Lights of Variety is not one of Fellini's(co-directing with Alberto Lattuada) best, there is a slight sense that he was yet to find his feet and style, which was understandable considering that it was his first film. This said, he does delight in revealing human faces behind social masks while breaking with the neorealist tradition of the location of characters within the environment they're in. So there are some interesting touches without falling into self-indulgence yet not as ambitious as some of his middling efforts. The story is a simple one detailing love and desire within show-business but told very movingly, while Lights of Variety is also beautifully filmed, powerfully written and scored with bright exuberance. The characters are not detached yet are identifiable(if not so much as Ginger and Fred, La Strada and Nights of Cabiria) and you do relate to their plights. Peppino De Filippo, Carla Del Poggio and Giulietta Masina give top notch performances. All in all, a strong debut from Fellini even if he went on to even better things. 8/10 Bethany Cox
Review of Variety Lights
