This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

Just so...so bad

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Gelsomina lives a quiet life with her mother and three sisters. However, this sheltered existence is shattered when a travelling showman, Zampano, pays her mother so that Gelsomina will travel with and work for him. She is initially a reluctant participant in his line of work but soon tries to make the most of it, even learning some new skills. However, she has to contend with his brutish, unfeeling behaviour.Superb, emotional movie, written and directed by Federico Fellini. Quite a harrowing journey as Fellini here is an emotional sadist, heaping torment on the most innocent of souls. He toys with the audience, offering glimmers of hope and a promise of a better turn of events, only to dash these hopes soon thereafter.A similar theme to The Nights of Cabiria, released three years later, as we have an incredibly engaging and likable leading character trying to find something positive in a cynical, uncaring world. As with The Nights of Cabiria, while Fellini's plot and direction are brilliant, the movie is made by Giuletta Masina (his wife, incidentally). She is perfect as Gelsomina, mixing Chaplinesque physical comedy with heartbreaking innocence and forlornness. One cannot help but be engaging by her character and empathise with her plight. With her character sucking you into the narrative, you are at the mercy of Fellini's incredibly moving plot.Superb movie, Fellini's finest.

Sad story of a waif , shy woman , Gelsomina (Giulietta Massina , Federico's real-life wife) , who is sold by her mother to Zampano for 10,000 lire and a few kilos of food . Brute Zampano (Anthony Quinn) is a cruel , coarse , strong-man who shows his vigour by breaking a chain wrapped around his chest . They tour on the road ("la Strada") , along the countryside where they perform in village squares and she helps him as a drummer during his shows and passing the hat for whatever the regularly small crowd is prepared to give . They join a small traveling circus where eventually meet up with a gentle acrobat (Richard Basehart) and the unexpected happenings go wrong .Sensitive and agreeable film film packs intense drama , emotion , good feeling and tragedy . The picture is , by turns , strong and amusing . Here Fellini demonstrates a real sensibility to the underprivileged of the world and his belief in spiritual redemption . Fellini's fantasy ostensibly elucidates the inner life of a poor and normally mistreated woman . The flick contains a highly symbolic internal logic , enjoyable imagery and bizarre , abstract plot peppered with risqué humor . Here Fellini uses the unfortunate story of a distressed woman delivering over her life to create a good and often wild film . The film relies heavily on the peculiar relationship between Gelsomina and Zampano , but it doesn't make boring but interesting ; as he doesn't treat her well and when she tries to run away , he beats her . Magnificent interpretations all around . Trio protagonist is frankly awesome . Nice performance by Giulietta Massina as the waif sold by her very poor mother and she feels like going with him , but he puts confusion in her mind and finally falls in love with him despite his abuse . Excellent Anthony Quinn as the traveling , itinerant showman , Zampano exhibits feats of strength and meanwhile he ill-treats her . Anthony Quinn was working on a film with Giulietta Masina when she introduced him to her husband , Federico who was immediately convinced that the Mexican actor would make the perfect Zampano the strongman in his new film , which was to become La Strada (1954), and implored him to accept the character . And sympathetic acting by Richard Basehart as a tight-rope walker "The Fool", a funambulist who convinces Gelsomina to question her choices . Well produced by two greatest Italian producers , Dino De Laurentiis and Carlo Ponti , who originally wanted Silvana Mangano , Dino's wife , and Burt Lancaster as the leads . However , at the beginning Federico Fellini had an extraordinarily difficult time finding producers who were willing to back the film and he began shooting the film before any financial backers had officially signed on .The motion picture was masterfully directed by Federico Fellini , he admitted that he each of the principal characters in the film represented the elements . Zampano represented the Earth , Gelsomina represented water, and the Fool represented air . It won the first ever Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film (1956) and N.Y Critics Award to Foreign Film (56) . Fellini who inspired the word "Felliniesque" was one of the best Italian filmmakers/writers . He frequently cast Marcello Mastroianni and Giulietta Masina and Score by Nino Rota . His best works include dreams like imagery and nostalgia . He made Italian classics , such as : ¨8 and 1/2¨, ¨Roma¨, ¨Satyricon¨, ¨I Vitellone¨ , ¨La Dolce Vita¨ , ¨The clowns¨, ¨Casanova¨, ¨And the ship sails on¨, "City of Women" , "Orchestra Rehearsal" and directed his spouse Giulietta in various films such as : ¨The white sheik¨ , ¨Il Bidone¨, ¨Juliet of the Spirits¨, "The Nights of Cabiria" ¨Ginger and Fred¨ and including some auto-biographic elements , especially in ¨Amarcord¨ (1973) , though he denied his film is autobiographical , but agreed that there are similarities with his own childhood .

