La Strada

La Strada [The Road] (Criterion #219).
1954 Ponti-De Laurentiis Cinematografica, Trans Lux & Janus Films.
Starring: Anthony Quinn, Giulietta Masina, Richard Basehart, Also Silvani, Marcella Rovere, Livia Venturini
Director: Federico Fellini
Amazon.com listings: Criterion DVD, Essential Art House edition.

The winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1956.

Gelsomina (Masina, Fellini's wife) is a clownish young lady sold for 10,000 lira by her impoverished mother to a carnival strong man called Zampanò (Quinn), who makes his living by drawing the public to a square, expanding his chest to break a chain, then passing the hat around. Zampanò is physically and emotionally abusive, and trains Gelsomina as his sidekick with a cruel streak. Despite her innocent looks and childlike optimism, she is unable to avoid Zampanò's fits of anger. Gelsomina considers herself an artist after learning to play a snare drum and trumpet, in addition to her dancing and playing a clown. Over time, their relationship improves somewhat, and Gelsomina falls in love, ultimately deciding that traveling as Zampanò's companion is her true purpose in life.

Somewhere in their travels, they meet up with "The Fool" (Basehart), an acrobat and clown from the circus. He tries teaching Gelsomina that there may be more to life than being Zampanò's sidekick-slash-target for rage. The Fool and Zampanò have long been at odds, and Zampanò ends up killing his nemesis in a fit of rage, which devastates Gelsomina. This gets her abandoned by the side of the road when Zampanò discovers this.

Years later, Zampanò hears that Gelsomina has died in a local village, which causes him to express remorse for the first time in his life.

La Strata was a landmark film not only for Fellini's career, but for Italian cinema in general. It was also a great influence on Martin Scorsese, who admitted that the character of Zampanò was an obvious prototype for Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull, as well as elements that were written into the character of Johnny Boy in Mean Streets. The Criterion DVD has a ten minute introduction from Scorsese, but newcomers to the film might want to avoid it until after seeing the movie first, since Scorsese gives away quite a bit about the plot and key events in the film.

Highly, highly recommended. I admit that I cheated and used the English-dubbed soundtrack available on the DVD instead of watching it as Fellini intended it, in its original language with English subtitles turned on.