故事由费里尼回忆儿童时代开始，画面呈现的是1925年北意大利里米尼小镇的风光。一天夜里，少年看见窗外广场有马戏团正在搭建帐篷，新奇又意外的他偷偷潜入帐篷内，看见了大象、狮子、马等动物，以及大力士、训兽师、身材高大的女人、侏儒等等奇怪的人。费里尼用极长的篇幅展示了观看马戏的乐趣所在，并依稀能够让人感受到他对儿童时代的怀念。

改编自意大利小说家Alberto Bevilacqua的同名小说。描述女主角嘉莉珐Califfa的老公遭到谋杀，嘉莉珐决定挺身对抗老公所工作的工厂老板Doberdo，却在追查老公凶杀案的过程中不经意的爱上Doberdo。
La Callifa原意是指穆罕默德的后裔Caliph身边的女人。这部配乐由音乐大师Ennio Morricone所谱，比电影本身更为人所知。同名主题曲由该片导演填词，莎拉布莱曼曾在《月光女神》中演唱过。

会计师乌戈·范托齐是一个天生的失败者：对他来说，办公室和日常生活的问题是巨大的悲剧。如何驾驭城市交通，找到停车位，与同事打交道，满足老板，参加工会组织的示威活动。

The frustrating adventures of a humble employee who all the time has to fullfill the wishes and desires of his bosses.

The frustrating adventures of a humble employee who all the time has to fullfill the wishes and desires of his bosses.

Despite of (or perhaps because of ) its sparse production values and unpretentiousness, the Italian Gli Innamorati was feted at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival. The bulk of the story takes place in a single Roman neighborhood. In the manner of the 1925 German classic A Joyless Street, director Mauro Bolognini studies the hopes, dreams, successes and failures of the neighborhood's various and sundry denizens. No one subplot dominates the proceedings, though a bit of extra time is afforded the story of a fickle seamstress and her seemingly meek-and-mild boyfriend. The cast is dotted with such reassuringly familiar faces as Nino Manfredi and Gino Cervi. Released in the US as Wild Love, Gli Innamorati was instrumental in bringing international fame to director Bolognini, whose career soon shifted into high drive.

Fantozzi is now retired but continues to go to the office where it is held up as a fine example of employees intending to do career.