Stars: Anthony Quinn, Giulietta Masina, Richard Basehart

Director: Federico Fellini

Summary: Zampano (Anthony Quinn), a performer in a travelling carnival outside of Rome, purchases the young, poor Gelsomina (Giulietta Masina) to be his wife and assistant. Although she shows genuine enthusiasm as an assistant, putting on a fabulous clown act akin to Charlie Chaplin, nobody seems to appreciate her; she quietly endures a life of emotional coldness and cruelty. When she meets 'The Fool', Ilmatto (Richard Basehart), a quicksilver trapeze artist who befriends her and offers her warmth, kindness, and an uplifting vision of the world, Gelsomina convinces herself that she and Zampano are in love. She is plunged into despair, however, after Zampano interferes in a jealous rage, precipitating a tragedy that will haunt him forever. Federico Fellini establishes a style and certain key themes in this film that he repeats as trademarks in subsequent films: the beach as a symbol of purity and release; haunting, soft female singing as a symbol of memory; examinations of Catholics and their religion as a cult behaviour; and, above all, a chaotic, circus-oriented cyclical pattern that guides his films. The Oscar-winning LA STRADA is the perfect place from which to begin an exploration of Fellini's expertly crafted movies.

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Aspect Ratio:	1.33
Main Language:	Italian
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	The Power Of A Smile Documentary, Audio Commentary On Selected Scenes By Christopher Wiegand Author Of The Taschen Book Federico Fellini, Booklet, Art Card
Subtitles:	English
Year:	1954
Release Date:	July 4, 2005
Runtime:	104 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	O P T D 0173
Keywords:	Subtitled, General, Italian, Drama, La, Strada
Genre:	Drama