Fellini cast American actor Broderick Crawford to interpret the role of an aging swindler in '' Il Bidone '' . Based partly on stories told to him by a petty thief during production of '' La Strada '' , Fellini developed the script into a con man 's slow descent towards a solitary death . To incarnate the role 's " intense , tragic face " , Fellini 's first choice had been Humphrey Bogart but after learning of the actor 's lung cancer , chose Crawford after seeing his face on the theatrical poster of '' All the King ’s Men '' ( 1949 ) . The film shoot was wrought with difficulties stemming from Crawford 's alcoholism . Savaged by critics at the 16th Venice International Film Festival , the film did miserably at the box office and did not receive international distribution until 1964
16th Venice International Film Festival
16th Venice International Film Festival
Federico Fellini