'La Strada' is considered by many critics to be the first film made by Fellini which can be given the tag Felliniesque. His earlier work as a screenwriter as well as his previously directed films had a very palpable sense of neo-realism enriching them. This was the first film where Fellini started to break off from some of the norms of Italian neo-realism and make a gradual transition to a more poetic and surreal visual language. This directorial decision also made a number of Italian critics of the time negatively remark upon the film as well as Fellini for his 'betrayal' of neo-realism.Having said all that, I still think that 'La Strada' borrows the basic societal background from neo-realist films. The film opens with Gelsomina's family. We get to know about their sorry plight from a financial standpoint. The matriarch has to sell off Gelsomina to Zampano just to get some money so that the others in the family could be fed. This element of abject poverty in post WW2 Italy forcing ordinary people to compromise is something that was an integral part of Italian neo-realist cinema. But in the previous neo-realist films, this economic insufficiency served as the main driver of the plot, whereas in 'La Strada', Fellini uses this poverty as the backdrop, but the essential driver of the plot is the personal existential crisis suffered by the characters. The screenplay of the film written by Fellini, Tullio Pinelli and Ennio Flaiano is simple. The basic storyline is something which is very familiar. Two different characters get together and they hit the road and on the way they confront certain realities about themselves. But Fellini, through his direction adds a fantasy/fairy tale like element to the film that makes it unique. Gelsomina is a naive, gullible young woman who gets thrown into an unfamiliar world with a complete stranger. Zampano is the big, arrogant, rude, brute of a man who keeps treating Gelsomina in the worst ways possible which involves constant slapping and physical assaults. She keeps taking it because she loves the actual performing aspect of the work. She keeps wandering off akin to her natural wild ways. She then meets The Fool, another travelling artist. Although he is not the most perfect individual either, but even then he is the one who at least verbally communicates with Gelsomina and gives her hope and encouragement by telling her that everyone, including she has a purpose on this Earth. In a way the film can be viewed as a vehicle for the transition that takes place in Zampano's character. 'La Strada' in Italian translates to The Road. It is Zampano who travels on the road to achieving a conscience. He gradually comes to realise the wrongness of his ways and behaviour and repents. But he does so when it's too late. Although 'La Strada' doesn't have the visual flair and bravura to the extent that is present in the Fellini films from 'La Dolce Vita' onward, however even with the restrained camera work, there are still moments of typical Felliniesque surreal visuals like the sight of a single horse walking down the street, the three musicians appearing out of nowhere to cheer up Gelsomina, the shot of The Fool wearing angel wings sitting on a chair on the rope suspended in the air,etc. Nino Rota's music beautifully accentuates the moments of a change in tone. The camera movement is restrained, but still expressive. Fellini uses the beach in a thematically rich way which elevates the scenes staged there.For me the best performance in the film comes from Anthony Quinn. The character Zampano represents the cold, brooding individual who has decided to wear a thick armour of insensitivity. His character represents a cynical world view which juxtaposes the naive and gullible character of Gelsomina and also to some extent The Fool. Just like Jake LaMotta in 'Raging Bull', Zampano is a character that is easy to loathe due to his despicable demeanour. However Fellini gives Zampano the chance to start his journey at redemption through the heartbreaking last scene of the film where Quinn gives a masterclass of emoting and expressing so much without saying a single word.The only reason why, 'La Strada' doesn't get an 9 or 10 in my books is because of the way Fellini uses the character of Gelsomina. From a thematic standpoint her character makes sense. But the way in which she gets portrayed by Giulietta Masina is a little too corny. I can understand that the exaggerated mannerisms and Charlie Chaplin-esque antics goes with the fairy tale-esque feel of the storyline. She even looks adorable with the big eyes and it does break your heart when she is constantly abused by Zampano and forced to grow up. But I do think, the film could have worked slightly better with a little more understatement to her character mixed with the clown-like behaviour during the performance scenes.I don't think 'La Strada' is a perfect film, but it still has so many elements that could be admired. Fellini's command over the visual language is very apparent. This is the work of a master filmmaker who was still sharpening his skills.

A whimsical and often magical story that is one of Fellini's more linear and accessible stories. Not only is the warm heart of the story apparent, but the visuals, in typical Fellini fashion, provide striking background imagery.Gelsomina (Giulietta Masina) travels with Zampanò (Anthony Quinn) to earn money. Together they journey and experience various people. Amazing performances especially from Masina coupled with an endearing score. Il Matto (The Fool) provided some laughable moments who meets his fate the last time he meets Zampanò. Simple yet striking screenplay with a sample lines: "For if its useless, everything is useless. So are the stars!" - The Fool. More of an emotional drama that have no direct or structured plot, which lets the viewer wait what happens to the leads. La Strada shows several metaphors such as the nuns (religion), The Fool (humor and realization that everything has a use), Zampanò (greed/selfish desires/loneliness/physically strong yet morally weak) and Gelsomina (a talent never given the spotlight/purity/innocence).