"A young provincial woman (Brunella Bovo) and her husband (Leopoldo Trieste) arrive in Rome for their honeymoon. While her husband busies himself with arrangements to meet relatives and be presented to the Pope, she sets out to meet her idol--the White Sheik (Alberto Sordi), hero of a photographed magazine strip (the popular fumetti). She discovers her idol has feet of clay in an encounter with him on a boat that is interrupted by the arrival of his domineering wife.... The first film Fellini directed alone, this is a delightful, shrewd and sardonic satire.... Though it is firmly rooted in orthodox neorealism, many of Fellini's characteristic motifs and subtle tones are present, even though in embryonic form. Sordi's performance as the romantic hero who turns out to have earthy tastes made him famous. Giulietta Masina appears in a supporting role as the prostitute, Cabiria." Georges Sadoul, Dictionary of Films