Strada (La)

Genre: poetic drama
Director: Federico Fellini
Release: 1954
Studio: Janus Films et al. - Kino International
Rating: -
MBiS score: 9.5/10


Chasing a Dream of Fulfillment and Dignity


Prodded by her mother, a simple-minded girl leaves her dreary home on the Italian coast to follow a circus strongman as his assistant. Her eyes glittering with hope, eager to learn a glamorous craft, she doesn’t fully know what kind of life awaits her on the road with a stranger.

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Mixing humour, fantasy and pathos, Fellini’s black and white masterpiece is rocky and bare but drenched in a carnival atmosphere beautifully enhanced by Nino Rota’s exquisite score. As Gelsomina, Giulietta Masina will conquer you with her whimsical smile and Chaplinesque demeanour while Anthony Quinn, playing a rough, gruff and mediocre showman named Zampano, will break your heart like those chains he rips apart on his massive chest. Zampano is a force to be reckoned with… but can Gelsomina help him in his quest? I won’t tell… you will simply have to see the movie. Aside from our two main characters, the film also offers tenderness and mockery in the guise of Matto (Richard Basehart), a sympathetic acrobat whose philosophy Gelsomina doesn’t always grasp but certainly appreciates. Magical, grotesque and ever memorable scenes will unfold before your very eyes. Not all questions will be answered during our protagonists’ journey across Italy but answers are not always needed in art. Guess away at will… the road will lead you somewhere, perhaps even to Rome.

Step right up! Come see our heroine walk the tightrope of existence like Matto the fool, leaning one moment toward happiness and tipping toward suffering the very next. Watch her wrestle with her emotions in this perfect, lyrical and eternal ode to love and relationships. If you are a true movie fan, this film is a must-see. Gelsomina! Gelsomina!


MBiS

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