The Bottom Line
Pros
- Movie features an unforgettable Chaplinesque performance by lead actress Giulietta Masina
- Film is charming, accessible, and poetic
- Fellini's visual lyricism and Nino Rota's memorable musical score
Cons
- Movie never had a soundtrack where dialogue synchronized with picture
- Film not as complex and audacious as Fellini’s later movies
- Story not realistic—more like a fable (could be a pro)
Description
- Criterion Collection two-disc DVD set containing movie "La Strada" (1954)
- Movie won Academy Award for Best Foreign Film
- Film directed and co-written by Federico Fellini
- Movie stars Anthony Quinn, Giulietta Masina, and Richard Basehart
- DVD contains separate Italian-language and English-language soundtracks
- DVD contains 14-minute video introduction by Martin Scorsese
- DVD contains feature-length audio commentary by film scholar Peter Bondanella
- DVDs contain 55-minute documentary "Federico Fellini's Autobiography"
- Outstanding picture quality and good sound quality
- Release Date: November 18, 2003
Guide Review - "La Strada" DVD Review
I would characterize the story in "La Strada," which best translates into English as "The Road," as being a fable. Anthony Quinn plays Zampanò, a brute who ekes out a living by traveling around Italian towns giving demonstrations of his physical strength, then passing the hat. He takes on the simpleminded Gelsomina (Giulietta Masina) as his servant and concubine, and she improves his act by adding comedy and music. Zampanò treats Gelsomina badly, but she remains with the unfeeling strongman. Eventually the strange pair encounters the Fool (Richard Basehart), a tightrope walker, who gives Gelsomina some advice. But the Fool can’t resist taunting Zampanò, leading to tragedy.
I found Anthony Quinn to be both compelling and intimidating as the bullying Zampanò. However, the most famous thing about "La Strada" is probably the Chaplinesque performance by Italian actress Giulietta Masina (Fellini’s wife), and I doubt that anyone who has ever seen the film could forget her in it. Masina helps to create one of the most heartbreaking and enchanting roles I've seen on film.
"La Strada" tells a somewhat bleak story, but it still leaves me with a feeling of hope because Zampanò, who is only a step away from being an animal at the beginning of the movie, becomes somewhat humanized through his time spent with the pure-hearted Gelsomina.
