a foreign film review by Chris White
NIGHTS OF CABIRIA
In the aftermath of World War II, many Italian filmmakers pursued a much more sobering and truthful kind of cinema. Known as "Italian Neorealism," the movement spawned a generation of non-romantic dramas about the harsh realities of life.
Federico Fellini, who would later be known for cinematic theatricality, free-flowing style, and plot whimsy started in this movement. In the heartbreaking NIGHTS OF CABIRIA we see him true to that form...while straining to transcend it.
CABIRIA stars Fellini's wife, Giulietta Masina, in the title role. As she was in her husband's LA STRADA (1956), Masina is a female Charlie Chaplin...a screen comedienne for the ages. And it is within her flawless performance we find a character of true pathos, not a cartoon. Though Cabiria (Masina) lives as a prostitute on the streets of Rome, she always seems to find the goodness in others and in the dark world she inhabits.
Facing endless disappointment and humiliation, Cabiria is broken, and beaten and then broken again. And yet...she never stays down. Always, always, she rises to the next occasion. She perseveres. "Dum spiro-spero."
Underscoring the pathos and pain of Cabiri's hard life and positive outlook is Nino Rota's (THE GODFATHER) stirring theme.
1957 // BW //110 min.
Criterion Collection (Janus Films)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Italy
Federico Fellini, who would later be known for cinematic theatricality, free-flowing style, and plot whimsy started in this movement. In the heartbreaking NIGHTS OF CABIRIA we see him true to that form...while straining to transcend it.
CABIRIA stars Fellini's wife, Giulietta Masina, in the title role. As she was in her husband's LA STRADA (1956), Masina is a female Charlie Chaplin...a screen comedienne for the ages. And it is within her flawless performance we find a character of true pathos, not a cartoon. Though Cabiria (Masina) lives as a prostitute on the streets of Rome, she always seems to find the goodness in others and in the dark world she inhabits.
Facing endless disappointment and humiliation, Cabiria is broken, and beaten and then broken again. And yet...she never stays down. Always, always, she rises to the next occasion. She perseveres. "Dum spiro-spero."
Underscoring the pathos and pain of Cabiri's hard life and positive outlook is Nino Rota's (THE GODFATHER) stirring theme.
1957 // BW //110 min.
Criterion Collection (Janus Films)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Italy
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