La Strada

Federico Fellini was one of the greatest film directors of the 20^th century. His movies are so distinctive that the term “Felliniesque” was coined to describe his artistic style.

One of his great early masterpieces, made in 1954, is La Strada. In italian, “la strada” means “the road”…and the road here is filled with profound heartache, anguish and joy.

Set in post-World War II Italy, the story is about a sweet, slow-witted young woman named Gelsomina who lives in dire poverty with her mother and younger brothers and sisters. The family is so poor that one day Gelsomina’s mother sells her to a man named Zampano, who needs a woman to help him with his work as a circus act strongman.  Zampano travels from village to village on a motorcycle and lives in a rundown trailer that he pulls behind it. In no time, Gelsomina is in the trailer as well. She waves a tearful farewell to her family, glad they have some money to live on for awhile but also scared of what’s ahead for her on the road with Zampano. 

With her wide expressive eyes, she conveys a childlike, soul-stirring emotion.

As Gelsomina, actress Giuletta Masina is terrific. With her wide expressive eyes, she conveys a childlike, soul-stirring emotion that echoes the vulnerability of Charlie Chaplin’s “The Little Tramp”. 

And when she puts on clown makeup for her street performances with Zampano, her face transforms into a mirror of the sadness and suffering she feels over the dark turn her life has taken.

As Zampano, actor Anthony Quinn has one of his greatest roles. As a strongman, he delights crowds by using his strength to break out of a chain that’s wrapped around his chest. But there’s another chain that he also wears—the one around his heart—that imprisons him and makes him behave like a brute at war with Gelsomina and the world.

But then Gelsomina meets another circus performer known as “The Fool”—played by actor Richard Basehart—and hope flickers for her. The Fool sees the shadow of despair that Zampano has cast over her. He begins to teach her that everything in the world has a purpose. And so Gelsomina begins to find her purpose.

Despite Zampano’s coarse behavior, she starts taking pride in helping him be successful in his work. She learns how to play the trumpet to accompany his performances. One song she learns becomes, in effect, her theme song. Written by legendary composer Nino Rota, it’s an ode to the melancholy that haunts Gelsomina as she struggles to find meaning in her life…and perhaps awaken tenderness in Zampano’s iron heart.

La Strada is a “Felliniesque” poetic fable about the need for love and belonging; a heartbreaking meditation on the despair endured by many on the road of life. The winner of the very first Best Foreign Film Oscar, La Strada is an unforgettable journey, a four out of four-star classic.