 16 minute featurette compiled of Interviews with Fellini experts Peter Bondanella and Charlotte Chandler discussing The White Sheik and other Fellini classics
• Fellini's Collection at The Lilly Library - A 3 minute featurette showcasing artefacts from the Fellini collection at The Lilly Library, including scripts and sketches.